By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
More than 6,000 Republicans turned out for Lonoke County’s primary elections Tuesday that saw Sheriff John Staley keep his badge by solidly beating former Sheriff Jim Roberson and former deputy Steve Finch by about 3,000 votes.
Staley received 4,270 votes to Roberson’s 1,211 and Finch’s 951.
Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke, a Republican, lost to former Democrat-turned-Republican County Clerk Dawn Porterfield, 3,253-3,001.
Republican Tim Lemons garnered more votes than Darlene Byrd for the state representative District 43 position held by outgoing House Speaker Davy Carter. Lemons garnered 1,728 votes to Byrd’s 1,091.
For the District 14 state representative seat, Republican Buddy Fisher nearly doubled up on Trent Eilts, 1,413 to 777. Fisher will face Lonoke City Attorney Camille Bennett, a Democrat.
The county assessor’s position will have to be decided in a runoff in three weeks, along with the ButlerTownship constable race as no one got 50 percent of the vote in either race.
The run-off will be between Assessor Jack McNally, who finished second in a three-way race to Jerrel Maxwell. Marsha Beck came in third and it will be her supporters that will decide who the next assessor will be. In Tuesday’s primary, Maxwell got 2,765 votes to McNally’s 1,979 and Beck’s 1,438.
In Butler Township, Justin McAllister was the top vote getter with 113, followed by Roger Williams at 78, Jody Webb with 77 and John Huett Sr, garnered 46 votes. The runoff will be between McAllister and Williams.
Two races were decided by just two votes. In the District 6 justice of peace race, Jerry Cole outlasted Lee Linville by two votes and incumbent Efrem Jones remains the Lonoke Ward 5 alderman, beating Phillip Ford, 32 to 30. Both are Democrats and there is no Republican candidate for the Ward 5 position.
In other Lonoke County races:
n Circuit Clerk Deborah Oglesby kept her job handily, defeating Denise Brown, 4,381 votes to 1,921.
n In the race for District 5 justice of the peace, Adam Justice garnered 370 votes to Gregg Kidd’s 342.
n In the District 8 justice of the peace race it was Tate House easily beating Bryson Harpole, 402 to 176.
The District 10 JP seat went to Bill Ryker, who defeated Robert Depriest III, 242 votes to 114.
District 12 JP seat will go to Matt Sanders who beat Patricia Ann Knox by 39 votes.
Coroner Mark Thomas will keep is job as he defeated Linda Meadows, 3,878 to 2,294.
Ronnie Thrift won the Carlisle Township battle by beating Greg Renner, 227 to 79.
The Lonoke Township constable will be Dean White, who garnered 252 votes compared to Steve Morgan at 160 and Adam Ingle with 64.
Jane Derning may have only received 29 votes, but it was enough to keep her Ward 1 position on the Lonoke council as her opponent, Fred Ibbotson, fell short with just 11 votes.
In House District 41, Republican Karilyn Brown of Sherwood defeated Alan Pogue, 1,283-929.
There were no surprises in the state races.
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross blasted by Lynette (Doc) Bryant to become the Democratic candidate for governor. On the Republican side, Asa Hutchinson handily beat businessman Curtis Coleman to set up a Ross-Hutchinson duel for the governorship.
U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin solidly defeated Andy Mayberry and Debra Hobbs for the Republican nod for lieutenant governor. He will face Democrat John Burkhalter in November.
Republican Leslie Rutledge beat David Sterling and Jacksonville resident Patricia Nation for attorney general. She will face Democrat Nate Steel in November.
French Hill takes the nod as the Republican candidate for the District 2 congressional seat as he gathered more votes than Conrad Reynolds or Ann Clemmer. He will face the former North Little Rock mayor, Democrat Henry Patrick Hays, in November.
Dennis Milligan got the Republican nod for state treasurer, beating Duncan Baird. Milligan will face Democrat Karen Garcia in November. Republican Andrea Lea moves forward in the state auditor race, beating Ken Yang. She will face Democrat Regina Hampton.
In the State Supreme Court, Associate Justice Position 2 race, Robin Wynne keeps her seat by defeating Tim Cullen.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
EDITORIAL >> Salute a vet this weekend
President Abraham Lincoln said, “A nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.”
To that end, there are two major military ceremonies in the area this week and an opportunity to salute those who have died defending the country by placing flowers on veterans’ graves.
First, all schools, church groups, individuals and others are invited to meet at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock at 3 p.m. Thursday to place flags on the gravesites of local military heroes.
Flags will be provided, but it would be a good idea to bring a screwdriver to make the necessary holes in the ground.
On Saturday, the Jacksonville Museum of Military History will commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and dedicate its new exhibit with free admission, a military-vehicle display, a bluegrass band and free food.
The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs will celebrate Memorial Day at 10 a.m. Monday, again at the veterans cemetery.
Free shuttles will run from Sherwood Forest from 8:30 until 9:55 a.m. and resume following the ceremony. Shuttles are equipped for those with disabilities as well.
The Veterans Coalition picnic will be at Sherwood Forest following the ceremony.
Memorial Day was originally called Deco-ration Day, and there are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with more than two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.
There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Whether attending these events or not, everyone should take time this weekend to personally thank a vet.
For as writer Cynthia Ozick said, “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”
Let’s not do that this Memorial Day.
Remember, it is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
— Rick Kron
To that end, there are two major military ceremonies in the area this week and an opportunity to salute those who have died defending the country by placing flowers on veterans’ graves.
First, all schools, church groups, individuals and others are invited to meet at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock at 3 p.m. Thursday to place flags on the gravesites of local military heroes.
Flags will be provided, but it would be a good idea to bring a screwdriver to make the necessary holes in the ground.
On Saturday, the Jacksonville Museum of Military History will commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and dedicate its new exhibit with free admission, a military-vehicle display, a bluegrass band and free food.
The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs will celebrate Memorial Day at 10 a.m. Monday, again at the veterans cemetery.
Free shuttles will run from Sherwood Forest from 8:30 until 9:55 a.m. and resume following the ceremony. Shuttles are equipped for those with disabilities as well.
The Veterans Coalition picnic will be at Sherwood Forest following the ceremony.
Memorial Day was originally called Deco-ration Day, and there are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with more than two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.
There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Whether attending these events or not, everyone should take time this weekend to personally thank a vet.
For as writer Cynthia Ozick said, “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”
Let’s not do that this Memorial Day.
Remember, it is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
— Rick Kron
EDITORIAL >> Chief wants to be mayor
When Gary Sipes was hired as Jacksonville’s police chief in 2008 he promised to keep his “private life unsullied as an example to all.”
And he’s done that, but he has sure thrown a curveball into the mayor’s race.
Sipes, 57, has every right to run, but it creates a conundrum for both the chief and his opponent, Mayor Gary Fletcher.
Fletcher, 59, is the boss. Sipes is the employee. Sipes, like all department heads in the city, serves at the pleasure or behest of the mayor.
So, if Sipes continues as police chief much longer, what does that do to the chain of command? If he disagrees with the mayor in a department head meeting, is he disagreeing as the police chief or as the political candidate?
Should Fletcher exercise his right as mayor and ask for Sipes’ resignation to prevent friction in the line of duty? Or would that alienate voters and look like retribution? Should Sipes resign in good faith?
If he stays on and doesn’t win, with all the mud that might be tossed back and forth between him and Fletcher politically, he most assuredly would be asked to leave in November.
Of course if he wins, he will be happy to leave the police chief position. Sipes has pretty much hinted he’ll leave voluntarily this summer.
Sipes, a former director of code enforcement in North Little Rock and a 21-year veteran of that city’s police department, tried for the Jacksonville police chief job in 2004, losing out to homegrown Capt. Robert Baker. Sipes went on to become the chief of police for Benton.
When Baker retired, Sipes tried again for the Jacksonville job and was selected by former Mayor Tommy Swaim. When Fletcher became mayor, he could have sought out a new police chief, but was pleased with the selection of Sipes, and as an alderman had approved the pick.
This should be an interesting contest in November. Fletcher and Sipes both have several decades of valuable experience in municipal government. Both men have their supporters. It will be interesting to find out who will rally behind the candidates as Jacksonville voters prepare to form their own school district this fall.
When Sipes applied for the police chief position, he made it clear that “this was not a spur-of-the moment thing.”
Let us hope that his decision to run for mayor was also not a spur-of-the-moment thing because win-or-lose, it will change the city’s leadership team for years to come.
And he’s done that, but he has sure thrown a curveball into the mayor’s race.
Sipes, 57, has every right to run, but it creates a conundrum for both the chief and his opponent, Mayor Gary Fletcher.
Fletcher, 59, is the boss. Sipes is the employee. Sipes, like all department heads in the city, serves at the pleasure or behest of the mayor.
So, if Sipes continues as police chief much longer, what does that do to the chain of command? If he disagrees with the mayor in a department head meeting, is he disagreeing as the police chief or as the political candidate?
Should Fletcher exercise his right as mayor and ask for Sipes’ resignation to prevent friction in the line of duty? Or would that alienate voters and look like retribution? Should Sipes resign in good faith?
If he stays on and doesn’t win, with all the mud that might be tossed back and forth between him and Fletcher politically, he most assuredly would be asked to leave in November.
Of course if he wins, he will be happy to leave the police chief position. Sipes has pretty much hinted he’ll leave voluntarily this summer.
Sipes, a former director of code enforcement in North Little Rock and a 21-year veteran of that city’s police department, tried for the Jacksonville police chief job in 2004, losing out to homegrown Capt. Robert Baker. Sipes went on to become the chief of police for Benton.
When Baker retired, Sipes tried again for the Jacksonville job and was selected by former Mayor Tommy Swaim. When Fletcher became mayor, he could have sought out a new police chief, but was pleased with the selection of Sipes, and as an alderman had approved the pick.
This should be an interesting contest in November. Fletcher and Sipes both have several decades of valuable experience in municipal government. Both men have their supporters. It will be interesting to find out who will rally behind the candidates as Jacksonville voters prepare to form their own school district this fall.
When Sipes applied for the police chief position, he made it clear that “this was not a spur-of-the moment thing.”
Let us hope that his decision to run for mayor was also not a spur-of-the-moment thing because win-or-lose, it will change the city’s leadership team for years to come.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
SPORTS STORY >> Red Devil bats go quiet in state upset
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville’s baseball season came to a disappointing end Monday in the semifinals of the class 5A state baseball tournament. The Red Devils could not find the answer to the pitcher they were facing, committed a string of early errors and otherwise endured a lot of bad luck in a 7-0 loss to Pulaski Academy, 17-11, at Dupree Park.
The Red Devils had swept the Bruins in a conference doubleheader just two weeks ago at the same field, but weren’t able to duplicate that on Monday. Pitcher Colin Castleberry kept the Red Devil hitters off balance all game long, despite working on short rest after pitching seven innings and more than 120 pitches on Friday.
“The day belonged to Castleberry,” said Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows. “When you get this far, you have to hit and you have to score. Everybody’s either throwing their third guy or working on short rest, so you have to hit. We just didn’t do it. We didn’t seem in sync the whole game. We were pressing for some reason. I felt like going in we were the best-hitting team in the tournament, but hats off to Castleberry. He did a great job.”
Pulaski Academy catcher Blake Wiggins, who has signed with Arkansas but is also considered by some scouting agencies as one of the nation’s top 40 high-school prospects, also put on a show, hitting two home runs and picking off a Jacksonville base runner at second base.
His first home run came with two outs and two strikes in the first inning and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. It stayed 1-0 until the top of the third inning, despite two Jacksonville errors in the second inning.
Back at the top of the lineup to start the third, PA leadoff hitter Tony Chacko singled to left and Bryce Bartlett followed with a single to right to put runners on the corners. Jacksonville intentionally walked Wiggins to load the bases with no outs. Jacksonville pitcher James Tucker then issued his only unintentional walk of the game to Merritt Osment to drive in Chacko and make the score 2-0.
Hunter Freeman hit into what should have been a double play with a grounder to shortstop, but Derek St. Clair didn’t field the ball cleanly, and his hurried throw to second was off-line and sailed into right field, allowing two runs to score and leaving runners on the corners once again.
Caden Haws then hit a fly ball to deep center field that scored Osment.
Castleberry hit the first batter he faced, but retired the next 13 in a row before Jacksonville’s Ryan Mallison broke up the no-hitter in the fifth inning with a single just beyond second base. St. Clair then reached on an E6 to put two on with one out, but Castleberry struck out the next two batters.
Wiggins hit his second solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to make it 6-0.
Jacksonville leadoff hitter Courtland McDonald got the Devils’ second and last base hit to start the bottom of the sixth inning with a double down the third baseline.
But on the next at-bat, a breaking ball in the dirt caused McDonald to think about trying to steal third. By the time he decided against it, it was too late. Wiggins caught him too far from second base and came in behind him with the throw for the first out of the inning.
Jacksonville relief pitcher Kaleb Reeves walked the bases loaded with one out before giving up an RBI single to Chris Hays to set the final margin in the top of the seventh.
The Bruins got only five base hits, but Jacksonville helped them out with five walks, two hit batters and five errors.
Castleberry went the distance, giving up just two hits while striking out eight
Saturday’s 6-2 quarterfinal win against Vilonia was a better night for Jacksonville. Playing in front of a standing-room only crowd at Hickingbotham Field, the Red Devils fell behind 2-0 in the second inning when Vilonia eight-hole hitter Cody Earnhart followed a Jacksonville error with a two-run home run to right-center field. But they were the only two runs the Eagles would score and the deficit didn’t last long.
Playing as the visiting team, Jacksonville, 24-6, got both runs back in the top of the third. Laderrious Perry got a leadoff single and Deaundray Harris’ sacrifice bunt turned into a base hit when he beat the throw to first. McDonald then sacrificed the runners to second and third and Blake Perry walked to load the bases. Reeves then walked to drive in a run, and Greg Jones’ fly ball to center field scored Harris and tied the game.
No one scored in the fourth, but Jacksonville added three in the fifth on one swing of the bat. After seniors Harris and Blake Perry walked, fellow senior Reeves hit a three-run blast over the fence in right-center field to make it 5-2.
“I can’t really say too much about those three without getting choked up,” Burrows said of his seniors. “They’ve done it right. They’ve worked hard and improved so much. They’re all three great kids and they mean a lot to this baseball team.”
Vilonia loaded the bases with two hits and a walk in the bottom of the seventh. Leadoff hitter Drew Estes stepped to the plate representing the tying run, but he popped up foul to the first base side, where Harris made a leaping catch next to the fence, catching the ball with his bare hand after it initially popped out of his glove.
St. Clair went the distance on the mound and gave up just four base hits – three to Earnhart. He struck out six, walked one batter and hit one. Seven-hole hitter Chase Marshall got Vilonia’s other hit, while the first five batters in the Eagle lineup combined to go 0 for 14 with five strikeouts.
Harris went 2 for 2 with one walk and scored three runs for Jacksonville. Jones also had two base hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Reeves went 1 for 3 with four total RBIs.
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville’s baseball season came to a disappointing end Monday in the semifinals of the class 5A state baseball tournament. The Red Devils could not find the answer to the pitcher they were facing, committed a string of early errors and otherwise endured a lot of bad luck in a 7-0 loss to Pulaski Academy, 17-11, at Dupree Park.
The Red Devils had swept the Bruins in a conference doubleheader just two weeks ago at the same field, but weren’t able to duplicate that on Monday. Pitcher Colin Castleberry kept the Red Devil hitters off balance all game long, despite working on short rest after pitching seven innings and more than 120 pitches on Friday.
“The day belonged to Castleberry,” said Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows. “When you get this far, you have to hit and you have to score. Everybody’s either throwing their third guy or working on short rest, so you have to hit. We just didn’t do it. We didn’t seem in sync the whole game. We were pressing for some reason. I felt like going in we were the best-hitting team in the tournament, but hats off to Castleberry. He did a great job.”
Pulaski Academy catcher Blake Wiggins, who has signed with Arkansas but is also considered by some scouting agencies as one of the nation’s top 40 high-school prospects, also put on a show, hitting two home runs and picking off a Jacksonville base runner at second base.
His first home run came with two outs and two strikes in the first inning and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. It stayed 1-0 until the top of the third inning, despite two Jacksonville errors in the second inning.
Back at the top of the lineup to start the third, PA leadoff hitter Tony Chacko singled to left and Bryce Bartlett followed with a single to right to put runners on the corners. Jacksonville intentionally walked Wiggins to load the bases with no outs. Jacksonville pitcher James Tucker then issued his only unintentional walk of the game to Merritt Osment to drive in Chacko and make the score 2-0.
Hunter Freeman hit into what should have been a double play with a grounder to shortstop, but Derek St. Clair didn’t field the ball cleanly, and his hurried throw to second was off-line and sailed into right field, allowing two runs to score and leaving runners on the corners once again.
Caden Haws then hit a fly ball to deep center field that scored Osment.
Castleberry hit the first batter he faced, but retired the next 13 in a row before Jacksonville’s Ryan Mallison broke up the no-hitter in the fifth inning with a single just beyond second base. St. Clair then reached on an E6 to put two on with one out, but Castleberry struck out the next two batters.
Wiggins hit his second solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to make it 6-0.
Jacksonville leadoff hitter Courtland McDonald got the Devils’ second and last base hit to start the bottom of the sixth inning with a double down the third baseline.
But on the next at-bat, a breaking ball in the dirt caused McDonald to think about trying to steal third. By the time he decided against it, it was too late. Wiggins caught him too far from second base and came in behind him with the throw for the first out of the inning.
Jacksonville relief pitcher Kaleb Reeves walked the bases loaded with one out before giving up an RBI single to Chris Hays to set the final margin in the top of the seventh.
The Bruins got only five base hits, but Jacksonville helped them out with five walks, two hit batters and five errors.
Castleberry went the distance, giving up just two hits while striking out eight
Saturday’s 6-2 quarterfinal win against Vilonia was a better night for Jacksonville. Playing in front of a standing-room only crowd at Hickingbotham Field, the Red Devils fell behind 2-0 in the second inning when Vilonia eight-hole hitter Cody Earnhart followed a Jacksonville error with a two-run home run to right-center field. But they were the only two runs the Eagles would score and the deficit didn’t last long.
