Wednesday’s lockdown for almost four and a half hours after the report of a “suspicious person” at Little Rock Air Force Base had most on edge and sparked questions from others.
The Security Forces law-enforcement desk was told the person tried to forcibly gain access to a base building. Base investigators later found that “no threat existed,” according to a news release.
The incident occurred during an emergency readiness exercise. The release reads, “The report was a case of mistaken identity associated with the heightened awareness of a readiness exercise.”
The Leader’s Christy Hendricks, who was on base during the lockdown, said, “There was a moment when the atmosphere in the room turned from normal to intense, when things went from exercise to real world. We didn’t know details, just that we were on lockdown.
“The sirens were sounding every 10 minutes or so, and all we could do was sit in a locked room and wait.”
She added, “The airmen did their jobs, and everything turned out to be OK. Base leadership made the right call to investigate. They made sure we were safe.”
The base was locked down from 11:45 a.m. until 4:10 p.m. while the report that was not part of the exercise was investigated.
“We take all reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly,” Col. Patrick Rhatigan, 19th Airlift Wing commander, said in the news release. “Due to this report, I implemented a lockdown and our highly-trained Security Forces Air-men responded to secure our airmen, their families and Air Force resources.”
Most likely in response to some local residents who asked what the base was “hiding” by not releasing more details and not releasing information sooner, the release reads, “For security purposes and to prevent future incidents, the base’s policy is to not release information concerning response tactics.
“To ensure due diligence of safety and security measures, and verify that no threats existed, law enforcement personnel conducted a thorough sweep of the 6,100-acre base.”
Rhatigan also said in the release, “We understand yesterday’s lockdown caused difficulties and inconveniences for our base guests. While we apologize for the unplanned disruption, I am pleased to report no injuries or damages occurred during (Wednesday’s) lockdown.”
Friday, July 25, 2014
TOP STORY >> Hall of Fame honors local hero
Retired Staff Sgt. Calvin D. (Cal) Rollins of Cabot and nine other honorees were inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame last week at Fort Benning, Ga.
The 67-year-old was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his service during the Vietnam War. Born in Pine Bluff and a graduate of Morrilton High School, he enlisted in the Army in June 1965. By June 1966, he was an Airborne Ranger and team leader assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.
He was assigned in 1968 to the Special Forces Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation group, where he headed special projects until he was wounded by mortar fire.
The Rangers were introduced and stood for the reading of their biographies before receiving their medallions.
According to the citation, “Ranger Rollins took part in Project Omega, Command and Control South Cross Border Operations. He also took part in Operations Shining Brass/Prairie in Laos, Daniel Boone in Cambodia, Muscle Shoals, Spear, Dawes, Buckner and March.
“In September 1968, he was wounded in action during operations in Laos and subsequently medically evacuated through Japan to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He was next transferred to Reynolds Army Hospital at Fort Sill. He was placed on the temporary disabled retired list in May 1969 and medically retired with 50 percent disability in May 1970.”
Rollins was the lowest-ranking inductee with the shortest span of service.
A news release said, “Rollins spoke briefly after his induction, describing the exemplary actions of fellow Rangers, how they surmounted seemingly impossible obstacles, and expressing their gratitude to their families and friends and the Lord above, who helped them along the way.”
Several of the honorees dedicated their awards to other Rangers who led the way and recounted tales of bravery and sacrifice.
“All were humble and touched by the recognition and stood tall and recited the Ranger creed with the current Ranger class in attendance, who filled the back of the auditorium, paying respect to the men who forged the path on which they all proudly march as Rangers,” according to the news release.
He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Service Medal, the Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, two Purple Hearts, two Air Medals, the Army Commendation with Valor Device and the Good Conduct Medal.
He was also given the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Gallant-ry Cross with Palm, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation with four bronze oak leaves, Republic of Vietnam Presi-dential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm, Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutists Badge and more.
The Ranger Hall of Fame began in 1992 and is made up of Rangers nominated by select Ranger units and associations representing each era of Ranger history.
The selection board scrutinizes each nominee to ensure that “only the most extraordinary contributions receive acknowledgement,” the news release said.
Rangers whose contributions embody the spirit of sacrifice, loyal service and character are inducted.
After his military service, Rollins worked in engineering and law enforcement, retiring in 1999 after being declared 100 percent disabled.