Playing as the visiting team, Jacksonville, 24-6, got both runs back in the top of the third. Laderrious Perry got a leadoff single and Deaundray Harris’ sacrifice bunt turned into a base hit when he beat the throw to first. McDonald then sacrificed the runners to second and third and Blake Perry walked to load the bases. Reeves then walked to drive in a run, and Greg Jones’ fly ball to center field scored Harris and tied the game.
No one scored in the fourth, but Jacksonville added three in the fifth on one swing of the bat. After seniors Harris and Blake Perry walked, fellow senior Reeves hit a three-run blast over the fence in right-center field to make it 5-2.
“I can’t really say too much about those three without getting choked up,” Burrows said of his seniors. “They’ve done it right. They’ve worked hard and improved so much. They’re all three great kids and they mean a lot to this baseball team.”
Vilonia loaded the bases with two hits and a walk in the bottom of the seventh. Leadoff hitter Drew Estes stepped to the plate representing the tying run, but he popped up foul to the first base side, where Harris made a leaping catch next to the fence, catching the ball with his bare hand after it initially popped out of his glove.
St. Clair went the distance on the mound and gave up just four base hits – three to Earnhart. He struck out six, walked one batter and hit one. Seven-hole hitter Chase Marshall got Vilonia’s other hit, while the first five batters in the Eagle lineup combined to go 0 for 14 with five strikeouts.
Harris went 2 for 2 with one walk and scored three runs for Jacksonville. Jones also had two base hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Reeves went 1 for 3 with four total RBIs.
SPORTS STORY >> Tech defeats Lady Bears in quarterfinals
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
Saturday’s class 5A state softball tournament quarterfinal round between Sylvan Hills and Greene County Tech was a pitchers’ duel throughout, but the Lady Eagles got a timely RBI hit from cleanup hitter Elizabeth Gatlin in the top of the seventh to beat the Lady Bears 1-0 at Jacksonville’s Dupree Park.
Sylvan Hills’ senior ace Michelle Sorensen had another dominant performance in the circle. She threw all seven innings and finished with 12 strikeouts, and gave up just two walks, two hits and the one earned run that came in the top of the seventh inning.
The only problem was that GCT’s senior ace, Shayna Beaver, was just as dominant, as she too threw all seven innings and finished with a game-high 15 strikeouts. She gave up three hits to the Lady Bears (20-7), but issued no walks and no runs.
“These kids, they played the best game they played all year and just happened to lose,” said Sylvan Hills coach Mark Anderson. “They gave it all they had.
“I feel terrible for them for how it ended, and the way they played I just don’t feel like it should’ve ended that way, but somebody has to lose and it happened to be us today.”
Neither team was able to muster a hit their first time around the order. Sorensen retired eight of the first nine Lady Eagle batters she faced, five of which were strikeouts, and the other three were 1-3 groundouts.
Beaver, though, retired all nine Lady Bears batters their first trip around the order – eight of which were strikeouts.
“This was the probably the best one all year as far as a pitching duel,” Anderson said, “with each pitcher taking care of everybody up and down the lineup, but something always falls right for somebody and it hurts the other team.”
Sorensen broke the Lady Bears’ hitless streak in the bottom of the fourth with an infield single, and sophomore Tori Crites singled in the bottom of the fifth. Both runners advanced to third base in those innings, but never crossed home plate, keeping the game at 0-0.
After a scoreless six innings, Beaver walked with one out in the top of the seventh. The Lady Eagles (19-10) brought in a pinch runner with Gatlin at the plate, and the runner was able to advance to second base on a passed ball at the plate.
Gatlin worked Sorensen to a full count before she singled to center field, driving in the game’s lone run. Crites got her second hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Beaver got her 15th strikeout of the game the next at-bat to end the game in the Lady Eagles’ favor.
It was a tough end to another successful season for Sylvan Hills, and it was the final game for seniors Sorensen, Ashley Broadway and Jordie Flippo, all of whom played pivotal roles in the Lady Bears’ success in their time with the team. Anderson said all three of those players will be missed.
“They all have good leadership qualities,” Anderson said of his seniors. “They’re great ballplayers, which helps, because when they’re great ballplayers everybody wants to listen to you. Nobody listens to the person that’s not very good.
“That helped them to be leaders because they all can play, and because they have played every year they’ve been a part of different situations pretty much every year. They’ve learned and they’ve helped the team learn from different things. So they’ve been a big part of building the program here.”
Crites led the Lady Bears at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two singles. Sorensen was 1 for 3 with a single. Beaver and Gatlin had GCT’s two hits.
Leader sportswriter
Saturday’s class 5A state softball tournament quarterfinal round between Sylvan Hills and Greene County Tech was a pitchers’ duel throughout, but the Lady Eagles got a timely RBI hit from cleanup hitter Elizabeth Gatlin in the top of the seventh to beat the Lady Bears 1-0 at Jacksonville’s Dupree Park.
Sylvan Hills’ senior ace Michelle Sorensen had another dominant performance in the circle. She threw all seven innings and finished with 12 strikeouts, and gave up just two walks, two hits and the one earned run that came in the top of the seventh inning.
The only problem was that GCT’s senior ace, Shayna Beaver, was just as dominant, as she too threw all seven innings and finished with a game-high 15 strikeouts. She gave up three hits to the Lady Bears (20-7), but issued no walks and no runs.
“These kids, they played the best game they played all year and just happened to lose,” said Sylvan Hills coach Mark Anderson. “They gave it all they had.
“I feel terrible for them for how it ended, and the way they played I just don’t feel like it should’ve ended that way, but somebody has to lose and it happened to be us today.”
Neither team was able to muster a hit their first time around the order. Sorensen retired eight of the first nine Lady Eagle batters she faced, five of which were strikeouts, and the other three were 1-3 groundouts.
Beaver, though, retired all nine Lady Bears batters their first trip around the order – eight of which were strikeouts.
“This was the probably the best one all year as far as a pitching duel,” Anderson said, “with each pitcher taking care of everybody up and down the lineup, but something always falls right for somebody and it hurts the other team.”
Sorensen broke the Lady Bears’ hitless streak in the bottom of the fourth with an infield single, and sophomore Tori Crites singled in the bottom of the fifth. Both runners advanced to third base in those innings, but never crossed home plate, keeping the game at 0-0.
After a scoreless six innings, Beaver walked with one out in the top of the seventh. The Lady Eagles (19-10) brought in a pinch runner with Gatlin at the plate, and the runner was able to advance to second base on a passed ball at the plate.
Gatlin worked Sorensen to a full count before she singled to center field, driving in the game’s lone run. Crites got her second hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Beaver got her 15th strikeout of the game the next at-bat to end the game in the Lady Eagles’ favor.
It was a tough end to another successful season for Sylvan Hills, and it was the final game for seniors Sorensen, Ashley Broadway and Jordie Flippo, all of whom played pivotal roles in the Lady Bears’ success in their time with the team. Anderson said all three of those players will be missed.
“They all have good leadership qualities,” Anderson said of his seniors. “They’re great ballplayers, which helps, because when they’re great ballplayers everybody wants to listen to you. Nobody listens to the person that’s not very good.
“That helped them to be leaders because they all can play, and because they have played every year they’ve been a part of different situations pretty much every year. They’ve learned and they’ve helped the team learn from different things. So they’ve been a big part of building the program here.”
Crites led the Lady Bears at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two singles. Sorensen was 1 for 3 with a single. Beaver and Gatlin had GCT’s two hits.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot ousted in semifinals
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Panthers got past the quarterfinal round of the class 7A state baseball tournament at North Little Rock’s Burns Park with a 2-0 win over Little Rock Catholic on Saturday, but came up short against defending state champion Fayetteville in Monday’s semifinal round, losing 5-0 to the Bulldogs.
On Saturday, Dylan Bowers scored the only run Cabot would need on a ground ball to first base by Lee Sullivan in the top of the second inning. In the last inning, Kason Kimbrell gave the Panthers an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Braden Jarnigan, setting the final score at 2-0.
Cabot ace Zach Patterson had another stellar outing on the mound in the team’s shutout win over Catholic, the No. 2 Central seed. He threw all seven innings for the Panthers, the No. 6 Central seed, finishing with six strikeouts, while giving up just two walks and three hits.
The Panthers outhit the Rockets 10-3, with seniors Riley Knudsen, Kimbrell and Grayson Cole leading the offense with two hits apiece. Monday’s game with the reigning champion Bulldogs, the No. 1 West seed, proved to be a much bigger challenge.
Cabot was never able to match Fayetteville’s three-run second inning. Fayetteville added another run to its side of the board in the fourth inning, and set the final score in the fifth with another run scored.
Fayetteville outhit Cabot 9-5 in the game, and the Bulldogs were able to get the timely hit in the second, fourth and fifth innings. As a team, the Panthers couldn’t figure out how to get the timely hit against Bulldog senior pitcher and University of Arkansas signee Kyle Pate.
“I think anyone that was hitting could see that their pitcher brought his good stuff,” said Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin of Pate. “Hats off to him, he had his good stuff today. He pitched like a pro guy.
“He was able to throw 2-1 sliders for strikes, and got some swings and misses out of that. But our guys competed. They weren’t scared, and so I’m proud of them for that.”
Cabot starting pitcher Adam Hicks had his stuff early on as he retired the side in the first inning, but the Bulldogs started the second inning with four-consecutive singles, which led to a 2-0 lead for Fayetteville.
Cody Davenport started the rally with a single to center field, and Andy Pagnozzi followed with a single to the gap in left field. Shortstop Drew Tyler also singled to left field the next at-bat, and Blake Power drove in Davenport and Pagnozzi with a single to straightaway center.
Tyler scored the third and final run of the inning from third base on a bad pickoff move at first base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Fayetteville went up 4-0 on a no-out, RBI single to the gap in left field by designated hitter Ethan King. Tyler scored on the play. He was hit by a pitch two batters earlier, and got in scoring position with another single by Power the following at-bat.
The Bulldogs added their final run their next at-bat. Davenport, the team’s cleanup hitter, got the fifth inning going with a stand-up double down the left-field line. He stole third base before Gavin Tillery, who came in to relieve Hicks on the mound in the fourth inning, struck out Pagnozzi.
However, the Bulldogs set the final score on a two-out single to the right-field gap by Tyler that scored Davenport. Pate, who finished with a game-high nine strikeouts on the hill, retired the side in the top of the seventh to advance the Bulldogs to the championship game for the second year in a row.
Even though Cabot lost the game, it was an excellent playoff run the six-seeded Panthers were able to put together. They barely made it into the state tournament as the six seed, and they beat Rogers Heritage in the first round before upsetting Catholic in the semis. Both teams were higher seeds.
“It was a season of ups and downs,” Goodwin said. “Our seniors were really, really unselfish, and they just kept showing up. We kept telling them all along, we were better than our conference record showed.
“From day one in September, I told our guys the most important thing in this whole thing is to be playing your best in May. Our seniors did something that only one other team in the history of Cabot has done. So I couldn’t be more pleased with this group.”
Sullivan led the Panthers (17-13) at the plate against Fayetteville (31-3). He was 2 for 3 with two singles. Hicks, Coleman McAtee and Logan Kirkendoll had one hit apiece for Cabot.
Davenport, Tyler and Power led the Bulldogs offensively with two hits apiece. Fayetteville will play Bryant, the No. 2 West seed, in the class 7A state championship game Friday at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
Bryant beat Conway 2-0 on Monday to advance to Friday’s championship game, which is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Panthers got past the quarterfinal round of the class 7A state baseball tournament at North Little Rock’s Burns Park with a 2-0 win over Little Rock Catholic on Saturday, but came up short against defending state champion Fayetteville in Monday’s semifinal round, losing 5-0 to the Bulldogs.
On Saturday, Dylan Bowers scored the only run Cabot would need on a ground ball to first base by Lee Sullivan in the top of the second inning. In the last inning, Kason Kimbrell gave the Panthers an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Braden Jarnigan, setting the final score at 2-0.
Cabot ace Zach Patterson had another stellar outing on the mound in the team’s shutout win over Catholic, the No. 2 Central seed. He threw all seven innings for the Panthers, the No. 6 Central seed, finishing with six strikeouts, while giving up just two walks and three hits.
The Panthers outhit the Rockets 10-3, with seniors Riley Knudsen, Kimbrell and Grayson Cole leading the offense with two hits apiece. Monday’s game with the reigning champion Bulldogs, the No. 1 West seed, proved to be a much bigger challenge.
Cabot was never able to match Fayetteville’s three-run second inning. Fayetteville added another run to its side of the board in the fourth inning, and set the final score in the fifth with another run scored.
Fayetteville outhit Cabot 9-5 in the game, and the Bulldogs were able to get the timely hit in the second, fourth and fifth innings. As a team, the Panthers couldn’t figure out how to get the timely hit against Bulldog senior pitcher and University of Arkansas signee Kyle Pate.
“I think anyone that was hitting could see that their pitcher brought his good stuff,” said Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin of Pate. “Hats off to him, he had his good stuff today. He pitched like a pro guy.
“He was able to throw 2-1 sliders for strikes, and got some swings and misses out of that. But our guys competed. They weren’t scared, and so I’m proud of them for that.”
Cabot starting pitcher Adam Hicks had his stuff early on as he retired the side in the first inning, but the Bulldogs started the second inning with four-consecutive singles, which led to a 2-0 lead for Fayetteville.
Cody Davenport started the rally with a single to center field, and Andy Pagnozzi followed with a single to the gap in left field. Shortstop Drew Tyler also singled to left field the next at-bat, and Blake Power drove in Davenport and Pagnozzi with a single to straightaway center.
Tyler scored the third and final run of the inning from third base on a bad pickoff move at first base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Fayetteville went up 4-0 on a no-out, RBI single to the gap in left field by designated hitter Ethan King. Tyler scored on the play. He was hit by a pitch two batters earlier, and got in scoring position with another single by Power the following at-bat.
The Bulldogs added their final run their next at-bat. Davenport, the team’s cleanup hitter, got the fifth inning going with a stand-up double down the left-field line. He stole third base before Gavin Tillery, who came in to relieve Hicks on the mound in the fourth inning, struck out Pagnozzi.
However, the Bulldogs set the final score on a two-out single to the right-field gap by Tyler that scored Davenport. Pate, who finished with a game-high nine strikeouts on the hill, retired the side in the top of the seventh to advance the Bulldogs to the championship game for the second year in a row.
Even though Cabot lost the game, it was an excellent playoff run the six-seeded Panthers were able to put together. They barely made it into the state tournament as the six seed, and they beat Rogers Heritage in the first round before upsetting Catholic in the semis. Both teams were higher seeds.
“It was a season of ups and downs,” Goodwin said. “Our seniors were really, really unselfish, and they just kept showing up. We kept telling them all along, we were better than our conference record showed.
“From day one in September, I told our guys the most important thing in this whole thing is to be playing your best in May. Our seniors did something that only one other team in the history of Cabot has done. So I couldn’t be more pleased with this group.”
Sullivan led the Panthers (17-13) at the plate against Fayetteville (31-3). He was 2 for 3 with two singles. Hicks, Coleman McAtee and Logan Kirkendoll had one hit apiece for Cabot.
Davenport, Tyler and Power led the Bulldogs offensively with two hits apiece. Fayetteville will play Bryant, the No. 2 West seed, in the class 7A state championship game Friday at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
Bryant beat Conway 2-0 on Monday to advance to Friday’s championship game, which is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
SPORTS STORY >> Lady Panther jumps 14’
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Another meet and another state record gone to the wayside as Cabot’s Lexi Weeks shattered her own record in the pole vault that she set just last week at the class 7A state meet.
Competing Saturday in the Meet of Champions at Heber Springs, Weeks, a junior, became just the second high school girl this year to clear 14-feet, shattering the record she set last week by 5.5 inches.
She then tried 14-3.5 to break the national record set just last month by Desiree Freier of Justin Northwest High School in Dallas, but had to settle for another state record. Freier, a senior who has committed to the University of Arkansas, went 14-3.25 at the Texas Relays in April. She also cleared 14-9 last week, but that event was moved inside due to bad weather and the jump was on a disputed runway.
Weeks, Freier and Kaitlyn Merritt of Santa Margarita, Calif., have all cleared 14 feet in outdoor competitions this year, but Merritt’s jump was in an exhibition. Her official high this season is 13-9.
Tori Weeks of Cabot took second in the pole vault, clearing 12-6. She has cleared 13-2 this year.
Cabot track coach Leon White has seen the quality of female jumpers in Arkansas increase tremendously over the last few years.
“It’s really amazing what’s going on here in this little state where we’re able to produce so many good pole vaulters,” said White.
“But just overall, we’ve seen a huge increase in heights among the best high school girls. Just this year we’ve got three high school girls that have gone 14 feet. That would win the SEC outdoor championships, and these girls are just going to get better. Tori is right there too, reaching heights very few girls her age have ever hit. It’s really incredible what they’re out here accomplishing,” White said.
Lexi Weeks and teammate Danielle McWilliams placed in the 400-meter dash. Amanda Dillon of Har-Ber High won the event and blew away the field with a time of 56.27. Weeks was fourth at 1:00.21 and McWilliams took seventh, finishing in 1:01.46.
Those two teamed up with Tori Weeks and Rachael Hall to take third in the 4x400-meter relay. They took second by .01 seconds to Fayetteville in the class 7A meet, but Har-Ber dominated the MOC race, winning with a time of 3:55.99. Fayetteville was second at 3:58.74 and Cabot a distant third almost four seconds behind Fayetteville.
Cabot junior Micah Huckabee bounced back from a disappointing second-place finish in the 7A state meet to beat her conqueror Katie Andrews of Bentonville in the MOC. Huckabee finished almost seven seconds ahead of Andrews with a winning time of 11:32.24.
Cabot senior Rachael Hall took fifth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.75. Hall is a senior, but White believes was the most improved athlete on the team.
“I told her that when she raced with all the best of the best and placed in there with them,” White said. “She has worked so hard and gotten so much better than where she was just a year ago.”
Beebe’s Taylor McGraw took fifth in the 800-meter race behind runners from Fayetteville, Bryant, Harding Academy and Bentonville. Lady Badger senior Madison Richey finished seventh in the triple jump by going 33-8.75. Jayda Baylark of Parkview won with a distance of 37-1.