Rollins has served as secretary of the Echo 20th/Charlie Rangers Association and the Special Operations Association, and he still serves as webmaster for both organizations as well as for the Worldwide Army Rangers Association.
“He is working on plans for the opening of the Special Forces Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Museum, which he founded,” the release mentions.
He works with veterans in the post-traumatic stress disorder program at the Veterans Health Systems hospital in North Little Rock.
Another Arkansan, Brig. Gen. Herbert J. Lloyd of Hope, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Biographies and photos of Hall of Fame members are displayed on permanent plaques at Fort Benning.
The cast bronze medallions bear the image of an eagle in flight symbolizing strength and the warrior. The eagle carries an American flag, representing the Rangers’ commitment to their country, and arrows representing resolve and readiness to fight to defend the Constitution as he flies over the Ranger Memorial.
Rollins was also honored with 12 others in a special ceremony in 2013 as a Worldwide Army Ranger Man of the Year award recipient.
The 67-year-old was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his service during the Vietnam War. Born in Pine Bluff and a graduate of Morrilton High School, he enlisted in the Army in June 1965. By June 1966, he was an Airborne Ranger and team leader assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.
He was assigned in 1968 to the Special Forces Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation group, where he headed special projects until he was wounded by mortar fire.
The Rangers were introduced and stood for the reading of their biographies before receiving their medallions.
According to the citation, “Ranger Rollins took part in Project Omega, Command and Control South Cross Border Operations. He also took part in Operations Shining Brass/Prairie in Laos, Daniel Boone in Cambodia, Muscle Shoals, Spear, Dawes, Buckner and March.
“In September 1968, he was wounded in action during operations in Laos and subsequently medically evacuated through Japan to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He was next transferred to Reynolds Army Hospital at Fort Sill. He was placed on the temporary disabled retired list in May 1969 and medically retired with 50 percent disability in May 1970.”
Rollins was the lowest-ranking inductee with the shortest span of service.
A news release said, “Rollins spoke briefly after his induction, describing the exemplary actions of fellow Rangers, how they surmounted seemingly impossible obstacles, and expressing their gratitude to their families and friends and the Lord above, who helped them along the way.”
Several of the honorees dedicated their awards to other Rangers who led the way and recounted tales of bravery and sacrifice.
“All were humble and touched by the recognition and stood tall and recited the Ranger creed with the current Ranger class in attendance, who filled the back of the auditorium, paying respect to the men who forged the path on which they all proudly march as Rangers,” according to the news release.
He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Service Medal, the Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, two Purple Hearts, two Air Medals, the Army Commendation with Valor Device and the Good Conduct Medal.
He was also given the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Gallant-ry Cross with Palm, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation with four bronze oak leaves, Republic of Vietnam Presi-dential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm, Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutists Badge and more.
The Ranger Hall of Fame began in 1992 and is made up of Rangers nominated by select Ranger units and associations representing each era of Ranger history.
The selection board scrutinizes each nominee to ensure that “only the most extraordinary contributions receive acknowledgement,” the news release said.
Rangers whose contributions embody the spirit of sacrifice, loyal service and character are inducted.
After his military service, Rollins worked in engineering and law enforcement, retiring in 1999 after being declared 100 percent disabled.
Rollins has served as secretary of the Echo 20th/Charlie Rangers Association and the Special Operations Association, and he still serves as webmaster for both organizations as well as for the Worldwide Army Rangers Association.
“He is working on plans for the opening of the Special Forces Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Museum, which he founded,” the release mentions.
He works with veterans in the post-traumatic stress disorder program at the Veterans Health Systems hospital in North Little Rock.
Another Arkansan, Brig. Gen. Herbert J. Lloyd of Hope, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Biographies and photos of Hall of Fame members are displayed on permanent plaques at Fort Benning.
The cast bronze medallions bear the image of an eagle in flight symbolizing strength and the warrior. The eagle carries an American flag, representing the Rangers’ commitment to their country, and arrows representing resolve and readiness to fight to defend the Constitution as he flies over the Ranger Memorial.
Rollins was also honored with 12 others in a special ceremony in 2013 as a Worldwide Army Ranger Man of the Year award recipient.
TOP STORY >> Traffic-box art starts dialogue
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
The painting of a traffic box at First and Martin streets has attracted more positive than negative attention if a closed Facebook group called “Jacksonville Ar News” is any indication.