A few local athletes showed well at the boys’ meet as well. Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter sophomore Jordan McNair lost for the first time this year, but still placed in the 100-meter dash, finishing eighth.
Cabot’s Brayden Mercantel took sixth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:39.62.
Jacksonville High School’s 4x100-meter relay team finished seventh with a time of 43.40. The Red Devils were exactly one second behind winner Little Rock Central in one of the most exciting events of the meet.
Red Devil Danial Curly tied for second with six others in the high jump by clearing 6-2. Demetrius Taylor of Texarkana won the event at 6-4, a mark Curly cleared in the 5A state meet.
Beebe’s Race Payne took seventh in the shot put with a distance of 49-6.25, seven feet short of winner Jeffrey Rogers of Catholic High.
Leader sports editor
Another meet and another state record gone to the wayside as Cabot’s Lexi Weeks shattered her own record in the pole vault that she set just last week at the class 7A state meet.
Competing Saturday in the Meet of Champions at Heber Springs, Weeks, a junior, became just the second high school girl this year to clear 14-feet, shattering the record she set last week by 5.5 inches.
She then tried 14-3.5 to break the national record set just last month by Desiree Freier of Justin Northwest High School in Dallas, but had to settle for another state record. Freier, a senior who has committed to the University of Arkansas, went 14-3.25 at the Texas Relays in April. She also cleared 14-9 last week, but that event was moved inside due to bad weather and the jump was on a disputed runway.
Weeks, Freier and Kaitlyn Merritt of Santa Margarita, Calif., have all cleared 14 feet in outdoor competitions this year, but Merritt’s jump was in an exhibition. Her official high this season is 13-9.
Tori Weeks of Cabot took second in the pole vault, clearing 12-6. She has cleared 13-2 this year.
Cabot track coach Leon White has seen the quality of female jumpers in Arkansas increase tremendously over the last few years.
“It’s really amazing what’s going on here in this little state where we’re able to produce so many good pole vaulters,” said White.
“But just overall, we’ve seen a huge increase in heights among the best high school girls. Just this year we’ve got three high school girls that have gone 14 feet. That would win the SEC outdoor championships, and these girls are just going to get better. Tori is right there too, reaching heights very few girls her age have ever hit. It’s really incredible what they’re out here accomplishing,” White said.
Lexi Weeks and teammate Danielle McWilliams placed in the 400-meter dash. Amanda Dillon of Har-Ber High won the event and blew away the field with a time of 56.27. Weeks was fourth at 1:00.21 and McWilliams took seventh, finishing in 1:01.46.
Those two teamed up with Tori Weeks and Rachael Hall to take third in the 4x400-meter relay. They took second by .01 seconds to Fayetteville in the class 7A meet, but Har-Ber dominated the MOC race, winning with a time of 3:55.99. Fayetteville was second at 3:58.74 and Cabot a distant third almost four seconds behind Fayetteville.
Cabot junior Micah Huckabee bounced back from a disappointing second-place finish in the 7A state meet to beat her conqueror Katie Andrews of Bentonville in the MOC. Huckabee finished almost seven seconds ahead of Andrews with a winning time of 11:32.24.
Cabot senior Rachael Hall took fifth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.75. Hall is a senior, but White believes was the most improved athlete on the team.
“I told her that when she raced with all the best of the best and placed in there with them,” White said. “She has worked so hard and gotten so much better than where she was just a year ago.”
Beebe’s Taylor McGraw took fifth in the 800-meter race behind runners from Fayetteville, Bryant, Harding Academy and Bentonville. Lady Badger senior Madison Richey finished seventh in the triple jump by going 33-8.75. Jayda Baylark of Parkview won with a distance of 37-1.
A few local athletes showed well at the boys’ meet as well. Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter sophomore Jordan McNair lost for the first time this year, but still placed in the 100-meter dash, finishing eighth.
Cabot’s Brayden Mercantel took sixth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:39.62.
Jacksonville High School’s 4x100-meter relay team finished seventh with a time of 43.40. The Red Devils were exactly one second behind winner Little Rock Central in one of the most exciting events of the meet.
Red Devil Danial Curly tied for second with six others in the high jump by clearing 6-2. Demetrius Taylor of Texarkana won the event at 6-4, a mark Curly cleared in the 5A state meet.
Beebe’s Race Payne took seventh in the shot put with a distance of 49-6.25, seven feet short of winner Jeffrey Rogers of Catholic High.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
SPORTS STORY >> Sylvan Hills ladies make historic win
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills girls’ soccer team made school history this week in the class 5A state tournament. The Lady Bears beat White Hall 1-0 on Thursday and Morrilton 3-0 on Friday to become the first SHHS soccer team, boys or girls, to advance to the semifinals of the state tournament.
“We are just overjoyed,” said Sylvan Hills coach Nate Persson. “To do something that’s never been done at our school is a great accomplishment. I just couldn’t be more proud of these girls.”
The two wins earn the Lady Bears a semifinal date with tournament favorite and host Harrison. The Lady Goblins beat Little Rock Christian 1-0 on Friday, a team that beat Sylvan Hills twice this year.
“We know the odds are long,” Persson said. “Harrison was really considered the favorite coming into the tournament, and we’re playing on their home field, but we’re not giving in just yet. We have a game plan and we’re going to go out and do everything we can to make it work.”
Part of that game plan was implemented when Sylvan Hills surprisingly took early command in the quarterfinal match against the Lady Devil Dogs. Morrilton entered the tournament as a four seed from the West Conference, but knocked off East champion Nettleton to earn the date with Sylvan Hills.
The Lady Bears scored all three goals in the first half, and Persson focused entirely on defense in the second half.
“My heart said to go out and keep trying to score, but my mind said we need to rest our players,” Persson said. “Harrison and Little Rock Christian were really beating up on each other out there, so I thought our best chance was to be as fresh as possible.”
Sylvan Hills scored less than five minutes into the game when senior Liberty University signee Abby Persson scored on a deception play off a corner kick.
Gracie Persson ran out to the corner kicker with a defender, and feigned calling off the play. The Morrilton defender left her alone and she received the pass. Gracie Persson charged the baseline towards the goal and drew several Morrilton defenders, leaving Abby Persson all alone in front of the goal. She took the pass and scored easily.
“We have worked on that play for two months and it never worked,” Nate Persson said. “We were very pleased with how well it worked today.”
Abby Persson scored the other two goals as well, and scored the game’s lone goal in the first round against White Hall.
This year marked the fourth-straight that Sylvan Hills and White Hall girls have met, and the Lady Bulldogs proved a tougher out this year than in most.
After the early goal, White Hall double and triple teamed Abby Persson and was very physical.
“They had a good game plan,” Nate Persson said. “I give them credit for doing what they felt they needed to do. Abby got a little frustrated with the officiating. They were pretty rough with her. But that’s part of the game. We survived it and went on for another win.”
The Sylvan Hills girls’ soccer team made school history this week in the class 5A state tournament. The Lady Bears beat White Hall 1-0 on Thursday and Morrilton 3-0 on Friday to become the first SHHS soccer team, boys or girls, to advance to the semifinals of the state tournament.
“We are just overjoyed,” said Sylvan Hills coach Nate Persson. “To do something that’s never been done at our school is a great accomplishment. I just couldn’t be more proud of these girls.”
The two wins earn the Lady Bears a semifinal date with tournament favorite and host Harrison. The Lady Goblins beat Little Rock Christian 1-0 on Friday, a team that beat Sylvan Hills twice this year.
“We know the odds are long,” Persson said. “Harrison was really considered the favorite coming into the tournament, and we’re playing on their home field, but we’re not giving in just yet. We have a game plan and we’re going to go out and do everything we can to make it work.”
Part of that game plan was implemented when Sylvan Hills surprisingly took early command in the quarterfinal match against the Lady Devil Dogs. Morrilton entered the tournament as a four seed from the West Conference, but knocked off East champion Nettleton to earn the date with Sylvan Hills.
The Lady Bears scored all three goals in the first half, and Persson focused entirely on defense in the second half.
“My heart said to go out and keep trying to score, but my mind said we need to rest our players,” Persson said. “Harrison and Little Rock Christian were really beating up on each other out there, so I thought our best chance was to be as fresh as possible.”
Sylvan Hills scored less than five minutes into the game when senior Liberty University signee Abby Persson scored on a deception play off a corner kick.
Gracie Persson ran out to the corner kicker with a defender, and feigned calling off the play. The Morrilton defender left her alone and she received the pass. Gracie Persson charged the baseline towards the goal and drew several Morrilton defenders, leaving Abby Persson all alone in front of the goal. She took the pass and scored easily.
“We have worked on that play for two months and it never worked,” Nate Persson said. “We were very pleased with how well it worked today.”
Abby Persson scored the other two goals as well, and scored the game’s lone goal in the first round against White Hall.
This year marked the fourth-straight that Sylvan Hills and White Hall girls have met, and the Lady Bulldogs proved a tougher out this year than in most.
After the early goal, White Hall double and triple teamed Abby Persson and was very physical.
“They had a good game plan,” Nate Persson said. “I give them credit for doing what they felt they needed to do. Abby got a little frustrated with the officiating. They were pretty rough with her. But that’s part of the game. We survived it and went on for another win.”
SPORTS STORY >> Beebe badgered by Airedalettes
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
It took eight innings, but Alma found a way to upset Beebe in the first round of the class 5A state softball tournament Friday at Dupree Park in Jacksonville, as the Airedalettes beat the Lady Badgers by the final score of 2-1.
Beebe, the No. 2 East seed, scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first inning, but Alma knotted up the score at 1-1 with a run in the fourth before setting the final score in the first and only extra inning in the eighth.
It was a clean game throughout, as neither team committed an error in the eight innings played.
Beebe actually outhit Alma 7-5, but the Airedalettes simply made one more play at the plate than the Lady Badgers did, which is what eliminated the higher-seeded Beebe in the end.
“They played really well defensively,” said Beebe coach Eric Chambers of Alma, “and we just didn’t get the hits when we needed to get the hits.
“We left a lot of people on base as we popped up quite a few times. It’s tough to keep one run from scoring. Alma played really good defense and we knew their defense would be good, and we just had an off day at the plate.
“We didn’t get hits when we needed them.”
Beebe had its best opportunity to score additional runs in the bottom of the fifth with the score tied at 1-1.
The Lady Badgers had the bases loaded with one out in the inning, but Courtney Shepard, the team’s two-hole hitter, lined out to center field the next at-bat, and three-hole hitter Nikita Howell flew out to left the next at-bat to end the inning.
Beebe had another chance in the bottom of the seventh. Catcher Haley Dinapoli singled to left field to lead off the inning, and pitcher Ellie Reaves advanced MaKenzie Free, Dinapoli’s courtesy runner, to second base with a sacrifice bunt.
Sophomore Aleighu Porterfield singled to center field the next at-bat, and Chambers waved Free home as the ball rolled to Alma center fielder Cierra Rainwater.
As Free rounded third base, Rainwater made a perfect throw to catcher Charley Wilbourn, who was able to apply the tag on Free just before she could safely slide in. That sent the game to extra innings.
With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of seven innings, the international tiebreaker rule was put into effect, which automatically puts the last batter who was out in the previous inning at second base.
That put Rainwater, who popped out the previous inning, at second base, and she advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Alora Perry.
Leadoff hitter Shaylee Sevenstar then came to the plate and drove in Rainwater with an RBI single to left-center field, which put Alma up 2-1.
Courtney Cauldwell started the bottom part of the inning at second base for Beebe, and she advanced to third base on a sac bunt by leadoff hitter Madelyn Poe.
Beebe, though, failed to capitalize as the Lady Badger two- and three-hole hitters flew out to the shallow right side of the diamond to end the game.
Poe scored the first run of the game on a passed ball at the plate after she hit a bunt single to start the bottom of the first inning, which gave the Lady Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Alma, however, tied the game at 1-1 with a two-out, stand-up double to the fence in right field by Alexys Criswell, which allowed teammate Abbye Ostrander to score from third base after she hit a double two batters earlier.
Dinapoli led the Lady Badgers at the plate, going 3 for 3 with three singles. Porterfield, Poe, Shepard and Megan Davlin each had one hit apiece for Beebe (23-5).
Criswell led Alma at the plate. She was 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Alma (12-15), the three seed from the West, will play White Hall in the second round of the 5A state tournament today at 12:30 p.m. at Dupree Park.
Leader sportswriter
It took eight innings, but Alma found a way to upset Beebe in the first round of the class 5A state softball tournament Friday at Dupree Park in Jacksonville, as the Airedalettes beat the Lady Badgers by the final score of 2-1.
Beebe, the No. 2 East seed, scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first inning, but Alma knotted up the score at 1-1 with a run in the fourth before setting the final score in the first and only extra inning in the eighth.
It was a clean game throughout, as neither team committed an error in the eight innings played.
Beebe actually outhit Alma 7-5, but the Airedalettes simply made one more play at the plate than the Lady Badgers did, which is what eliminated the higher-seeded Beebe in the end.
“They played really well defensively,” said Beebe coach Eric Chambers of Alma, “and we just didn’t get the hits when we needed to get the hits.
“We left a lot of people on base as we popped up quite a few times. It’s tough to keep one run from scoring. Alma played really good defense and we knew their defense would be good, and we just had an off day at the plate.
“We didn’t get hits when we needed them.”
Beebe had its best opportunity to score additional runs in the bottom of the fifth with the score tied at 1-1.
The Lady Badgers had the bases loaded with one out in the inning, but Courtney Shepard, the team’s two-hole hitter, lined out to center field the next at-bat, and three-hole hitter Nikita Howell flew out to left the next at-bat to end the inning.
Beebe had another chance in the bottom of the seventh. Catcher Haley Dinapoli singled to left field to lead off the inning, and pitcher Ellie Reaves advanced MaKenzie Free, Dinapoli’s courtesy runner, to second base with a sacrifice bunt.
Sophomore Aleighu Porterfield singled to center field the next at-bat, and Chambers waved Free home as the ball rolled to Alma center fielder Cierra Rainwater.
As Free rounded third base, Rainwater made a perfect throw to catcher Charley Wilbourn, who was able to apply the tag on Free just before she could safely slide in. That sent the game to extra innings.
With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of seven innings, the international tiebreaker rule was put into effect, which automatically puts the last batter who was out in the previous inning at second base.
That put Rainwater, who popped out the previous inning, at second base, and she advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Alora Perry.
Leadoff hitter Shaylee Sevenstar then came to the plate and drove in Rainwater with an RBI single to left-center field, which put Alma up 2-1.
Courtney Cauldwell started the bottom part of the inning at second base for Beebe, and she advanced to third base on a sac bunt by leadoff hitter Madelyn Poe.
Beebe, though, failed to capitalize as the Lady Badger two- and three-hole hitters flew out to the shallow right side of the diamond to end the game.
Poe scored the first run of the game on a passed ball at the plate after she hit a bunt single to start the bottom of the first inning, which gave the Lady Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Alma, however, tied the game at 1-1 with a two-out, stand-up double to the fence in right field by Alexys Criswell, which allowed teammate Abbye Ostrander to score from third base after she hit a double two batters earlier.
Dinapoli led the Lady Badgers at the plate, going 3 for 3 with three singles. Porterfield, Poe, Shepard and Megan Davlin each had one hit apiece for Beebe (23-5).
Criswell led Alma at the plate. She was 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Alma (12-15), the three seed from the West, will play White Hall in the second round of the 5A state tournament today at 12:30 p.m. at Dupree Park.
SPORTS STORY >> Lady Bears take win in first round
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
In the opening round of the class 5A state softball tournament Friday at Jacksonville’s Dupree Park, Sylvan Hills senior Michelle Sorensen pitched a complete game shutout and scored the game’s only run to lead the Lady Bears to a 1-0 victory over Watson Chapel.
Sorensen was dominant in the circle. She struck out nine Lady Wildcat batters and gave up just four hits and no walks in the seven innings of work.
“I feel really good about how she threw,” said Sylvan Hills coach Mark Anderson. “She came out real focused. She did all the things we needed her to do to keep us in the ball game and to eventually, of course, win the ball game.”
The Lady Bears (20-6) played one of their best games defensively as well, as they committed no errors in the field. Watson Chapel (15-11), on the other hand, committed two errors, one of which put Sorensen in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“The defense backed her (Sorensen) up,” Anderson said. “We had some rough moments, but we didn’t fall a part. We came back and made the play to get through it.
“Like any great pitcher or good ballplayer, they have to have other people do something. She did a great job today and I’m proud of her, but I’m proud of our team for the way they handled today. They came out and got the job done.”
The pitching duel between Sorensen and Watson Chapel’s Lexie Downing led to a scoreless first three innings of play, but Sylvan Hills broke through in the bottom of the fourth.
Sorensen started the inning with a slow roller to the pitcher. She beat the throw to first for the infield single, but the throw was out of reach for Lady Wildcat first baseman Jamie Bridges, and Sorensen ran to third base on the errant throw.
Two batters later, Sorensen scored on a one-out single to center field by fellow senior and three-hole hitter Ashley Broadway, which gave the Lady Bears the 1-0 lead. Neither team seriously threatened to score for the remainder of the game.
Three-hole hitter Natalie Johnson popped out to Lady Bears’ catcher Cara Possa to lead off the top of the seventh, and Sorensen struck out cleanup hitter Sydney Crossett the next at-bat before Lauren McFalls hit into a 5-3 groundout to end the game in Sylvan Hills’ favor.
Watson Chapel, the No. 4 seed from the South, actually outhit Sylvan Hills 4-2. Sorensen and Broadway led the Lady Bears, the top seed from the Central, with two singles.
Megan Moore, Downing, Lauren McCullough and Maegan Greer each had one hit to lead the Lady Wildcats’ offense.
The Lady Bears will play Greene County Tech in the second round of the class 5A state playoffs today at 5:30 p.m. at Dupree Park. GCT, the No. 3 East seed, beat Greenbrier, the two seed from the West, 5-2 yesterday morning to advance to the second round.
The winner of today’s game will play in the semifinals of the 5A state softball tournament Monday at 2:30 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
In the opening round of the class 5A state softball tournament Friday at Jacksonville’s Dupree Park, Sylvan Hills senior Michelle Sorensen pitched a complete game shutout and scored the game’s only run to lead the Lady Bears to a 1-0 victory over Watson Chapel.
Sorensen was dominant in the circle. She struck out nine Lady Wildcat batters and gave up just four hits and no walks in the seven innings of work.
“I feel really good about how she threw,” said Sylvan Hills coach Mark Anderson. “She came out real focused. She did all the things we needed her to do to keep us in the ball game and to eventually, of course, win the ball game.”
The Lady Bears (20-6) played one of their best games defensively as well, as they committed no errors in the field. Watson Chapel (15-11), on the other hand, committed two errors, one of which put Sorensen in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“The defense backed her (Sorensen) up,” Anderson said. “We had some rough moments, but we didn’t fall a part. We came back and made the play to get through it.
“Like any great pitcher or good ballplayer, they have to have other people do something. She did a great job today and I’m proud of her, but I’m proud of our team for the way they handled today. They came out and got the job done.”
The pitching duel between Sorensen and Watson Chapel’s Lexie Downing led to a scoreless first three innings of play, but Sylvan Hills broke through in the bottom of the fourth.
Sorensen started the inning with a slow roller to the pitcher. She beat the throw to first for the infield single, but the throw was out of reach for Lady Wildcat first baseman Jamie Bridges, and Sorensen ran to third base on the errant throw.
Two batters later, Sorensen scored on a one-out single to center field by fellow senior and three-hole hitter Ashley Broadway, which gave the Lady Bears the 1-0 lead. Neither team seriously threatened to score for the remainder of the game.
Three-hole hitter Natalie Johnson popped out to Lady Bears’ catcher Cara Possa to lead off the top of the seventh, and Sorensen struck out cleanup hitter Sydney Crossett the next at-bat before Lauren McFalls hit into a 5-3 groundout to end the game in Sylvan Hills’ favor.
Watson Chapel, the No. 4 seed from the South, actually outhit Sylvan Hills 4-2. Sorensen and Broadway led the Lady Bears, the top seed from the Central, with two singles.
Megan Moore, Downing, Lauren McCullough and Maegan Greer each had one hit to lead the Lady Wildcats’ offense.
The Lady Bears will play Greene County Tech in the second round of the class 5A state playoffs today at 5:30 p.m. at Dupree Park. GCT, the No. 3 East seed, beat Greenbrier, the two seed from the West, 5-2 yesterday morning to advance to the second round.
The winner of today’s game will play in the semifinals of the 5A state softball tournament Monday at 2:30 p.m.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot in second round of 7A state
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
A two-run blast by Tristan Bulice and a strong performance on the mound by senior southpaw Kason Kimbrell helped Cabot beat Rogers Heritage 4-1 in the first round of the class 7A state baseball tournament Friday at North Little Rock’s Burns Park.
Bulice’s home run put the Panthers on top 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Heritage added a run in the sixth, and threatened to make it a game in the top of the seventh by loading the bases, but Kimbrell struck out two-hole hitter Ty Harris to end the game.
Kimbrell pitched all seven innings, finishing with five strikeouts. He gave up five hits in the game and only walked three, but all three walks came in the last inning.
Despite the signs of fatigue in the final inning of play, Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin stuck with Kimbrell, and even though the last inning got interesting the senior came through when his team needed it the most.
“Going into single elimination, I told our guys anything can happen,” said Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin. “We’re going to have to get a lot of innings out of pitchers.
“It could’ve been a gamble there, but he’s one of our best competitors. So I’m willing to live and die with that guy on the mound just because of his toughness and mental make up.”
Cabot took a 1-0 lead with an RBI single by three-hole hitter Riley Knudsen in the top of the third. That scored Grayson Cole, who singled to left field earlier in the inning.
The Panthers added another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center field by Zach Patterson. That scored Coleman McAtee, who singled to left field two batters earlier.
In the fifth, Cabot second baseman Adam Hicks singled to left field, and with two outs, cleanup hitter Bulice hit the two-run bomb over the 340-foot fence in left field, giving the Panthers a 4-0 cushion.
Heritage, the west three seed, added its lone run in the top of the sixth. Harris hit a stand-up double to deep right center before scoring later on a passed ball at the plate.
Kimbrell walked the first batter he faced in the top of the seventh on four-straight pitches, but Brandon Norris flew out to left field the next at-bat for the first out of the inning.
Kimbrell issued another walk the next at-bat, but struck out pinch hitter Jake Kent the following at-bat. Another walk was issued before Harris came to the plate, and Kimbrell got him to chase a breaking ball for strike three, ending the game in Cabot’s favor.
“He has been our hottest hand, so he deserved to start today,” Goodwin said. “Not that others didn’t, but I was willing to let him go. He had one more hitter in him.
“I’m really proud of the way our ballclub competed. It started on the mound, but we put together good quality at-bats. We got leadoff men on base. We kept their leadoff men off base. Our guys just bought in to what we do and it worked out today.”
Cabot outhit Heritage 8-5. Hicks and Bulice led the Panthers with two hits apiece, while teammates Cole, McAtee, Knudsen and Lee Sullivan each had one hit.
The Panthers (16-12), the No. 6 Central seed, play Little Rock Catholic, the No. 2 Central seed, at 2:30 this afternoon at Burns Park.
Leader sportswriter
A two-run blast by Tristan Bulice and a strong performance on the mound by senior southpaw Kason Kimbrell helped Cabot beat Rogers Heritage 4-1 in the first round of the class 7A state baseball tournament Friday at North Little Rock’s Burns Park.
Bulice’s home run put the Panthers on top 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Heritage added a run in the sixth, and threatened to make it a game in the top of the seventh by loading the bases, but Kimbrell struck out two-hole hitter Ty Harris to end the game.
Kimbrell pitched all seven innings, finishing with five strikeouts. He gave up five hits in the game and only walked three, but all three walks came in the last inning.
Despite the signs of fatigue in the final inning of play, Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin stuck with Kimbrell, and even though the last inning got interesting the senior came through when his team needed it the most.
“Going into single elimination, I told our guys anything can happen,” said Cabot coach Ronnie Goodwin. “We’re going to have to get a lot of innings out of pitchers.
“It could’ve been a gamble there, but he’s one of our best competitors. So I’m willing to live and die with that guy on the mound just because of his toughness and mental make up.”
Cabot took a 1-0 lead with an RBI single by three-hole hitter Riley Knudsen in the top of the third. That scored Grayson Cole, who singled to left field earlier in the inning.
The Panthers added another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center field by Zach Patterson. That scored Coleman McAtee, who singled to left field two batters earlier.
In the fifth, Cabot second baseman Adam Hicks singled to left field, and with two outs, cleanup hitter Bulice hit the two-run bomb over the 340-foot fence in left field, giving the Panthers a 4-0 cushion.
Heritage, the west three seed, added its lone run in the top of the sixth. Harris hit a stand-up double to deep right center before scoring later on a passed ball at the plate.
Kimbrell walked the first batter he faced in the top of the seventh on four-straight pitches, but Brandon Norris flew out to left field the next at-bat for the first out of the inning.
Kimbrell issued another walk the next at-bat, but struck out pinch hitter Jake Kent the following at-bat. Another walk was issued before Harris came to the plate, and Kimbrell got him to chase a breaking ball for strike three, ending the game in Cabot’s favor.
“He has been our hottest hand, so he deserved to start today,” Goodwin said. “Not that others didn’t, but I was willing to let him go. He had one more hitter in him.
“I’m really proud of the way our ballclub competed. It started on the mound, but we put together good quality at-bats. We got leadoff men on base. We kept their leadoff men off base. Our guys just bought in to what we do and it worked out today.”
Cabot outhit Heritage 8-5. Hicks and Bulice led the Panthers with two hits apiece, while teammates Cole, McAtee, Knudsen and Lee Sullivan each had one hit.
The Panthers (16-12), the No. 6 Central seed, play Little Rock Catholic, the No. 2 Central seed, at 2:30 this afternoon at Burns Park.
SPORTS STORY >> Devils advance to next round
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville baseball team blew a three-run lead in the seventh inning, but scored in the bottom half to beat Lakeside 7-6 in the first round of the class 5A state tournament at Dupree Park on Friday.
The Red Devils went into the seventh with a 6-3 lead, but a two-run error by center fielder Courtland McDonald was followed by an RBI base hit to tie the game.
But it was Lakeside who made three huge mental errors that helped Jacksonville rally for the win.
“That’s the kind of thing that happens in the state tournament,” said Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows. “What you have to do is persevere through it and overcome it. I really felt like if we could get that next guy out, we were going to come back and score.”
Jacksonville didn’t exactly get the next batter, at least not until he was a base runner. After the RBI base hit by Jon Youngblood that tied the game, Jacksonville pitcher James Tucker walked pinch hitter Reece Nickles. But Nickles tried to steal second with Youngblood standing on it, and got picked off by catcher Greg Jones to end the inning. Two fielding mistakes by the Rams helped make the difference in the bottom half.
Ryan Mallison capped his monster day with his second double off the right-field fence to lead things off. Derek St. Clair then put down a perfect bunt to move Mallison to third and reached base safely when no throw came from third baseman Bo Ritter.
St. Clair then alertly noticed no one was covering second base and trotted in to put two runners in scoring position. Relief pitcher Jon Youngblood then got just what he wanted when D.J. Scott hit a grounder to third, but after checking Mallison back to third, Ritter again didn’t attempt to get the runner at first. That loaded the bases with no outs. Deaundray Harris struck out, but McDonald redeemed himself with the game-winning base hit straight over second base.
“Mallison came up huge for us,” Burrows said. “He’s a six-hole hitter who was hitting leadoff for us in that situation, and he just went up there and did what he’d been doing and doubles off the wall.”
St. Clair started on the mound, but had a disastrous outing and faced only six batters. He hit two, walked three and gave up a two-RBI single. Greg Jones caught the leadoff batter stealing, but it was the only out recorded with St. Clair on the mound. After St. Clair hit six-hole hitter Tanner Rice, James Tucker took the mound to strikeout Jon Youngblood and get Tanner Crumpton to fly out to centerfield to stop the bleeding at 2-0.
“Tucker made a big difference coming in and changing the pace for us and getting some outs,” Burrows said. “I don’t really know what went wrong with St. Clair, but Tucker did a great job. Now we get to throw out No. 1 guy on day two. I’ve never been able to do that before.”
Jacksonville got four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a two-run lead. The rally started with Ryan Mallison singling to right field and St. Clair hitting an infield single on a slow roller to shortstop. Brandon Hickingbotham bunted into a 5-6 fielder’s choice at third base, but the throw was not in time to get Mallison at third. An error at shortstop off the bat of Deaundray Harris that scored Mallison and left the bases loaded.
Blake Perry then drew an RBI walk. Kaleb Reeves hit a hard line drive between first and second that Tanner Crumpton snagged. He got Reeves at first, but Hickingbotham scored from third on the play. Greg Jones then singled to left field to score Harris that ended the scoring in the inning.
The Rams made it 4-3 when Chase Willingham sent the first pitch of the third inning over the wall in right field. Reeves answered in kind with two outs in the fourth when he sent a line drive over the fence in right to make it 5-3.
Lakeside was back in business when a double and two walks loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Tucker got Brandon Hall to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
The Red Devils added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Clinton McDonald hit a leadoff single, moved to second on an E6, stole third base and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Youngblood.
Mallison led all hitters going 4 for 4 at the plate with two doubles and scored.
McDonald went 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored and an RBI. St. Clair also got two base hits and scored a run.
Tucker threw six and two thirds innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs while walking four and striking out two.
Jacksonville outhit Lake-side 10-7. They will face Vilonia at 5:30 p.m. today in the quarterfinal round. The Eagles beat Batesville 10-0 to open play on Friday. They also own a win over Jacksonville this season, beating the Red Devils 7-2 in the second game of the season in the Red Devil Classic.
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville baseball team blew a three-run lead in the seventh inning, but scored in the bottom half to beat Lakeside 7-6 in the first round of the class 5A state tournament at Dupree Park on Friday.
The Red Devils went into the seventh with a 6-3 lead, but a two-run error by center fielder Courtland McDonald was followed by an RBI base hit to tie the game.
But it was Lakeside who made three huge mental errors that helped Jacksonville rally for the win.
“That’s the kind of thing that happens in the state tournament,” said Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows. “What you have to do is persevere through it and overcome it. I really felt like if we could get that next guy out, we were going to come back and score.”
Jacksonville didn’t exactly get the next batter, at least not until he was a base runner. After the RBI base hit by Jon Youngblood that tied the game, Jacksonville pitcher James Tucker walked pinch hitter Reece Nickles. But Nickles tried to steal second with Youngblood standing on it, and got picked off by catcher Greg Jones to end the inning. Two fielding mistakes by the Rams helped make the difference in the bottom half.
Ryan Mallison capped his monster day with his second double off the right-field fence to lead things off. Derek St. Clair then put down a perfect bunt to move Mallison to third and reached base safely when no throw came from third baseman Bo Ritter.
St. Clair then alertly noticed no one was covering second base and trotted in to put two runners in scoring position. Relief pitcher Jon Youngblood then got just what he wanted when D.J. Scott hit a grounder to third, but after checking Mallison back to third, Ritter again didn’t attempt to get the runner at first. That loaded the bases with no outs. Deaundray Harris struck out, but McDonald redeemed himself with the game-winning base hit straight over second base.
“Mallison came up huge for us,” Burrows said. “He’s a six-hole hitter who was hitting leadoff for us in that situation, and he just went up there and did what he’d been doing and doubles off the wall.”
St. Clair started on the mound, but had a disastrous outing and faced only six batters. He hit two, walked three and gave up a two-RBI single. Greg Jones caught the leadoff batter stealing, but it was the only out recorded with St. Clair on the mound. After St. Clair hit six-hole hitter Tanner Rice, James Tucker took the mound to strikeout Jon Youngblood and get Tanner Crumpton to fly out to centerfield to stop the bleeding at 2-0.
“Tucker made a big difference coming in and changing the pace for us and getting some outs,” Burrows said. “I don’t really know what went wrong with St. Clair, but Tucker did a great job. Now we get to throw out No. 1 guy on day two. I’ve never been able to do that before.”
Jacksonville got four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a two-run lead. The rally started with Ryan Mallison singling to right field and St. Clair hitting an infield single on a slow roller to shortstop. Brandon Hickingbotham bunted into a 5-6 fielder’s choice at third base, but the throw was not in time to get Mallison at third. An error at shortstop off the bat of Deaundray Harris that scored Mallison and left the bases loaded.
Blake Perry then drew an RBI walk. Kaleb Reeves hit a hard line drive between first and second that Tanner Crumpton snagged. He got Reeves at first, but Hickingbotham scored from third on the play. Greg Jones then singled to left field to score Harris that ended the scoring in the inning.
The Rams made it 4-3 when Chase Willingham sent the first pitch of the third inning over the wall in right field. Reeves answered in kind with two outs in the fourth when he sent a line drive over the fence in right to make it 5-3.
Lakeside was back in business when a double and two walks loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Tucker got Brandon Hall to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
The Red Devils added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Clinton McDonald hit a leadoff single, moved to second on an E6, stole third base and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Youngblood.
Mallison led all hitters going 4 for 4 at the plate with two doubles and scored.
McDonald went 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored and an RBI. St. Clair also got two base hits and scored a run.
Tucker threw six and two thirds innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs while walking four and striking out two.
Jacksonville outhit Lake-side 10-7. They will face Vilonia at 5:30 p.m. today in the quarterfinal round. The Eagles beat Batesville 10-0 to open play on Friday. They also own a win over Jacksonville this season, beating the Red Devils 7-2 in the second game of the season in the Red Devil Classic.
Friday, May 16, 2014
EDITORIAL >> What court rulings mean to Arkansas
The Arkansas Supreme Court, which found itself this week with a plate full of constitutional hash and no appetite, made the best it could of a rush of cases from the circuit courts of Pulaski County that had roiled the whole state. In the same-sex marriage and voter-identification suits, the seven justices, all but one of them elected, said, “Just hold on and give us some time to sort these things out and see what the law will permit us to do that might avoid a public scalping.”
Our words, of course, not the justices.
The court stayed the orders of the circuit in three separate lawsuits, two in which the trial judge had invalidated a 2013 act requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification cards and even more steps before casting a vote by absentee and another case in which a trial judge had invalidated all the Arkansas laws banning marriage or civil unions by same-sex couples. The stays mean that the voter-ID law and the same-sex marriage bans passed by the legislature and by the voters will remain in place at least for a few months while the Supreme Court decides whether the trial judges were right.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs in all three cases wanted the Supreme Court to let the trial-court orders stand while it reviews the cases and decides whether the judges were correct on the law owing to the likelihood that after that review the Supreme Court will conclude that the trial judges were right and all the laws are unconstitutional.
We think that is exactly what will happen, although in the marriage case that final order may come from the U.S. Supreme Court and not the state Supreme Court. But the justices acted prudently in issuing the stays for the simple expedient of appearances. However clear the law may be, the marriage case especially is monumental in its emotional impact, and the court must give every appearance that the judiciary has given it long and sober reflection before changing what is a deeply, if unjustly, ingrained more—that marriage is a religious as well as legal rite that should offer its joys and protections only to people of the opposite sex. The stay also ends the confusion about whether 71 counties that were not named in the suit were bound by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza’s order. Once the Supreme Court makes a final ruling, whatever it is, every county will be obliged to follow it.
The justices clearly do not relish the task. Like the trial judges who struck down the marriage and voter laws, the Supreme Court justices (except one temporary appointee) are elected and can be expelled at their next election if what they do is unpopular, either with the voting public or with state lawmakers, who hold the judges’ purse strings. Supreme Court justices already have not been given raises for several years because their decisions have irked legislators, particularly Republicans who now hold a majority. Sen. Jason Rapert, Arkansas’ loudest demagogue, tried to get the Legislative Council on Friday to adopt a resolution telling the court what it must do. House Speaker Davy Carter of Cabot helped block the resolution because he said, quite wisely, that the court must make its decisions independently, based upon the law and not pressures applied by the legislative or executive branches.
Quite clearly the justices have been divided about how to handle the hot potatoes. They first sent the marriage order back to Pulaski County because Judge Piazza had not specifically named one statute prohibiting circuit clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, although his sweeping order had made it abundantly clear that all such bans violated the equal-protection clauses of the United States and Arkansas constitutions. Piazza promptly amended his order to identify that little statute as well and to say that people who had long been denied the fundamental right to marry should not be put off any longer. Some 400 couples got licenses in the week that Piazza’s ruling was in effect.