Reactions of the group’s members came after a slew of coverage by local television stations that reported people were calling the work of art “too ethnic.”
At least one media outlet went as far as to repeat an assertion that the painting was reminiscent of the “ghetto.”
But Mayor Gary Fletcher said just one of the residents who called his office used the latter term, and that person was one of about six complainers. He added, “99 to 1 approve.”
Fletcher also said there are no plans to remove the painting from the box.
The mayor didn’t tell The Leader who the naysayers were, explaining that residents who call his office expect confidentiality.
A reposted link to one of television station’s stories garnered more than 40 responses from 15 people.
An overwhelming majority of another 40 comments posted in response to that station’s request for feedback were positive reactions to the painting.
Ron Newport, the former executive director of Keep Jacksonville Beautiful, who is white, selected Theresa Cates’ painting of black ladies dancing on a piano in church and praising God.
All of the comments in the Jacksonville Ar News group supported the painting and expressed shock that anyone would call it “ghetto” or “too ethnic.”
Also, according to the 2010 census, Jacksonville is 32.7 percent black — more than double the state average of 15.4 percent.
Michael Wallace wrote, “I live on Martin St. I think it is a beautiful addition to my neighborhood! She can paint my mailbox if she would like!”
Debbie Sullivan Fulton wrote that she saw nothing wrong with it and that the artist could paint her mailbox too.
Colida Holder wrote that the painting was beautiful and that she loved it.
Mary Morgan Strickland wrote, “Folks, get a life. It is POSITIVE, REFRESHING, and EXPRESSIVE. Embrace the fact that it isn’t graffiti!”
Kay Phillips wrote, “It amazes me what people find to complain about! The painting is not my cup of tea but it doesn’t affect me. Let it go people and move on to important things!”
Julann Carney wrote, “I think it’s terribly sad that someone can’t understand or appreciate art. To throw the word ‘ghetto’ around is just plain ignorant. I, for one, appreciate it. We should embrace the diversity in this town.”
Laurie Cross Staver wrote, “This town needs a lot more paintings to brighten up a lot of the buildings. I would love to see one on the end of the B&M flea market building, or even the end of Kroger facing North First. Bright colors and good themes help revive people’s spirit, which is what this town needs.”
And Sandy Smith suggested painting murals on the other side depicting different races would solve the problem. But, she also wrote, “I enjoyed seeing it.”
Rebecca Sessions wrote, “The box looks better than it did gray. There are a few more that should have gotten painted. Jacksonville has people from many ethnicities, cultures, and/or races. It shouldn’t be a problem to show that.”
A poll question posted on the same group reads, “It’s sad that we (the people of Jacksonville) have to be on the news for negative crap. The box that was painted. Do you have a problem with this? Check yes or no. If you do please tell us why?”
Sixteen checked no, they didn’t have a problem with it. One person responded that the television coverage was ripped off from an Arkansas Times story. One person, who checked that he or she did have a problem with the painting, didn’t comment further.
Cates agreed to spend 12 hours in the sun putting the artwork that Newport selected on the traffic box. She donated the painting to the city.
Her paintings have been displayed at the Red Door Gallery on JFK Boulevard in North Little Rock for eight years. She has also done traffic boxes in the Argenta district and Park Hill neighborhood in North Little Rock.
But Cates faced criticism there with one of the traffic boxes at the busy JFK and I-40 exit intersection being painting over and replaced with the “Perfectly Park Hill” logo.
The artist told The Leader she felt good about her work because it serves a greater purpose. Cates explained, “Some underprivileged kids will never go to a gallery, a showing, a museum. So, outside, original art composed on a traffic box will give them the opportunity to experience and see something that a real artist created and touched. And it’s free.
“They may be walking to school, waiting for their school bus or on their way inside of a church, because there is a church across the street, or going to the grocery store with their parents. They get a chance to experience something that’s real.”
Cates relates to underprivileged kids because she “came from a battered home, so domestic violence was everywhere. We were really, really poor.”
She believes it’s important for kids to see art so “they can think outside of the box, so they can dream big, so that they can know that, you know, it could be them. It could happen to anybody. Everybody has a gift. Feel free to look at it and dream, expand upon your gift or dig for your gift.
“Through stressful times, you don’t have to drink…You don’t have to do anything that’s will hurt someone. You can dig from within. That gift was from within,” Cates said.
The artist also told The Leader before the television coverage, “It seems like there may be some controversy with the art (in Jacksonville), but I feel I’m paving the way for other artists to come out throughout the city.”
She also paints, with her pastor’s blessing, during services at Evangelistic Ministries in Jacksonville.
Cates recently participated in a Make-A-Wish Foundation event that allowed terminally ill children to paint on tiles that will be sold at a gala on Nov. 6 at the governor’s mansion.
The artist also supports Women and Children First, an organization that helps battered women and children escape from broken homes.
Cates donates art to several charities. She paints baseball home plates to raise money for the Thea Foundation, which provides scholarships to students who excel in fine arts.
The artist also explained the Jacksonville painting. She said, “Everybody has a different response, a different move, a different way of praising and worshipping God. And it just shows the different positions and movements. Some people are barely hanging on to pray and the keys, and some people are barely hanging on in life. But they’re hanging on. Some are really into it...Music bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the soul.”
The bright orange used in the painting is one of her trademarks, as are spiritual or vintage themes and blank faces.
Cates was asked to paint a second box but said it is “up in the air” whether she does that.
“I don’t want them to be vandalized. I don’t want to risk the chance of that. So I’m kind of iffy about whether I’ll do anything else,” the artist told The Leader.
About Cates’ traffic box painting, the mayor said, “Personally, I like it. Everyone in my office likes it.”
If the artist paints more traffic boxes, Fletcher wants them to emphasize positive themes related to Jacksonville — the fact that the Joint Education Center houses six college and universities, that the Boys and Girls Club provides a safe- haven for underprivileged kids to play and that the city has a world-class Museum of Military History.
But, he said, “Right now, I want this issue to die down. I want us to celebrate the arts in our community. I want us to promote the arts in our communities and (traffic boxes are) a good way to do it.”
Leader staff writer
The painting of a traffic box at First and Martin streets has attracted more positive than negative attention if a closed Facebook group called “Jacksonville Ar News” is any indication.
Reactions of the group’s members came after a slew of coverage by local television stations that reported people were calling the work of art “too ethnic.”
At least one media outlet went as far as to repeat an assertion that the painting was reminiscent of the “ghetto.”
But Mayor Gary Fletcher said just one of the residents who called his office used the latter term, and that person was one of about six complainers. He added, “99 to 1 approve.”
Fletcher also said there are no plans to remove the painting from the box.
The mayor didn’t tell The Leader who the naysayers were, explaining that residents who call his office expect confidentiality.
A reposted link to one of television station’s stories garnered more than 40 responses from 15 people.
An overwhelming majority of another 40 comments posted in response to that station’s request for feedback were positive reactions to the painting.
Ron Newport, the former executive director of Keep Jacksonville Beautiful, who is white, selected Theresa Cates’ painting of black ladies dancing on a piano in church and praising God.
All of the comments in the Jacksonville Ar News group supported the painting and expressed shock that anyone would call it “ghetto” or “too ethnic.”
Also, according to the 2010 census, Jacksonville is 32.7 percent black — more than double the state average of 15.4 percent.
Michael Wallace wrote, “I live on Martin St. I think it is a beautiful addition to my neighborhood! She can paint my mailbox if she would like!”
Debbie Sullivan Fulton wrote that she saw nothing wrong with it and that the artist could paint her mailbox too.
Colida Holder wrote that the painting was beautiful and that she loved it.
Mary Morgan Strickland wrote, “Folks, get a life. It is POSITIVE, REFRESHING, and EXPRESSIVE. Embrace the fact that it isn’t graffiti!”
Kay Phillips wrote, “It amazes me what people find to complain about! The painting is not my cup of tea but it doesn’t affect me. Let it go people and move on to important things!”
Julann Carney wrote, “I think it’s terribly sad that someone can’t understand or appreciate art. To throw the word ‘ghetto’ around is just plain ignorant. I, for one, appreciate it. We should embrace the diversity in this town.”
Laurie Cross Staver wrote, “This town needs a lot more paintings to brighten up a lot of the buildings. I would love to see one on the end of the B&M flea market building, or even the end of Kroger facing North First. Bright colors and good themes help revive people’s spirit, which is what this town needs.”
And Sandy Smith suggested painting murals on the other side depicting different races would solve the problem. But, she also wrote, “I enjoyed seeing it.”