Now the justices have a few months’ respite in which to let public passions subside and also, dare we say it, to collect their wits and perhaps their courage.
Twice in the past 12 years, the Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled on essentially the same issue, whether widely held religious doctrines, ancient prejudices or community mores can stand in the way of constitutional guarantees that minorities or unpopular groups must be granted the same rights and privileges provided by law as others. The court ruled in 2002 that a state law criminalizing homosexual acts violated the Arkansas Constitution. It held in 2010 that an act prohibiting gay couples from adopting children or being foster parents and approved by a big majority of Arkansas voters also violated equal protections, due process and privacy. That decision was unanimous.
Right at the top, the drafters of our Constitution in 1874 wrote that the first job of Arkansas government was to protect the rights of every person to enjoy life and freedom and to “pursue their own happiness.” Then they wrote that the government could never give privileges and immunities (say, the benefits of marriage) to some classes of citizens but deny them to others.
The U.S. Constitution is not quite so specific, but it, too, more than once says people must be afforded equal protection of the laws. The U. S. Supreme Court, in an opinion written by President Reagan’s old California pal and appointee, Anthony Kennedy, applied it last year to people who had gotten married in spite of the popular taboos against it. Now the Arkansas justices must sort through their own and the high court’s precedents and figure out how they can get around them and do the popular thing.
The voter ID matter is simpler and not so politically difficult. Only the leadership of the Republican Party and its legislative majority like the new barriers to voting. Pulaski County Judge Tim Fox, tired of wrestling with the impossible language of the law that confuses both voters and election officials about how to handle absentee ballots, threw the whole law out because he said its photo and absentee-voting demands added new requirements for people to vote beyond those spelled out in the Constitution. The Constitution says flatly that the legislature can’t do that.
While the Supreme Court said Fox was right that the state Board of Election Commissioners had created a policy for counting absentee votes that was illegal, it said he had to have hearings before he could declare the whole law unconstitutional. A separate lawsuit did raise that issue and after another hearing Judge Fox ruled again ruled that the act was unconstitutional. So that issue is also back squarely before the supremes, although they stayed that ruling, too, temporarily. Everyone will need an official photo ID or jump through other hoops if they want to vote next week. By November, probably not.
Our words, of course, not the justices.
The court stayed the orders of the circuit in three separate lawsuits, two in which the trial judge had invalidated a 2013 act requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification cards and even more steps before casting a vote by absentee and another case in which a trial judge had invalidated all the Arkansas laws banning marriage or civil unions by same-sex couples. The stays mean that the voter-ID law and the same-sex marriage bans passed by the legislature and by the voters will remain in place at least for a few months while the Supreme Court decides whether the trial judges were right.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs in all three cases wanted the Supreme Court to let the trial-court orders stand while it reviews the cases and decides whether the judges were correct on the law owing to the likelihood that after that review the Supreme Court will conclude that the trial judges were right and all the laws are unconstitutional.
We think that is exactly what will happen, although in the marriage case that final order may come from the U.S. Supreme Court and not the state Supreme Court. But the justices acted prudently in issuing the stays for the simple expedient of appearances. However clear the law may be, the marriage case especially is monumental in its emotional impact, and the court must give every appearance that the judiciary has given it long and sober reflection before changing what is a deeply, if unjustly, ingrained more—that marriage is a religious as well as legal rite that should offer its joys and protections only to people of the opposite sex. The stay also ends the confusion about whether 71 counties that were not named in the suit were bound by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza’s order. Once the Supreme Court makes a final ruling, whatever it is, every county will be obliged to follow it.
The justices clearly do not relish the task. Like the trial judges who struck down the marriage and voter laws, the Supreme Court justices (except one temporary appointee) are elected and can be expelled at their next election if what they do is unpopular, either with the voting public or with state lawmakers, who hold the judges’ purse strings. Supreme Court justices already have not been given raises for several years because their decisions have irked legislators, particularly Republicans who now hold a majority. Sen. Jason Rapert, Arkansas’ loudest demagogue, tried to get the Legislative Council on Friday to adopt a resolution telling the court what it must do. House Speaker Davy Carter of Cabot helped block the resolution because he said, quite wisely, that the court must make its decisions independently, based upon the law and not pressures applied by the legislative or executive branches.
Quite clearly the justices have been divided about how to handle the hot potatoes. They first sent the marriage order back to Pulaski County because Judge Piazza had not specifically named one statute prohibiting circuit clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, although his sweeping order had made it abundantly clear that all such bans violated the equal-protection clauses of the United States and Arkansas constitutions. Piazza promptly amended his order to identify that little statute as well and to say that people who had long been denied the fundamental right to marry should not be put off any longer. Some 400 couples got licenses in the week that Piazza’s ruling was in effect.
Now the justices have a few months’ respite in which to let public passions subside and also, dare we say it, to collect their wits and perhaps their courage.
Twice in the past 12 years, the Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled on essentially the same issue, whether widely held religious doctrines, ancient prejudices or community mores can stand in the way of constitutional guarantees that minorities or unpopular groups must be granted the same rights and privileges provided by law as others. The court ruled in 2002 that a state law criminalizing homosexual acts violated the Arkansas Constitution. It held in 2010 that an act prohibiting gay couples from adopting children or being foster parents and approved by a big majority of Arkansas voters also violated equal protections, due process and privacy. That decision was unanimous.
Right at the top, the drafters of our Constitution in 1874 wrote that the first job of Arkansas government was to protect the rights of every person to enjoy life and freedom and to “pursue their own happiness.” Then they wrote that the government could never give privileges and immunities (say, the benefits of marriage) to some classes of citizens but deny them to others.
The U.S. Constitution is not quite so specific, but it, too, more than once says people must be afforded equal protection of the laws. The U. S. Supreme Court, in an opinion written by President Reagan’s old California pal and appointee, Anthony Kennedy, applied it last year to people who had gotten married in spite of the popular taboos against it. Now the Arkansas justices must sort through their own and the high court’s precedents and figure out how they can get around them and do the popular thing.
The voter ID matter is simpler and not so politically difficult. Only the leadership of the Republican Party and its legislative majority like the new barriers to voting. Pulaski County Judge Tim Fox, tired of wrestling with the impossible language of the law that confuses both voters and election officials about how to handle absentee ballots, threw the whole law out because he said its photo and absentee-voting demands added new requirements for people to vote beyond those spelled out in the Constitution. The Constitution says flatly that the legislature can’t do that.
While the Supreme Court said Fox was right that the state Board of Election Commissioners had created a policy for counting absentee votes that was illegal, it said he had to have hearings before he could declare the whole law unconstitutional. A separate lawsuit did raise that issue and after another hearing Judge Fox ruled again ruled that the act was unconstitutional. So that issue is also back squarely before the supremes, although they stayed that ruling, too, temporarily. Everyone will need an official photo ID or jump through other hoops if they want to vote next week. By November, probably not.
TOP STORY >> Beauty queen from Jacksonville
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
A Jacksonville native will compete for the Miss Plus America title at the national competition July 1-5 in Atlanta.
Mary Gayden, 21, was crowned Miss Plus Arkansas this month.
Her parents, who reached out to neighborhood kids when she was growing up here, inspired the pageant queen’s platform — determined interactive youth (DIY) mentorship.
The state pageant also marked a turning point for Gayden, who had been in and out of the hospital for gall bladder stones and complications that accompanied a surgery to remove them.
The Miss Plus America competition has been held across the country since 2002, but Arkansas has not held a state pageant for at least five years, Gayden explained.
Instead, Krystal Delani signed up every year to represent Arkansas in the national pageant.
But Delani wanted to change that this year because she thought “we have great plus-size women and intelligent plus-size women, and I can’t do it forever,” Gayden said.
So five women competed for the Miss Plus Arkansas title this month, and Gayden was crowned.
Contestants fell into four categories — teens ages 14-17, “Miss” ages 18-29 who aren’t married, “Ms.” ages 29 and older who aren’t married and “Mrs.” ages 20 and older who are married.
Gayden qualified as a “Miss.” She also won Miss Congeniality, the ambassador award for selling the most tickets to the state pageant, a token for her talent portion with spoken-word piece “Make Me a Sapphire” and the director’s award for best overall interview.
Gayden said the spoken-word piece was about how beautiful young girls are tired of being called diamonds. “Nothing is more distinctive than a real sapphire,” she explained.
And the pageant helped Gayden recover her shine.
A couple of years ago, she began having what doctors, at first, called acid-reflux episodes.
It was eventually discovered that Gayden was suffering from gall bladder stones.
Surgery was required and there were complications, like infections and internal perforations.
Gayden said she had to learn the basics all over again, like walking and eating.
There were a few weeks in the hospital during which she couldn’t eat. Gayden said she lost 30 pounds.
“I learned that your body can change on you and youth is wasted on the young. I really figured out what that meant. Because of my age I was able to bounce back from that injury,” she added.
Gayden also lost her independence because loved ones, nurses and doctors were taking care of her.
The beauty queen said, when she finally returned to school at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway to study public relations and African American culture, “I was still uncomfortable with (myself), all those medical things.”
Then she met her “pageant sister,” who encouraged her to enter the state pageant.
“On the day of that pageant, I felt like me again, the person that is springy, the person that is a little take charge but very loving and caring...It was more about feeling that womaness again, feeling to the point where you’re more confident in being a woman,” Gayden explained.
She added that it helped her feel like an independent adult again too.
Gayden was born and raised in Jacksonville, with the exception of her family’s stint in Germany from 1997-2000. She moved there at the age of 5.
Gayden’s father was an airman with a wife and five children.
But, “My parents always found time to incorporate all the kids in the neighborhood,” she said.
The couple hosted large birthday parties, church events and other gatherings.
Her father taught the neighborhood boys how to rebuild bikes that they found in the dumpsters. So every child on her street got bikes for their birthdays because of her dad, Gayden said.
“My family showed us that it’s important to give back to the community,” she continued.
And her mother worked as a paraprofessional teacher at Clinton Elementary School in Sherwood and with preschoolers at Pathfinder in Jacksonville.
Gayden said, “They’ve always done it themselves. They’ve never said ‘OK, this is what you’ve got to do’ and walked away. No, I have to follow you. I have to keep up with you, make sure you’re doing it right.” She’s the same way and that is why mentorship is important, the beauty queen explained.
From her run at the title, Gayden said she wants fans to take away that “out of necessity comes creativity.” She encourages parents to find out what their children are good at and nurture their creative talents.
Gayden’s dream is to open a youth education and extracurricular facility that would combine the practices of Sylvan Learning Center with those of the Boys and Girls Club.
She now works with the nonprofit Choosing to Excel, Griot and Students for the Propagation of Black Culture, which is like an “African American SGA (student government association).”
Choosing to Excel has GEMS (Girls Eagerly Maintaining High Standards) and Men of Character and Quality. It also works with Healthy Homes of Arkansas, which does home visits to make sure young mothers know how to properly take care of their children.
Gayden further explained that griot is a term used to describe an African storyteller.
That group is planning to make presentations at local schools about the details of black historical figures.
And, Gayden said, she was on the executive board of the SGA-like organization for three years.
Gayden graduated from North Pulaski High School, where she was president of the French club, a member of the band, organized a fashion show for prom, received a golden medal for foreign language in 2010 and was also named best student in the fashion class in 2010.
Gayden is seeking sponsorships. Those who are interested in helping her should message her on Facebook by searching for Mary Gayden, e-mail her at mary.gayden@gmail.com or visit http://www.gofundme.com/May-Gayden-MPA.
Leader staff writer
A Jacksonville native will compete for the Miss Plus America title at the national competition July 1-5 in Atlanta.
Mary Gayden, 21, was crowned Miss Plus Arkansas this month.
Her parents, who reached out to neighborhood kids when she was growing up here, inspired the pageant queen’s platform — determined interactive youth (DIY) mentorship.
The state pageant also marked a turning point for Gayden, who had been in and out of the hospital for gall bladder stones and complications that accompanied a surgery to remove them.
The Miss Plus America competition has been held across the country since 2002, but Arkansas has not held a state pageant for at least five years, Gayden explained.
Instead, Krystal Delani signed up every year to represent Arkansas in the national pageant.
But Delani wanted to change that this year because she thought “we have great plus-size women and intelligent plus-size women, and I can’t do it forever,” Gayden said.
So five women competed for the Miss Plus Arkansas title this month, and Gayden was crowned.
Contestants fell into four categories — teens ages 14-17, “Miss” ages 18-29 who aren’t married, “Ms.” ages 29 and older who aren’t married and “Mrs.” ages 20 and older who are married.
Gayden qualified as a “Miss.” She also won Miss Congeniality, the ambassador award for selling the most tickets to the state pageant, a token for her talent portion with spoken-word piece “Make Me a Sapphire” and the director’s award for best overall interview.
Gayden said the spoken-word piece was about how beautiful young girls are tired of being called diamonds. “Nothing is more distinctive than a real sapphire,” she explained.
And the pageant helped Gayden recover her shine.
A couple of years ago, she began having what doctors, at first, called acid-reflux episodes.
It was eventually discovered that Gayden was suffering from gall bladder stones.
Surgery was required and there were complications, like infections and internal perforations.
Gayden said she had to learn the basics all over again, like walking and eating.
There were a few weeks in the hospital during which she couldn’t eat. Gayden said she lost 30 pounds.
“I learned that your body can change on you and youth is wasted on the young. I really figured out what that meant. Because of my age I was able to bounce back from that injury,” she added.
Gayden also lost her independence because loved ones, nurses and doctors were taking care of her.
The beauty queen said, when she finally returned to school at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway to study public relations and African American culture, “I was still uncomfortable with (myself), all those medical things.”
Then she met her “pageant sister,” who encouraged her to enter the state pageant.
“On the day of that pageant, I felt like me again, the person that is springy, the person that is a little take charge but very loving and caring...It was more about feeling that womaness again, feeling to the point where you’re more confident in being a woman,” Gayden explained.
She added that it helped her feel like an independent adult again too.
Gayden was born and raised in Jacksonville, with the exception of her family’s stint in Germany from 1997-2000. She moved there at the age of 5.
Gayden’s father was an airman with a wife and five children.
But, “My parents always found time to incorporate all the kids in the neighborhood,” she said.
The couple hosted large birthday parties, church events and other gatherings.
Her father taught the neighborhood boys how to rebuild bikes that they found in the dumpsters. So every child on her street got bikes for their birthdays because of her dad, Gayden said.
“My family showed us that it’s important to give back to the community,” she continued.
And her mother worked as a paraprofessional teacher at Clinton Elementary School in Sherwood and with preschoolers at Pathfinder in Jacksonville.
Gayden said, “They’ve always done it themselves. They’ve never said ‘OK, this is what you’ve got to do’ and walked away. No, I have to follow you. I have to keep up with you, make sure you’re doing it right.” She’s the same way and that is why mentorship is important, the beauty queen explained.
From her run at the title, Gayden said she wants fans to take away that “out of necessity comes creativity.” She encourages parents to find out what their children are good at and nurture their creative talents.
Gayden’s dream is to open a youth education and extracurricular facility that would combine the practices of Sylvan Learning Center with those of the Boys and Girls Club.
She now works with the nonprofit Choosing to Excel, Griot and Students for the Propagation of Black Culture, which is like an “African American SGA (student government association).”
Choosing to Excel has GEMS (Girls Eagerly Maintaining High Standards) and Men of Character and Quality. It also works with Healthy Homes of Arkansas, which does home visits to make sure young mothers know how to properly take care of their children.
Gayden further explained that griot is a term used to describe an African storyteller.
That group is planning to make presentations at local schools about the details of black historical figures.
And, Gayden said, she was on the executive board of the SGA-like organization for three years.
Gayden graduated from North Pulaski High School, where she was president of the French club, a member of the band, organized a fashion show for prom, received a golden medal for foreign language in 2010 and was also named best student in the fashion class in 2010.
Gayden is seeking sponsorships. Those who are interested in helping her should message her on Facebook by searching for Mary Gayden, e-mail her at mary.gayden@gmail.com or visit http://www.gofundme.com/May-Gayden-MPA.
TOP STORY >> High court stays ruling
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
The Arkansas Supreme Court granted a motion from the attorney general’s office to stay a Pulaski County judge’s ruling that overturned the state ban on same-sex marriage and then ordered county clerks to issue such licenses.
Lonoke County had refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses even as Judge Chris Piazza on Thursday clarified his May 9 ruling to include a third Arkansas statute that was not struck down in his earlier ruling.
The statute prohibited county clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Piazza’s ruling also requires Arkansas to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who were legally wed in other states.
UALR law professor Joshua Silverstein said the granting of a stay shouldn’t have an impact on couples that have been married since the May 9 ruling.
But a stay will stop others from receiving marriage licenses before the attorney general’s appeal of the ruling is heard by the Arkansas Supreme Court, he noted. Silverstein also said, “The Arkansas Supreme Court ruling will extend to everyone” — not just the counties listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Unless the case is expedited, the high court’s decision to uphold or reverse Piazza’s ruling will probably come late this year or early next year, Silverstein said.
If the ruling is reversed, language in the law makes it unclear whether the marriages of those who wed in the interim will be nullified, he continued. There is language supporting both that outcome and those marriages remaining valid even if the decision is reversed, Silverstein told The Leader.
He also said counties listed in the lawsuit, such as Lonoke, White and Pulaski, were required to issue the licenses after Judge Piazza’s ruling was finalized Thursday afternoon.
Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke disagreed. He told the quorum court Thursday night, “I chose, Lonoke County being one of the counties that’s in the lawsuit, that we will continue as current law stands and that is that we will not issue same-sex marriage licenses.
“In my opinion, it would be premature to start issuing these marriage certificates with this (stay and appeal) process taking place. We will do this until further notice, or we come to some conclusion in the courts. Right now, it’s too ambiguous and there’s too much uncertainty in the laws.”
One justice of the peace asked if Clarke had received advice from the county’s attorney but was told that attorney is at an out-of-town trial.
Clarke said he thought issuing licenses Thursday and Friday before the stay and stopping later would put the county in a “worse position” than maintaining the status quo.
He was also asked why Lonoke County was listed in the lawsuit. Clarke said that happened after a same-sex couple came to his office, requested and were denied a marriage license last spring.