Rebecca Sessions wrote, “The box looks better than it did gray. There are a few more that should have gotten painted. Jacksonville has people from many ethnicities, cultures, and/or races. It shouldn’t be a problem to show that.”
A poll question posted on the same group reads, “It’s sad that we (the people of Jacksonville) have to be on the news for negative crap. The box that was painted. Do you have a problem with this? Check yes or no. If you do please tell us why?”
Sixteen checked no, they didn’t have a problem with it. One person responded that the television coverage was ripped off from an Arkansas Times story. One person, who checked that he or she did have a problem with the painting, didn’t comment further.
Cates agreed to spend 12 hours in the sun putting the artwork that Newport selected on the traffic box. She donated the painting to the city.
Her paintings have been displayed at the Red Door Gallery on JFK Boulevard in North Little Rock for eight years. She has also done traffic boxes in the Argenta district and Park Hill neighborhood in North Little Rock.
But Cates faced criticism there with one of the traffic boxes at the busy JFK and I-40 exit intersection being painting over and replaced with the “Perfectly Park Hill” logo.
The artist told The Leader she felt good about her work because it serves a greater purpose. Cates explained, “Some underprivileged kids will never go to a gallery, a showing, a museum. So, outside, original art composed on a traffic box will give them the opportunity to experience and see something that a real artist created and touched. And it’s free.
“They may be walking to school, waiting for their school bus or on their way inside of a church, because there is a church across the street, or going to the grocery store with their parents. They get a chance to experience something that’s real.”
Cates relates to underprivileged kids because she “came from a battered home, so domestic violence was everywhere. We were really, really poor.”
She believes it’s important for kids to see art so “they can think outside of the box, so they can dream big, so that they can know that, you know, it could be them. It could happen to anybody. Everybody has a gift. Feel free to look at it and dream, expand upon your gift or dig for your gift.
“Through stressful times, you don’t have to drink…You don’t have to do anything that’s will hurt someone. You can dig from within. That gift was from within,” Cates said.
The artist also told The Leader before the television coverage, “It seems like there may be some controversy with the art (in Jacksonville), but I feel I’m paving the way for other artists to come out throughout the city.”
She also paints, with her pastor’s blessing, during services at Evangelistic Ministries in Jacksonville.
Cates recently participated in a Make-A-Wish Foundation event that allowed terminally ill children to paint on tiles that will be sold at a gala on Nov. 6 at the governor’s mansion.
The artist also supports Women and Children First, an organization that helps battered women and children escape from broken homes.
Cates donates art to several charities. She paints baseball home plates to raise money for the Thea Foundation, which provides scholarships to students who excel in fine arts.
The artist also explained the Jacksonville painting. She said, “Everybody has a different response, a different move, a different way of praising and worshipping God. And it just shows the different positions and movements. Some people are barely hanging on to pray and the keys, and some people are barely hanging on in life. But they’re hanging on. Some are really into it...Music bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the soul.”
The bright orange used in the painting is one of her trademarks, as are spiritual or vintage themes and blank faces.
Cates was asked to paint a second box but said it is “up in the air” whether she does that.
“I don’t want them to be vandalized. I don’t want to risk the chance of that. So I’m kind of iffy about whether I’ll do anything else,” the artist told The Leader.
About Cates’ traffic box painting, the mayor said, “Personally, I like it. Everyone in my office likes it.”
If the artist paints more traffic boxes, Fletcher wants them to emphasize positive themes related to Jacksonville — the fact that the Joint Education Center houses six college and universities, that the Boys and Girls Club provides a safe- haven for underprivileged kids to play and that the city has a world-class Museum of Military History.
But, he said, “Right now, I want this issue to die down. I want us to celebrate the arts in our community. I want us to promote the arts in our communities and (traffic boxes are) a good way to do it.”
TOP STORY >> Mayors ask better deal on jail costs
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola are the two holdouts among five cities pondering a new, five-year, interlocal agreement to help support the Pulaski County Detention Center.
Fletcher on Friday called for Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay to provide the leadership to redraw a fairer interlocal agreement since, he said, apparently County Judge Buddy Villines isn’t going to.
Villines has proposed a five-year agreement with a 5 percent increase in the amount assessed each city the first year, and annual increases tied to the consumer price index.
Jail and prison overcrowding and funding are important issues with lots of moving parts, particularly in Central Arkansas.
Pulaski County is required by law to house prisoners from municipalities within its borders, and Jacksonville, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood and Maumelle agreed in 2004 to support the $26 million a year jail to the collective tune of about $3 million a year. The state and federal government pay about $2 million a year for the inmates they have in the county lockup.
Tuesday night, the Pulaski County Quorum Court approved unanimously a new per diem fee schedule that will kick in for any of the five that don’t ratify a new agreement. The per diem is a more expensive option, with the cities charged $248 for the first day one of their prisoners is booked into the jail and $45 a day after that. Stodola objects to the big first-day fee, calling it “egregious.”
Fletcher objects to Jacksonville’s share in the proposed agreement, which would be $68,000 more a year than Sherwood pays, and Sherwood has a bigger population.
Since the 2004 interlocal agreement, Jacksonville’s population has declined by about 780 people, while Sherwood’s has grown by more than 10,000, Fletcher said.
Sherwood had about 50 percent more inmates in the county jail last year than Jacksonville did, according to numbers Fletcher provided.
“I understand the mayor’s point,” Villines said, “but if they don’t participate, they’ll come under the per-diem plan.”
That could increase Jacksonville’s financial liability from $201,000 a year, under the proposed interlocal agreement, to nearly $500,000.
“The problem he has is with the other cities, not with the county,” the judge said. “I can’t tell the other cities to pay more so he can pay less.”
Fletcher addressed the justices of the peace at the Tuesday night meeting, saying there were all kinds of disparities.
“I’ll pay my fair share, but the key word is fair,” Fletcher said.
He said he won’t bring the interlocal agreement to the Jacksonville City Council until he has a proposal he can support.
He said the biggest problem is the number of state inmates taking up beds in the county jail. And the state pays the county only $24 a day per inmate, while the cost of housing an inmate is $44.
Fletcher said he hopes the General Assembly will agree to pay its fair share when it convenes in January, but Villines said that jail and prison overcrowding is perceived elsewhere as a central Arkansas problem.
Legislators from other areas of the state are unlikely to be eager to pay more, he said.
In the three-day special session this summer, the General Assembly did appropriate about $6.2 million to open another 600 prison beds around the state. Pulaski County’s work-release center, also known as the Wrightsville Satellite Center, just reopened and will hold 250 inmates.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Lt. Carl Minden said the county would benefit by half that number.
The state’s inmates aren’t being transferred directly from the Pulaski County jail, but rather the state is moving inmates near their release dates from other prisons to that unit, opening up beds in those prisons.
The county has leased that facility to the Correction Department for $1 a year, according to Minden.
The Pulaski County Detention Center, which twice this year stopped taking any but the most violent inmates, is open now and was down to a count of 1,157 Friday morning, he said. Its capacity, which it sometimes exceeds, is 1,210.
Leader senior staff writer
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola are the two holdouts among five cities pondering a new, five-year, interlocal agreement to help support the Pulaski County Detention Center.
Fletcher on Friday called for Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay to provide the leadership to redraw a fairer interlocal agreement since, he said, apparently County Judge Buddy Villines isn’t going to.
Villines has proposed a five-year agreement with a 5 percent increase in the amount assessed each city the first year, and annual increases tied to the consumer price index.
Jail and prison overcrowding and funding are important issues with lots of moving parts, particularly in Central Arkansas.
Pulaski County is required by law to house prisoners from municipalities within its borders, and Jacksonville, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood and Maumelle agreed in 2004 to support the $26 million a year jail to the collective tune of about $3 million a year. The state and federal government pay about $2 million a year for the inmates they have in the county lockup.
Tuesday night, the Pulaski County Quorum Court approved unanimously a new per diem fee schedule that will kick in for any of the five that don’t ratify a new agreement. The per diem is a more expensive option, with the cities charged $248 for the first day one of their prisoners is booked into the jail and $45 a day after that. Stodola objects to the big first-day fee, calling it “egregious.”
Fletcher objects to Jacksonville’s share in the proposed agreement, which would be $68,000 more a year than Sherwood pays, and Sherwood has a bigger population.
Since the 2004 interlocal agreement, Jacksonville’s population has declined by about 780 people, while Sherwood’s has grown by more than 10,000, Fletcher said.
Sherwood had about 50 percent more inmates in the county jail last year than Jacksonville did, according to numbers Fletcher provided.
“I understand the mayor’s point,” Villines said, “but if they don’t participate, they’ll come under the per-diem plan.”