White County Clerk Cheryl Evans said around 2:30 p.m. Friday that her office would issue licenses when their system was updated. The update was being worked on when The Leader spoke with her then, according to Evans.
The office was closed when The Leader called at 4:40 p.m. Friday — 10 minutes after the stay was enacted — to ask if any licenses had been issued.
Pulaski County resumed issuing licenses after halting briefly when the Arkansas Supreme Court made it clear on Wednesday that Piazza needed to clarify the order.
On Friday morning, a resolution drafted by state Sen. Jason Rapert (R- Conway) failed. The resolution expressed support for impeaching Piazza and asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to reverse his ruling.
Tyler Pearson, who is running against Rapert for the seat, sent a news release to The Leader stating Rapert claimed that 97 percent of Americans are against gay marriage.
“That is blatantly false. Recent polling shows a majority of Americans approve of gay marriage,” according to the release.
Pearson also said in the release that House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) agreed that the effort to impeach the judge was a “dangerous” precedent by “completely ignoring” the separation of powers.
But many of the lawmakers and candidates The Leader called earlier in the week sided with Rapert on being against gay marriage.
Buddy Fisher, who is running for Walls McCrary’s (D-Lonoke) Dist. 14 seat in the state House of Representatives in Lonoke County, is one of the opponents.
He said, “I believe that God is the one who instituted marriage, and therefore it is God who defines it. God instituted marriage as a man and a woman, and it is not up to man to redefine what God has defined and instituted.”
Silverstein explained why the stay was likely granted. “You don’t want people to get used to living under a new rule when that new rule could be overturned,” he said.
Whichever side loses in the Arkansas Supreme Court will have the right to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the law professor.
But that doesn’t mean the federal court will hear an appeal because justices have discretion there, Silverstein added.
He said the state Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s first appeal for being “premature” and denied his first motion to stay because Piazza’s ruling was “incomplete.”
A few local same-sex couples weighed in on Piazza’s clarification and questioned what comes next before the stay was issued.
Elizabeth Johnson of Cabot said, “We’re not surprised, but we’re extremely happy.”
She and her partner, LaRisa, were married in Iowa in 2009. They’ve been together for 14 years.
The couple returned to Arkansas and realized the marriage wasn’t recognized here.
Johnson said that meant the two of them couldn’t share a health-insurance policy or receive Social Security benefits if a spouse dies and leaves the family in a financial lurch. And her partner can’t do things like take their 12-year-old daughter to the doctor.
Johnson is the biological mother of their child.
“The ruling for us gives us what our neighbors have,” she said. “There are countless things that change our daily lives.”
What it gives them is peace of mind in knowing that, if Johnson died, LaRisa could raise their daughter, Johnson explained.
She said marriage is now a governmental function, something that gives rights and protection worth thousands of dollars. “There’s a lot of money to be had in equality,” Johnson argued, noting that more than 400 same-sex marriage licenses have been issued in Arkansas since the May 9 ruling was issued. Those cost $60 each, she pointed out.
Johnson also disagreed with the religious argument that marriage is between a man and a woman because, to get married today, “You don’t even have to touch a church.”
She continued, “I have to obey the law so the law should treat me equally.”
Johnson added, “We’re not trying to hurt anything.”
But she and LaRisa have been hurt emotionally.
Johnson shared that they have been cursed at in public and a stranger even approached them in Taco Bell one time to say their daughter would be better off dead than being raised by the two of them.
“People can be really ugly,” Johnson said.
She added that her question now is, if she travels to a county that is not listed in the lawsuit, will her marriage still be recognized.
Silverstein said he didn’t know the answer to that question.
Another couple with local roots was the first in the state to wed May 10, the day after Piazza issued his first order.
Former Jacksonville High School cheerleader Jennifer Rambo and Kristin Seaton received a marriage license at the Carroll County Courthouse in Eureka Springs. They live in Fort Smith.
Rambo, who also played softball at Jacksonville High School, was pleased that Piazza immediately clarified his ruling when the Arkansas Supreme Court made it clear that was what he needed to do.
She was also glad that his order had a provision stating clerks who issued licenses before the ruling was finalized would not be penalized.
Rambo said, “The clerk who helped me and Kristin as well as all the other same-sex couples in Carroll County last weekend, she was extremely nice.”
Rambo and Seaton have been together for four years and were planning to hold a wedding ceremony in October. Seaton proposed to Rambo in March.
They didn’t consider marrying in another state because both women wanted to tie the knot in their home state.
When the couple heard about the ruling, “It was like a million bricks were lifted off my shoulders,” Seaton said.
The two arrived in Eureka Springs around 2 a.m. last Saturday and slept in their car until 5:30 a.m.
At 9 a.m., “it became an emotional roller coaster,” Rambo said.
The same-sex couples in line first learned that one clerk would not issue licenses. They were also told that the courthouse would close its doors. But that didn’t happen.
Then, Rambo said, the couples were told to move so that “normal” customers could enter the courthouse.
She said, “Everybody had sad tears and heartbroken tears. I was like ‘are we not normal? who are we? what are we?”’
Then a different clerk agreed to issue the licenses.
Others who were waiting allowed Rambo and Seaton to return to the front of the line. The two had left it to sit in their car during the confusion.
Rambo said, “It melted both of our hearts. We couldn’t believe it.”
When they received the license, she said, “It was the best feeling. So many emotions that I don’t think words can even express.”
The clerk who handed them the license also had tears of joy in her eyes, Rambo added.
She said the marriage license is a huge deal for the two of them because they plan to start a family and both moms want to be on their children’s birth certificates.
“Each and every one of us deserve that legal right to be able to not have to sit there and fight for our families to be taken care of,” Rambo said.
She pointed out that several couples who were in line at the courthouse with them have been together for 50 years or more.
Those couples, Rambo said, were happy to know that when one of them passes away the other would receive Social Security benefits and life insurance money that would help surviving partners support themselves financially.
Seaton also said, despite the outcry in support of the state’s ban on same-sex marriages, “I think a lot more people in Arkansas are opening their minds and hearts.”
Rambo added that people all over the world have congratulated them on the marriage.
She hopes that being the face of this controversy in Arkansas may encourage those who are struggling with coming out or fighting for equal rights.
Rambo also quoted a Bible verse, Romans 13:10. She said she and Seaton live by it.
The verse reads, “Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law,” Rambo said.
Leader staff writer
The Arkansas Supreme Court granted a motion from the attorney general’s office to stay a Pulaski County judge’s ruling that overturned the state ban on same-sex marriage and then ordered county clerks to issue such licenses.
Lonoke County had refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses even as Judge Chris Piazza on Thursday clarified his May 9 ruling to include a third Arkansas statute that was not struck down in his earlier ruling.
The statute prohibited county clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Piazza’s ruling also requires Arkansas to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who were legally wed in other states.
UALR law professor Joshua Silverstein said the granting of a stay shouldn’t have an impact on couples that have been married since the May 9 ruling.
But a stay will stop others from receiving marriage licenses before the attorney general’s appeal of the ruling is heard by the Arkansas Supreme Court, he noted. Silverstein also said, “The Arkansas Supreme Court ruling will extend to everyone” — not just the counties listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Unless the case is expedited, the high court’s decision to uphold or reverse Piazza’s ruling will probably come late this year or early next year, Silverstein said.
If the ruling is reversed, language in the law makes it unclear whether the marriages of those who wed in the interim will be nullified, he continued. There is language supporting both that outcome and those marriages remaining valid even if the decision is reversed, Silverstein told The Leader.
He also said counties listed in the lawsuit, such as Lonoke, White and Pulaski, were required to issue the licenses after Judge Piazza’s ruling was finalized Thursday afternoon.
Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke disagreed. He told the quorum court Thursday night, “I chose, Lonoke County being one of the counties that’s in the lawsuit, that we will continue as current law stands and that is that we will not issue same-sex marriage licenses.
“In my opinion, it would be premature to start issuing these marriage certificates with this (stay and appeal) process taking place. We will do this until further notice, or we come to some conclusion in the courts. Right now, it’s too ambiguous and there’s too much uncertainty in the laws.”
One justice of the peace asked if Clarke had received advice from the county’s attorney but was told that attorney is at an out-of-town trial.
Clarke said he thought issuing licenses Thursday and Friday before the stay and stopping later would put the county in a “worse position” than maintaining the status quo.
He was also asked why Lonoke County was listed in the lawsuit. Clarke said that happened after a same-sex couple came to his office, requested and were denied a marriage license last spring.
White County Clerk Cheryl Evans said around 2:30 p.m. Friday that her office would issue licenses when their system was updated. The update was being worked on when The Leader spoke with her then, according to Evans.
The office was closed when The Leader called at 4:40 p.m. Friday — 10 minutes after the stay was enacted — to ask if any licenses had been issued.
Pulaski County resumed issuing licenses after halting briefly when the Arkansas Supreme Court made it clear on Wednesday that Piazza needed to clarify the order.
On Friday morning, a resolution drafted by state Sen. Jason Rapert (R- Conway) failed. The resolution expressed support for impeaching Piazza and asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to reverse his ruling.
Tyler Pearson, who is running against Rapert for the seat, sent a news release to The Leader stating Rapert claimed that 97 percent of Americans are against gay marriage.
“That is blatantly false. Recent polling shows a majority of Americans approve of gay marriage,” according to the release.
Pearson also said in the release that House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) agreed that the effort to impeach the judge was a “dangerous” precedent by “completely ignoring” the separation of powers.
But many of the lawmakers and candidates The Leader called earlier in the week sided with Rapert on being against gay marriage.
Buddy Fisher, who is running for Walls McCrary’s (D-Lonoke) Dist. 14 seat in the state House of Representatives in Lonoke County, is one of the opponents.
He said, “I believe that God is the one who instituted marriage, and therefore it is God who defines it. God instituted marriage as a man and a woman, and it is not up to man to redefine what God has defined and instituted.”
Silverstein explained why the stay was likely granted. “You don’t want people to get used to living under a new rule when that new rule could be overturned,” he said.
Whichever side loses in the Arkansas Supreme Court will have the right to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the law professor.
But that doesn’t mean the federal court will hear an appeal because justices have discretion there, Silverstein added.
He said the state Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s first appeal for being “premature” and denied his first motion to stay because Piazza’s ruling was “incomplete.”
A few local same-sex couples weighed in on Piazza’s clarification and questioned what comes next before the stay was issued.
Elizabeth Johnson of Cabot said, “We’re not surprised, but we’re extremely happy.”
She and her partner, LaRisa, were married in Iowa in 2009. They’ve been together for 14 years.
The couple returned to Arkansas and realized the marriage wasn’t recognized here.
Johnson said that meant the two of them couldn’t share a health-insurance policy or receive Social Security benefits if a spouse dies and leaves the family in a financial lurch. And her partner can’t do things like take their 12-year-old daughter to the doctor.
Johnson is the biological mother of their child.
“The ruling for us gives us what our neighbors have,” she said. “There are countless things that change our daily lives.”
What it gives them is peace of mind in knowing that, if Johnson died, LaRisa could raise their daughter, Johnson explained.
She said marriage is now a governmental function, something that gives rights and protection worth thousands of dollars. “There’s a lot of money to be had in equality,” Johnson argued, noting that more than 400 same-sex marriage licenses have been issued in Arkansas since the May 9 ruling was issued. Those cost $60 each, she pointed out.
Johnson also disagreed with the religious argument that marriage is between a man and a woman because, to get married today, “You don’t even have to touch a church.”
She continued, “I have to obey the law so the law should treat me equally.”
Johnson added, “We’re not trying to hurt anything.”
But she and LaRisa have been hurt emotionally.
Johnson shared that they have been cursed at in public and a stranger even approached them in Taco Bell one time to say their daughter would be better off dead than being raised by the two of them.
“People can be really ugly,” Johnson said.
She added that her question now is, if she travels to a county that is not listed in the lawsuit, will her marriage still be recognized.
Silverstein said he didn’t know the answer to that question.
Another couple with local roots was the first in the state to wed May 10, the day after Piazza issued his first order.
Former Jacksonville High School cheerleader Jennifer Rambo and Kristin Seaton received a marriage license at the Carroll County Courthouse in Eureka Springs. They live in Fort Smith.
Rambo, who also played softball at Jacksonville High School, was pleased that Piazza immediately clarified his ruling when the Arkansas Supreme Court made it clear that was what he needed to do.
She was also glad that his order had a provision stating clerks who issued licenses before the ruling was finalized would not be penalized.
Rambo said, “The clerk who helped me and Kristin as well as all the other same-sex couples in Carroll County last weekend, she was extremely nice.”
Rambo and Seaton have been together for four years and were planning to hold a wedding ceremony in October. Seaton proposed to Rambo in March.
They didn’t consider marrying in another state because both women wanted to tie the knot in their home state.
When the couple heard about the ruling, “It was like a million bricks were lifted off my shoulders,” Seaton said.
The two arrived in Eureka Springs around 2 a.m. last Saturday and slept in their car until 5:30 a.m.
At 9 a.m., “it became an emotional roller coaster,” Rambo said.
The same-sex couples in line first learned that one clerk would not issue licenses. They were also told that the courthouse would close its doors. But that didn’t happen.
Then, Rambo said, the couples were told to move so that “normal” customers could enter the courthouse.
She said, “Everybody had sad tears and heartbroken tears. I was like ‘are we not normal? who are we? what are we?”’
Then a different clerk agreed to issue the licenses.
Others who were waiting allowed Rambo and Seaton to return to the front of the line. The two had left it to sit in their car during the confusion.
Rambo said, “It melted both of our hearts. We couldn’t believe it.”
When they received the license, she said, “It was the best feeling. So many emotions that I don’t think words can even express.”
The clerk who handed them the license also had tears of joy in her eyes, Rambo added.
She said the marriage license is a huge deal for the two of them because they plan to start a family and both moms want to be on their children’s birth certificates.
“Each and every one of us deserve that legal right to be able to not have to sit there and fight for our families to be taken care of,” Rambo said.
She pointed out that several couples who were in line at the courthouse with them have been together for 50 years or more.
Those couples, Rambo said, were happy to know that when one of them passes away the other would receive Social Security benefits and life insurance money that would help surviving partners support themselves financially.
Seaton also said, despite the outcry in support of the state’s ban on same-sex marriages, “I think a lot more people in Arkansas are opening their minds and hearts.”
Rambo added that people all over the world have congratulated them on the marriage.
She hopes that being the face of this controversy in Arkansas may encourage those who are struggling with coming out or fighting for equal rights.
Rambo also quoted a Bible verse, Romans 13:10. She said she and Seaton live by it.
The verse reads, “Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law,” Rambo said.
TOP STORY >> Primary voting on Tuesday
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
In Tuesday’s statewide races, Lynette (Doc) Bryant will face Mike Ross in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, while Curtis Coleman and Asa Hutchinson compete for the Republican nomination.
Most pundits expect Ross to face Hutchinson in November to succeed Gov. Mike Beebe.
Three Republicans are competing to run against Democrat John Burkhalter for lieutenant governor in November. Second Dist. Congressman Tim Griffin faces state representatives Debra Hobbs and Andy Mayberry in that primary.
For state attorney general, Republicans Patricia Nation, Leslie Rutledge and David Sterling are competing in the primary. The winner faces state Rep. Nate Steel, a Democrat.
For state treasurer, to replace disgraced Martha Schoffner, convicted on 14 counts of bribery, state Rep. Duncan Baird and Circuit Clerk Dennis Milligan, both Republicans, square off with the winner to face Karen Sealy Garcia, a Democrat, in November.
Rep. Andrea Lea faces Ken Yang, seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Regina Steward Hampton.
With Griffin giving up his Second District Congressional District seat, three Republicans are seeking the nomination to face Democrat Patrick Henry Hayes, former North Little Rock mayor, in November. They are Col. Conrad Reynolds, French Hill and state Rep. Ann Clemmer.
LONOKE
Lonoke County voters will have plenty of decisions to make in the Tuesday primary.
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley faces former Sheriff Jim Roberson and former Deputy Steve Finch on Tuesday in a winner-takes-all Republican primary. Whoever wins that race — or the runoff if necessary — faces no challenger in November.
Any primary runoff elections this year will be held June 10, according to the secretary of state’s election calendar.
Cabot Republicans are also assured of holding onto the House Dist. 43 seat currently occupied by House Speaker Davy Carter. Darlene Byrd, a nurse practitioner, and Tim Lemons, an engineer and member of the Lonoke County Quorum Court, seek to replace Carter, who can’t run again because of term limits.
Carter was perhaps chief architect of Arkansas private option Medicaid expansion, but both Byrd and Lemons said they would not have voted for it. No Democrat filed to run for that seat.
More than 200,000 working poor Arkansans are now covered by the private option or the Affordable Care Act, and hospitals, both locally and nationally, have said they are serving more paying customers and fewer nonpaying ones since Medicaid expansion went into effect on Jan. 1.
It’s unclear what would happen if the new General Assembly refuses to continue the health coverage.
Republicans Trent Eilts and Buddy Fisher are seeking the Dist. 14 House seat currently held by state Rep. Walls McCrary.
McCrary can’t run again because of term limits. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Camille Bennett, the Lonoke city attorney, in November.
Neither is there any Democratic challenger for the winner of the three-person Republican primary in the race for Lonoke County assessor.
Incumbent Jack McNally has been accused by a former assessor’s office employee of being abusive, violating her health privacy rights and of keeping money he collected for the Wounded Warrior Project. McNally is challenged by former Cabot Public Works director Jerrel Maxwell and Marsha Beck, who has worked in the land title business for three decades.
In other Lonoke County primaries, Coroner Mark Thomas, the incumbent, is challenged by Linda Meadows in the primary, with no challenger in November.
Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke is challenged by former county clerk Dawn Porterfield in the Republican primary. Porterfield was a Democrat when she held office.
Circuit Clerk Deborah Oglesby is challenged by former circuit clerk Denise Brown in the Republican primary. The winner has no opponent in November.
In the Lonoke County Republican primary, Adam Justice of Lonoke and Gregg Kidd, both of Cabot, seek the JP Dist. 5 seat being vacated by Lemons, and Lee Linville of Austin, the incumbent, faces Jerry Cole of Cabot for the JP Dist. 6 seat. There is no Democratic challenger for the winner of either of those races.
In the JP Dist. 8, however, Democrat John D. Hudspeth Sr. will face the winner of the Republican primary race between Bryson Harpole and Tate House.
Bill Ryker, the JP Dist. 10 incumbent, is challenged by Robert I. Depriest III in the Democratic Primary and in JP Dist. 12, incumbent Justice of the Peace Matt Sanders is challenged by Patricia Ann Knox in the Republican primary.
The winner of those two primaries won’t face a challenger in November.
In the rare partisan city council race, incumbent Jane Derning is challenged by fellow Democrat Fred Ibbotson for the Lonoke City Alderman 1 seat, and Democrat incumbent Efrem Z. Jones is challenged by Phillip M. Ford.
The winner of those two races won’t face opposition in November.
Two constable races in Lonoke County will also be settled May 20 with Election Day being an uncontested formality.
Carlisle Township Constable Ronnie Thrift is being challenged by fellow Republican Greg Renner. Butler Township Constable John Huett Sr. is being challenged by Roger Williams, Jody Webb and Justin McCallister. All are Republicans from Ward.
In the Lonoke Township constable election, incumbent George C. Baily, a Democrat, will face a November challenge from the winner of the Republican primary race between Adam Ingle, Dean White and Steve Morgan.
PULASKI AND WHITE
For the House Dist. 41 seat held by Democrat Jim Nickels, Alan L. Pogue and Karilyn Brown face off in the Republican primary. Nickels is term limited, but the winner of the primary will face Democrat Danny Knight in November.
This is the only primary contest this year specific to north Pulaski County.
In White County, Circuit Clerk Tami King (R-Pangburn) is facing Karen Gossett, a Republican from Searcy.
The winner will be unchallenged on Election Day in November.
Leader senior staff writer
In Tuesday’s statewide races, Lynette (Doc) Bryant will face Mike Ross in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, while Curtis Coleman and Asa Hutchinson compete for the Republican nomination.
Most pundits expect Ross to face Hutchinson in November to succeed Gov. Mike Beebe.
Three Republicans are competing to run against Democrat John Burkhalter for lieutenant governor in November. Second Dist. Congressman Tim Griffin faces state representatives Debra Hobbs and Andy Mayberry in that primary.
For state attorney general, Republicans Patricia Nation, Leslie Rutledge and David Sterling are competing in the primary. The winner faces state Rep. Nate Steel, a Democrat.
For state treasurer, to replace disgraced Martha Schoffner, convicted on 14 counts of bribery, state Rep. Duncan Baird and Circuit Clerk Dennis Milligan, both Republicans, square off with the winner to face Karen Sealy Garcia, a Democrat, in November.
Rep. Andrea Lea faces Ken Yang, seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Regina Steward Hampton.
With Griffin giving up his Second District Congressional District seat, three Republicans are seeking the nomination to face Democrat Patrick Henry Hayes, former North Little Rock mayor, in November. They are Col. Conrad Reynolds, French Hill and state Rep. Ann Clemmer.
LONOKE
Lonoke County voters will have plenty of decisions to make in the Tuesday primary.
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley faces former Sheriff Jim Roberson and former Deputy Steve Finch on Tuesday in a winner-takes-all Republican primary. Whoever wins that race — or the runoff if necessary — faces no challenger in November.
Any primary runoff elections this year will be held June 10, according to the secretary of state’s election calendar.
Cabot Republicans are also assured of holding onto the House Dist. 43 seat currently occupied by House Speaker Davy Carter. Darlene Byrd, a nurse practitioner, and Tim Lemons, an engineer and member of the Lonoke County Quorum Court, seek to replace Carter, who can’t run again because of term limits.
Carter was perhaps chief architect of Arkansas private option Medicaid expansion, but both Byrd and Lemons said they would not have voted for it. No Democrat filed to run for that seat.
More than 200,000 working poor Arkansans are now covered by the private option or the Affordable Care Act, and hospitals, both locally and nationally, have said they are serving more paying customers and fewer nonpaying ones since Medicaid expansion went into effect on Jan. 1.
It’s unclear what would happen if the new General Assembly refuses to continue the health coverage.
Republicans Trent Eilts and Buddy Fisher are seeking the Dist. 14 House seat currently held by state Rep. Walls McCrary.
McCrary can’t run again because of term limits. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Camille Bennett, the Lonoke city attorney, in November.
Neither is there any Democratic challenger for the winner of the three-person Republican primary in the race for Lonoke County assessor.
Incumbent Jack McNally has been accused by a former assessor’s office employee of being abusive, violating her health privacy rights and of keeping money he collected for the Wounded Warrior Project. McNally is challenged by former Cabot Public Works director Jerrel Maxwell and Marsha Beck, who has worked in the land title business for three decades.
In other Lonoke County primaries, Coroner Mark Thomas, the incumbent, is challenged by Linda Meadows in the primary, with no challenger in November.
Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke is challenged by former county clerk Dawn Porterfield in the Republican primary. Porterfield was a Democrat when she held office.
Circuit Clerk Deborah Oglesby is challenged by former circuit clerk Denise Brown in the Republican primary. The winner has no opponent in November.
In the Lonoke County Republican primary, Adam Justice of Lonoke and Gregg Kidd, both of Cabot, seek the JP Dist. 5 seat being vacated by Lemons, and Lee Linville of Austin, the incumbent, faces Jerry Cole of Cabot for the JP Dist. 6 seat. There is no Democratic challenger for the winner of either of those races.
In the JP Dist. 8, however, Democrat John D. Hudspeth Sr. will face the winner of the Republican primary race between Bryson Harpole and Tate House.
Bill Ryker, the JP Dist. 10 incumbent, is challenged by Robert I. Depriest III in the Democratic Primary and in JP Dist. 12, incumbent Justice of the Peace Matt Sanders is challenged by Patricia Ann Knox in the Republican primary.
The winner of those two primaries won’t face a challenger in November.
In the rare partisan city council race, incumbent Jane Derning is challenged by fellow Democrat Fred Ibbotson for the Lonoke City Alderman 1 seat, and Democrat incumbent Efrem Z. Jones is challenged by Phillip M. Ford.
The winner of those two races won’t face opposition in November.
Two constable races in Lonoke County will also be settled May 20 with Election Day being an uncontested formality.
Carlisle Township Constable Ronnie Thrift is being challenged by fellow Republican Greg Renner. Butler Township Constable John Huett Sr. is being challenged by Roger Williams, Jody Webb and Justin McCallister. All are Republicans from Ward.
In the Lonoke Township constable election, incumbent George C. Baily, a Democrat, will face a November challenge from the winner of the Republican primary race between Adam Ingle, Dean White and Steve Morgan.
PULASKI AND WHITE
For the House Dist. 41 seat held by Democrat Jim Nickels, Alan L. Pogue and Karilyn Brown face off in the Republican primary. Nickels is term limited, but the winner of the primary will face Democrat Danny Knight in November.
This is the only primary contest this year specific to north Pulaski County.
In White County, Circuit Clerk Tami King (R-Pangburn) is facing Karen Gossett, a Republican from Searcy.
The winner will be unchallenged on Election Day in November.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
EDITORIAL >> Snub wasn’t Pryor’s fault
Don’t blame Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) for snubbing Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher during President Obama’s visit last week to Little Rock Air Force Base as he toured the tornado damage in Vilonia.
Mayor Fletcher was not invited to the air base, but Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola did wrangle an invitation because somebody at the White House thought LRAFB was in Little Rock. Stodola went along for the free publicity, even if the air base is across the river from Little Rock and his city wasn’t even touched by the tornado.
A Pryor spokesman said Tuesday the senator’s office had nothing to do with the invitation list. All Pryor did was ask the President to visit Arkansas and help with disaster relief in Faulkner, Pulaski, White and Independence counties, where the tornado touched down April 27. The spokesman said his boss was focused on helping storm victims and the White House made the invitations.
Maybe it’s time again to consider renaming Little Rock Air Force Base so presidents and others stop thinking it’s in Little Rock. It’s an easy mistake to make, but, as everyone knows except the White House, the base is in Jacksonville and has been here for a long time.
Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, Pope Air Field in North Carolina and several others are named for officers and airmen, while others are named for prominent local politicians and residents. To avoid confusion in the future and honor someone who was there at its creation, our air base should bear the name of a famous local resident who helped bring the base here 60 years ago.
Kenneth Pat Wilson, who led the campaign to donate land for the air base, including his family’s farm, is worthy of consideration for such an honor. The President and all local mayors would be welcome at the rededication.
Mayor Fletcher was not invited to the air base, but Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola did wrangle an invitation because somebody at the White House thought LRAFB was in Little Rock. Stodola went along for the free publicity, even if the air base is across the river from Little Rock and his city wasn’t even touched by the tornado.
A Pryor spokesman said Tuesday the senator’s office had nothing to do with the invitation list. All Pryor did was ask the President to visit Arkansas and help with disaster relief in Faulkner, Pulaski, White and Independence counties, where the tornado touched down April 27. The spokesman said his boss was focused on helping storm victims and the White House made the invitations.
Maybe it’s time again to consider renaming Little Rock Air Force Base so presidents and others stop thinking it’s in Little Rock. It’s an easy mistake to make, but, as everyone knows except the White House, the base is in Jacksonville and has been here for a long time.
Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, Pope Air Field in North Carolina and several others are named for officers and airmen, while others are named for prominent local politicians and residents. To avoid confusion in the future and honor someone who was there at its creation, our air base should bear the name of a famous local resident who helped bring the base here 60 years ago.
Kenneth Pat Wilson, who led the campaign to donate land for the air base, including his family’s farm, is worthy of consideration for such an honor. The President and all local mayors would be welcome at the rededication.
EDITORIAL >> Fast changes in Arkansas
Who would have thought our quiet little state would suddenly take the lead when it comes to some of the key issues facing the nation.
Same-sex couples are getting married in courthouses around the state after Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza’s ruling last week allowing gays and lesbians to wed.
Arkansas is also one of the first states to adopt the expansion of Medicaid through private-option plans, which will provide hundreds of thousands of people with health insurance. All of it is paid through the federal Medicaid program and managed through insurance exchanges, but even when the state pays 10 percent of the cost a few years from now, it’s still a great bargain for a poor state like Arkansas.
The third issue putting Arkansas in the forefront is the voter ID controversy, which is heading to the state Supreme Court after Judge Tim Fox invalidated the requirement for photo identification. No one knows if the high court will uphold the lower court’s ruling, but federal courts around the country are striking down the photo requirement. Again, Arkansas could lead the way on this key issue at least in the South.
As for same-sex weddings, who would have expected just a few months ago that the Little Rock newspaper would feature on its front page Jennifer Rambo and Kristin Seaton kissing after they were married in the Eureka Springs Courthouse?
The judge’s decision last Friday — the first in the South — may have surprised a lot of people, but Rambo, a former Jacksonville High School softball player and cheerleader, and Seaton married the next day. Dozens of others followed in Pulaski County and elsewhere.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has asked the state Supreme Court to stop same-sex marriages until arguments are made by both sides.
Lonoke and White counties have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the state Supreme Court decides on Piazza’s ruling. Cabot has a significant gay and lesbian community who can make the short trip to the Pulaski County courthouse if they want to marry before such marriages are halted. An appeal to a federal court might allow those marriages to proceed even before the high court acts.
Something tells us same-sex marriage will continue in Arkansas, and we’ll see more photos of gays and lesbians embracing on the front page of the state newspaper.
The state’s political landscape may be shifting with the recent judicial rulings that will ensure fairness for all Arkansans.
Same-sex couples are getting married in courthouses around the state after Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza’s ruling last week allowing gays and lesbians to wed.
Arkansas is also one of the first states to adopt the expansion of Medicaid through private-option plans, which will provide hundreds of thousands of people with health insurance. All of it is paid through the federal Medicaid program and managed through insurance exchanges, but even when the state pays 10 percent of the cost a few years from now, it’s still a great bargain for a poor state like Arkansas.
The third issue putting Arkansas in the forefront is the voter ID controversy, which is heading to the state Supreme Court after Judge Tim Fox invalidated the requirement for photo identification. No one knows if the high court will uphold the lower court’s ruling, but federal courts around the country are striking down the photo requirement. Again, Arkansas could lead the way on this key issue at least in the South.
As for same-sex weddings, who would have expected just a few months ago that the Little Rock newspaper would feature on its front page Jennifer Rambo and Kristin Seaton kissing after they were married in the Eureka Springs Courthouse?
The judge’s decision last Friday — the first in the South — may have surprised a lot of people, but Rambo, a former Jacksonville High School softball player and cheerleader, and Seaton married the next day. Dozens of others followed in Pulaski County and elsewhere.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has asked the state Supreme Court to stop same-sex marriages until arguments are made by both sides.
Lonoke and White counties have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the state Supreme Court decides on Piazza’s ruling. Cabot has a significant gay and lesbian community who can make the short trip to the Pulaski County courthouse if they want to marry before such marriages are halted. An appeal to a federal court might allow those marriages to proceed even before the high court acts.
Something tells us same-sex marriage will continue in Arkansas, and we’ll see more photos of gays and lesbians embracing on the front page of the state newspaper.
The state’s political landscape may be shifting with the recent judicial rulings that will ensure fairness for all Arkansans.
TOP STORY >> Roundtop’s revival taking shape
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Construction has started for phase one of the $164,000 effort to restore the historic Roundtop Filling Station in Sherwood.
Phase one of the two-phase project includes stabilizing the old gas station at Trammel and Roundtop roads, replacing the roof and work on the slab as well as the plumbing.
That is according to Darrell Brown, chairman of the city’s History and Heritage Committee and the driving force behind the project.
Phase two, which is mostly renovating the interior of the 360-square-foot building off Hwy. 161, will start in August if Sherwood is awarded a second $50,000 matching grant from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
Phase one is being covered by the first $50,000 grant the city received through the program. Sherwood’s match — private donations, a $12,500 chamber of commerce contribution and city funds — was $25,000, and the same amount will be needed for the second grant.
Sherwood will know early next month whether it received the second grant, Brown said.
He added that top program officials have told him “they are committed to seeing this project through.”
Brown said, “I feel that was a very good sign.”
The entire project could be wrapped up by late fall, he continued.
PDC Construction of North Little Rock put in the winning bid for the first phase of the restoration project.
The chairman said his father might donate some Grapette Soda memorabilia because several elderly residents have said the Roundtop used to sell the “coldest around.”
And Sinclair Oil has agreed to donate some décor too, Brown said.
The old pump stations will not be replaced for fear of vandalism, he explained, but there may be one placed inside the structure.
Many passing motorists have stopped to ask the construction crew about the work, Brown said. He left information on its history for the crew to give people who stop by.
Also, the Roundtop will be used as a police substation because one of the grant requirements is that it must have a designated purpose.
One of the police officers who will be using the facility has suggested painting a mural on the wall of the main room that mimics the inside of a 1930s gas station, Brown said.
The Roundtop, built in 1936, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
Last year, it was named one of the top 10 most endangered historic places in the state by the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.
And the surrounding community has come together to make sure the beloved landmark gets off that list.
Fraley Roofing in North Little Rock is donating labor for the roof.
Arkansas Airflow in Sherwood is donating the HVAC system and the labor to install it.
W.D. “Happy” Williford operated the Roundtop for 36 years, from 1936 until 1972. Williford passed away in March at the age of 95.
Real estate tycoon Justin Matthews built the station for the Pierce Oil Company after the federal government broke up the Standard Oil Company in 1911.
The landmark later became a Phillips 66, a Sinclair gas station and a DX station. It had three pumps.
Williford bought the Roundtop in 1957 and sold it in 1999 to George Brown. Darrell Brown and George Brown are not related.
When George Brown passed away, his heirs gave the building to Sherwood.
Roundtop Road was once Hwy. 67, the main thoroughfare from Bald Knob and Searcy to Little Rock and North Little Rock. People from St. Louis also drove it.
The station was the only place that had public bathrooms between Searcy and Little Rock.
Two former governors campaigned there. Celebrities, like Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash, visited the station. Brown said he wants their pictures to hang on the Roundtop’s walls.
The station was featured in “The Last Ride,” a 2010 film about Hank Williams Sr. that was directed by Arkansas native Harry Thomasson. Brown also said he hopes some movie posters may be put up inside the building once it’s finished.
Donations for the restoration project are still being accepted and are tax deductible.
Donations can be sent to “Save the Roundtop Campaign” c/o Sherwood City Clerk’s Office, P.O. Box 6256, Sherwood, Ark., 72124
Please write ‘Roundtop’ in the memo line of any checks.
Also, bricks that will displayed at the station once restoration work is completed are being sold for a donation of $100 or more.
For more information, visit “The Historic Roundtop Filling Station, Sherwood, Arkansas” Facebook page or http://www.RoundtopSherwood.com/.
Leader staff writer
Construction has started for phase one of the $164,000 effort to restore the historic Roundtop Filling Station in Sherwood.
Phase one of the two-phase project includes stabilizing the old gas station at Trammel and Roundtop roads, replacing the roof and work on the slab as well as the plumbing.
That is according to Darrell Brown, chairman of the city’s History and Heritage Committee and the driving force behind the project.
Phase two, which is mostly renovating the interior of the 360-square-foot building off Hwy. 161, will start in August if Sherwood is awarded a second $50,000 matching grant from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
Phase one is being covered by the first $50,000 grant the city received through the program. Sherwood’s match — private donations, a $12,500 chamber of commerce contribution and city funds — was $25,000, and the same amount will be needed for the second grant.
Sherwood will know early next month whether it received the second grant, Brown said.
He added that top program officials have told him “they are committed to seeing this project through.”
Brown said, “I feel that was a very good sign.”
The entire project could be wrapped up by late fall, he continued.
PDC Construction of North Little Rock put in the winning bid for the first phase of the restoration project.
The chairman said his father might donate some Grapette Soda memorabilia because several elderly residents have said the Roundtop used to sell the “coldest around.”
And Sinclair Oil has agreed to donate some décor too, Brown said.
The old pump stations will not be replaced for fear of vandalism, he explained, but there may be one placed inside the structure.
Many passing motorists have stopped to ask the construction crew about the work, Brown said. He left information on its history for the crew to give people who stop by.
Also, the Roundtop will be used as a police substation because one of the grant requirements is that it must have a designated purpose.
One of the police officers who will be using the facility has suggested painting a mural on the wall of the main room that mimics the inside of a 1930s gas station, Brown said.
The Roundtop, built in 1936, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
Last year, it was named one of the top 10 most endangered historic places in the state by the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.
And the surrounding community has come together to make sure the beloved landmark gets off that list.
Fraley Roofing in North Little Rock is donating labor for the roof.
Arkansas Airflow in Sherwood is donating the HVAC system and the labor to install it.
W.D. “Happy” Williford operated the Roundtop for 36 years, from 1936 until 1972. Williford passed away in March at the age of 95.
Real estate tycoon Justin Matthews built the station for the Pierce Oil Company after the federal government broke up the Standard Oil Company in 1911.
The landmark later became a Phillips 66, a Sinclair gas station and a DX station. It had three pumps.
Williford bought the Roundtop in 1957 and sold it in 1999 to George Brown. Darrell Brown and George Brown are not related.
When George Brown passed away, his heirs gave the building to Sherwood.
Roundtop Road was once Hwy. 67, the main thoroughfare from Bald Knob and Searcy to Little Rock and North Little Rock. People from St. Louis also drove it.
The station was the only place that had public bathrooms between Searcy and Little Rock.
Two former governors campaigned there. Celebrities, like Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash, visited the station. Brown said he wants their pictures to hang on the Roundtop’s walls.
The station was featured in “The Last Ride,” a 2010 film about Hank Williams Sr. that was directed by Arkansas native Harry Thomasson. Brown also said he hopes some movie posters may be put up inside the building once it’s finished.
Donations for the restoration project are still being accepted and are tax deductible.
Donations can be sent to “Save the Roundtop Campaign” c/o Sherwood City Clerk’s Office, P.O. Box 6256, Sherwood, Ark., 72124
Please write ‘Roundtop’ in the memo line of any checks.
Also, bricks that will displayed at the station once restoration work is completed are being sold for a donation of $100 or more.
For more information, visit “The Historic Roundtop Filling Station, Sherwood, Arkansas” Facebook page or http://www.RoundtopSherwood.com/.
TOP STORY >> County clerk is arrested for cyberbullying
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
A special Ward District Court judge Monday charged Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke with a single misdemeanor count of cyberbullying in connection with remarks he allegedly made on the Concerned Lonoke County Citizens Facebook page administered by a Cabot-area woman.
Sherwood District Court Judge Butch Hale, appointed special judge for the case, charged Clarke with making derogatory comments on that page about its administrator, Christina James, and set a June 10 trial date.
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley called Clarke to tell him of the warrant for his arrest. Clarke turned himself in and was released.
James has alleged that Clarke logged onto the Concerned Citizens page, called her “an ugly little troll,” suggested she needed some makeup and said, “I’m probably not the guy you want to (expletive) with.”
Clarke said that, although he and James had an antagonistic professional relationship, he did not post those comments. He suggested that someone cloned or “catfished” his Facebook page.
“Ask the sheriff,” James said. “I’m sure they can figure it out.”
James has called for Clarke’s resignation, saying she didn’t believe he was hacked, but that he wrote the offensive posts.
Clarke charged that James brought the issue to court Monday to discredit him right before his May 20 re-election primary bid.
She said, “I haven’t done anything to him. He’s done it to himself.”
Clarke is running for re-election against former county clerk Dawn Porterfield. Porterfield has changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican and is challenging Clarke for the post.
The winner does not have a Democratic opponent in the November General Election.
Clarke said on Tuesday that James has flooded his office since at least February with Freedom of Information requests about county business.
She said, “I’ve been in title and public records for 20 years.” James said she knows what she’s looking for and how to find it.
She said Clarke and others have loomed over her in the office and that he snatched a public record book out of her hand and ejected her from the vault where it is stored.
Clarke called James “a nutcase with a keyboard.”
James laughed at that accusation. “He needs to prove that one,” she said.
He said, “It’s all malarkey and baloney.”
James said, “Bullying has been rampant for decades.” She started her Facebook page and campaign to fight back.
Clarke said she ratcheted up the harassment of him, his office and other county officials while preparing for her $2.8 million lawsuit against the county over a road she alleges was improperly built by former County Judge Charlie Troutman and which she said caused flooding on her property.
“In my opinion, she attempted to harass me to get (current County Judge Doug Erwin) to settle,” Clarke said.
“The woman lost a…lawsuit against the county and she started harassing me in spite,” Clarke said. “She inundated me with e-mails asking for baloney, and she got what she wanted.”
Clarke said the judge issued a no-contact order on him, which he characterized as interesting because James comes so often to his public place of business.
Another Lonoke County official in possible trouble is Assessor Jack McNally, who is accused of collecting money for the Wounded Warrior Project but not turning the money over to the group.
Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham said he believed that issue would be resolved during the routine Legislative Audit Bureau review of McNally’s office.
McNally has two Republican challengers in the primary on Tuesday.
Leader senior staff writer
A special Ward District Court judge Monday charged Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke with a single misdemeanor count of cyberbullying in connection with remarks he allegedly made on the Concerned Lonoke County Citizens Facebook page administered by a Cabot-area woman.
Sherwood District Court Judge Butch Hale, appointed special judge for the case, charged Clarke with making derogatory comments on that page about its administrator, Christina James, and set a June 10 trial date.
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley called Clarke to tell him of the warrant for his arrest. Clarke turned himself in and was released.
James has alleged that Clarke logged onto the Concerned Citizens page, called her “an ugly little troll,” suggested she needed some makeup and said, “I’m probably not the guy you want to (expletive) with.”
Clarke said that, although he and James had an antagonistic professional relationship, he did not post those comments. He suggested that someone cloned or “catfished” his Facebook page.
“Ask the sheriff,” James said. “I’m sure they can figure it out.”
James has called for Clarke’s resignation, saying she didn’t believe he was hacked, but that he wrote the offensive posts.
Clarke charged that James brought the issue to court Monday to discredit him right before his May 20 re-election primary bid.
She said, “I haven’t done anything to him. He’s done it to himself.”
Clarke is running for re-election against former county clerk Dawn Porterfield. Porterfield has changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican and is challenging Clarke for the post.
The winner does not have a Democratic opponent in the November General Election.
Clarke said on Tuesday that James has flooded his office since at least February with Freedom of Information requests about county business.
She said, “I’ve been in title and public records for 20 years.” James said she knows what she’s looking for and how to find it.
She said Clarke and others have loomed over her in the office and that he snatched a public record book out of her hand and ejected her from the vault where it is stored.
Clarke called James “a nutcase with a keyboard.”
James laughed at that accusation. “He needs to prove that one,” she said.
He said, “It’s all malarkey and baloney.”
James said, “Bullying has been rampant for decades.” She started her Facebook page and campaign to fight back.
Clarke said she ratcheted up the harassment of him, his office and other county officials while preparing for her $2.8 million lawsuit against the county over a road she alleges was improperly built by former County Judge Charlie Troutman and which she said caused flooding on her property.
“In my opinion, she attempted to harass me to get (current County Judge Doug Erwin) to settle,” Clarke said.
“The woman lost a…lawsuit against the county and she started harassing me in spite,” Clarke said. “She inundated me with e-mails asking for baloney, and she got what she wanted.”
Clarke said the judge issued a no-contact order on him, which he characterized as interesting because James comes so often to his public place of business.
Another Lonoke County official in possible trouble is Assessor Jack McNally, who is accused of collecting money for the Wounded Warrior Project but not turning the money over to the group.
Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham said he believed that issue would be resolved during the routine Legislative Audit Bureau review of McNally’s office.
McNally has two Republican challengers in the primary on Tuesday.
TOP STORY >> Minister officiates same-sex Nuptials
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Local legislators, candidates and a Sherwood pastor weighed in on same-sex marriages Tuesday following a Pulaski County judge’s ruling that the state ban on them was unconstitutional.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has filed that appeal plus a motion with the Arkansas Supreme Court for a stay. The court’s decision on the motion to stay could be handed down this week.
Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) said via e-mail, “I believe that Friday’s decision overturning the will of 75 percent of Arkansans is wrongly decided and will be overturned on appeal.”
Randy McCain, the pastor of Open Doors Community Church, and his husband are one of the couples who petitioned Judge Chris Piazza’s court to rule on the constitutionality of the ban.
McCain and Gary Eddy have been together for 22 years and were married in New York City’s Central Park in 2012.
They soon realized the marriage that was recognized by the federal government was not recognized by Arkansas. That led the two men to become a party in the lawsuit.
Since Friday’s ruling, McCain has wed between 70 and 80 same-sex couples.
He said, “I am overjoyed that we’ve gotten this far.”
The pastor described the recent weddings as sights to behold. “They just burst into tears…There was so much love in that courthouse rotunda,” McCain said. “I could hear the angels singing and thought this must be what heaven is like…Rejection feels like evil and acceptance feels like God.”
He was proud that Arkansas is now the first Bible Belt state to allow same-sex marriage.
“I think it’s important because a lot of people say gay people are asking for special rights, but we’re only asking for the same rights my parents had for 54 years,” McCain continued.
“How are we hurting society?” he asked, adding society is made stronger by people committing to one another.
McCain said those rights include same-sex partners being able to file joint tax returns to receive larger refunds, to own houses they lived in after their loved one passes away and to see their critically-ill partners in the hospital.
The pastor also pointed out that Arkansas officials probably argued that the state shouldn’t become segregated because it wasn’t what the majority of its people wanted.
But the U.S. Constitution won out with its assertion that everyone is equal, McCain said.
State Rep. Patti Julian (D-North Little Rock), said, “Legally, it’s probably correct and I certainly understand the reasoning of the opinion. I know that it certainly flies in the face of what voting Arkansans wanted and I understand why they’re unhappy.”
What she couldn’t understand was at least one senator and one representative pushing to impeach the judge.
Julian said House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) called that “a slippery, slippery slope” away from the separation of powers system.
But, she added, the circuit court should have issued a stay of the ruling “that puts the counties in a very difficult decision” by being unclear as to what is required of them.
State Rep. Doug House (R-North Little Rock) said he is against same-sex marriage for biblical and secular reasons, but he didn’t want to repeat the religious argument against it.
As for the secular argument, House said, “The family is a centuries-old institution and the family exists for the purpose of propagating the species.”
He said marriage evolved to protect family by making men responsible for their children, not allowing them to sell property without their wife’s permission, prohibiting spousal abuse and permitting an at-home spouse to draw social security. Divorce laws also play into the role of marriage today, he said.
All of that helps offset the physiological disadvantages of women who bear children, House concluded.
He said the government has been chosen to protect the institution of marriage.
But, the House added, he is not against same-sex civil unions made for financial and other reasons.
“I could care less what two people contract to do,” House said.
Pastor McCain rebutted the representative’s point of view. “I don’t think that argument holds water,” he said.
The pastor argued that there are many heterosexual couples allowed to marry that cannot have children, including those who wed beyond their childbearing years.
McCain also told The Leader he has homosexual friends who have children, including two men who used a surrogate to have twins. One child was biologically connected to one of the fathers and the second was biologically connected to the other father.
McCain said he believes the difference in marriages and civil unions are that marriage is a religious institution.
The pastor said he would agree with the government giving heterosexual and homosexual couples civil unions while churches would be allowed to perform marriages.
The rights would be attached to the civil unions, McCain explained.
State Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin) agreed with Griffin. He said he tries to not get into the religious aspects, but his problem is with one judge changing a law 75 percent of voters approved.
“One man shouldn’t be able to change that,” Farrer said.
State Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) concurred. He said, “I guess disappointed is the right word.”
Pulaski County Justice of the Peace Karilyn Brown, who is running for the Dist. 41 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “I personally believe that Judge Piazza has made a very inappropriate decision. He’s disregarded the will of the people of Arkansas…I support traditional marriage.”
She argued that marriage has been between a man and woman since “the beginning of time” and that is what works best for society, the economy and children.
Lonoke County Justice of the Peace Tim Lemons, who is running for the Dist. 43 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “Personally, I am against same-sex marriages. But what is as equally troubling to me is that a local county circuit judge has the power to overturn a portion of the state constitution that was approved by 75 percent of the voters. The judge’s actions on this issue have demonstrated that our state constitution can be altered by a select few, which is most troubling.”
Alan Pogue, (R-Sherwood)who is seeking the Dist. 41 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “Their lifestyle choice is their lifestyle choice. I’m really disappointed that one judge can overturn the rule of 75 percent of the voters.”
He said he didn’t understand how an amendment to the constitution could be ruled unconstitutional.
Pogue added, “I don’t think it’s about whether gays have the right to marry.” He argued that Piazza’s ruling is about the judiciary disregarding democratic principles.
Trent Eilts, (R-Lonoke County), running for the Dist. 14 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “I adamantly disagree with (Piazza).”
Eilts supports impeaching the judge, especially since Piazza didn’t stay the decision until the Arkansas Supreme Court weighs in on it.
“What he did looks more political in nature than legal,” Eilts said.
Leader staff writer
Local legislators, candidates and a Sherwood pastor weighed in on same-sex marriages Tuesday following a Pulaski County judge’s ruling that the state ban on them was unconstitutional.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has filed that appeal plus a motion with the Arkansas Supreme Court for a stay. The court’s decision on the motion to stay could be handed down this week.
Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) said via e-mail, “I believe that Friday’s decision overturning the will of 75 percent of Arkansans is wrongly decided and will be overturned on appeal.”
Randy McCain, the pastor of Open Doors Community Church, and his husband are one of the couples who petitioned Judge Chris Piazza’s court to rule on the constitutionality of the ban.
McCain and Gary Eddy have been together for 22 years and were married in New York City’s Central Park in 2012.
They soon realized the marriage that was recognized by the federal government was not recognized by Arkansas. That led the two men to become a party in the lawsuit.
Since Friday’s ruling, McCain has wed between 70 and 80 same-sex couples.
He said, “I am overjoyed that we’ve gotten this far.”
The pastor described the recent weddings as sights to behold. “They just burst into tears…There was so much love in that courthouse rotunda,” McCain said. “I could hear the angels singing and thought this must be what heaven is like…Rejection feels like evil and acceptance feels like God.”
He was proud that Arkansas is now the first Bible Belt state to allow same-sex marriage.
“I think it’s important because a lot of people say gay people are asking for special rights, but we’re only asking for the same rights my parents had for 54 years,” McCain continued.
“How are we hurting society?” he asked, adding society is made stronger by people committing to one another.
McCain said those rights include same-sex partners being able to file joint tax returns to receive larger refunds, to own houses they lived in after their loved one passes away and to see their critically-ill partners in the hospital.
The pastor also pointed out that Arkansas officials probably argued that the state shouldn’t become segregated because it wasn’t what the majority of its people wanted.
But the U.S. Constitution won out with its assertion that everyone is equal, McCain said.
State Rep. Patti Julian (D-North Little Rock), said, “Legally, it’s probably correct and I certainly understand the reasoning of the opinion. I know that it certainly flies in the face of what voting Arkansans wanted and I understand why they’re unhappy.”
What she couldn’t understand was at least one senator and one representative pushing to impeach the judge.
Julian said House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) called that “a slippery, slippery slope” away from the separation of powers system.
But, she added, the circuit court should have issued a stay of the ruling “that puts the counties in a very difficult decision” by being unclear as to what is required of them.
State Rep. Doug House (R-North Little Rock) said he is against same-sex marriage for biblical and secular reasons, but he didn’t want to repeat the religious argument against it.
As for the secular argument, House said, “The family is a centuries-old institution and the family exists for the purpose of propagating the species.”
He said marriage evolved to protect family by making men responsible for their children, not allowing them to sell property without their wife’s permission, prohibiting spousal abuse and permitting an at-home spouse to draw social security. Divorce laws also play into the role of marriage today, he said.
All of that helps offset the physiological disadvantages of women who bear children, House concluded.
He said the government has been chosen to protect the institution of marriage.
But, the House added, he is not against same-sex civil unions made for financial and other reasons.
“I could care less what two people contract to do,” House said.
Pastor McCain rebutted the representative’s point of view. “I don’t think that argument holds water,” he said.
The pastor argued that there are many heterosexual couples allowed to marry that cannot have children, including those who wed beyond their childbearing years.
McCain also told The Leader he has homosexual friends who have children, including two men who used a surrogate to have twins. One child was biologically connected to one of the fathers and the second was biologically connected to the other father.
McCain said he believes the difference in marriages and civil unions are that marriage is a religious institution.
The pastor said he would agree with the government giving heterosexual and homosexual couples civil unions while churches would be allowed to perform marriages.
The rights would be attached to the civil unions, McCain explained.
State Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin) agreed with Griffin. He said he tries to not get into the religious aspects, but his problem is with one judge changing a law 75 percent of voters approved.
“One man shouldn’t be able to change that,” Farrer said.
State Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) concurred. He said, “I guess disappointed is the right word.”
Pulaski County Justice of the Peace Karilyn Brown, who is running for the Dist. 41 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “I personally believe that Judge Piazza has made a very inappropriate decision. He’s disregarded the will of the people of Arkansas…I support traditional marriage.”
She argued that marriage has been between a man and woman since “the beginning of time” and that is what works best for society, the economy and children.
Lonoke County Justice of the Peace Tim Lemons, who is running for the Dist. 43 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “Personally, I am against same-sex marriages. But what is as equally troubling to me is that a local county circuit judge has the power to overturn a portion of the state constitution that was approved by 75 percent of the voters. The judge’s actions on this issue have demonstrated that our state constitution can be altered by a select few, which is most troubling.”
Alan Pogue, (R-Sherwood)who is seeking the Dist. 41 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “Their lifestyle choice is their lifestyle choice. I’m really disappointed that one judge can overturn the rule of 75 percent of the voters.”
He said he didn’t understand how an amendment to the constitution could be ruled unconstitutional.
Pogue added, “I don’t think it’s about whether gays have the right to marry.” He argued that Piazza’s ruling is about the judiciary disregarding democratic principles.
Trent Eilts, (R-Lonoke County), running for the Dist. 14 seat in the state House of Representatives, said, “I adamantly disagree with (Piazza).”
Eilts supports impeaching the judge, especially since Piazza didn’t stay the decision until the Arkansas Supreme Court weighs in on it.
“What he did looks more political in nature than legal,” Eilts said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)