That could increase Jacksonville’s financial liability from $201,000 a year, under the proposed interlocal agreement, to nearly $500,000.
“The problem he has is with the other cities, not with the county,” the judge said. “I can’t tell the other cities to pay more so he can pay less.”
Fletcher addressed the justices of the peace at the Tuesday night meeting, saying there were all kinds of disparities.
“I’ll pay my fair share, but the key word is fair,” Fletcher said.
He said he won’t bring the interlocal agreement to the Jacksonville City Council until he has a proposal he can support.
He said the biggest problem is the number of state inmates taking up beds in the county jail. And the state pays the county only $24 a day per inmate, while the cost of housing an inmate is $44.
Fletcher said he hopes the General Assembly will agree to pay its fair share when it convenes in January, but Villines said that jail and prison overcrowding is perceived elsewhere as a central Arkansas problem.
Legislators from other areas of the state are unlikely to be eager to pay more, he said.
In the three-day special session this summer, the General Assembly did appropriate about $6.2 million to open another 600 prison beds around the state. Pulaski County’s work-release center, also known as the Wrightsville Satellite Center, just reopened and will hold 250 inmates.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Lt. Carl Minden said the county would benefit by half that number.
The state’s inmates aren’t being transferred directly from the Pulaski County jail, but rather the state is moving inmates near their release dates from other prisons to that unit, opening up beds in those prisons.
The county has leased that facility to the Correction Department for $1 a year, according to Minden.
The Pulaski County Detention Center, which twice this year stopped taking any but the most violent inmates, is open now and was down to a count of 1,157 Friday morning, he said. Its capacity, which it sometimes exceeds, is 1,210.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
TOP STORY >> 60 years for child porn
A Lonoke County man arrested last year by agents with Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s Cyber Crimes Unit has been sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Ryan David Oyen, 30, of Cabot pleaded guilty on Monday to 20 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. Lonoke County Circuit Court Judge Sandy Huckabee handed down the 60-year sentence, with an additional 20-year suspended sentence.
Oyen, a former sergeant who was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, was being held in the Lonoke County Detention Center awaiting transfer to the Arkansas Department of Correction. Oyen will be required to register as a sex offender.
“Arkansas children and families are safer when individuals who exploit our childen are held accountable for their crimes,” McDaniel said.
“This man had more than 16,000 images of child pornography on his computer. I am glad he will be unable to continue preying upon our most vulnerable citizens,” McDaniel said.
Oyen was arrested last July after agents with the Cyber Crimes Unit carried out a search warrant at 23 Haywood, his Cabot residence.
Special Agent Mike Lett had begun investigating Oyen a month earlier after suspecting that child pornography was at his home.
The Cabot Police Department and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations assisted state officials in the investigation and arrest of Oyen.
Assistant Attorney General Will Jones was appointed as special prosecutor in the case by 23rd Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham.
Ryan David Oyen, 30, of Cabot pleaded guilty on Monday to 20 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. Lonoke County Circuit Court Judge Sandy Huckabee handed down the 60-year sentence, with an additional 20-year suspended sentence.
Oyen, a former sergeant who was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, was being held in the Lonoke County Detention Center awaiting transfer to the Arkansas Department of Correction. Oyen will be required to register as a sex offender.
“Arkansas children and families are safer when individuals who exploit our childen are held accountable for their crimes,” McDaniel said.
“This man had more than 16,000 images of child pornography on his computer. I am glad he will be unable to continue preying upon our most vulnerable citizens,” McDaniel said.
Oyen was arrested last July after agents with the Cyber Crimes Unit carried out a search warrant at 23 Haywood, his Cabot residence.
Special Agent Mike Lett had begun investigating Oyen a month earlier after suspecting that child pornography was at his home.
The Cabot Police Department and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations assisted state officials in the investigation and arrest of Oyen.
Assistant Attorney General Will Jones was appointed as special prosecutor in the case by 23rd Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham.
TOP STORY >> Her niece one plane ahead of fatal flight
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader Editor
Hedy Wuelling, who runs the Jacksonville Animal Shelter, follows the news of the downed Malaysian airliner on Dutch websites because she’s from Holland.
She’s appalled that two-thirds of the 298 victims were from her native country and it’s taken almost a week for the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine to release the bodies. The rebels are suspected of shooting down the plane with a surface-to-air missile that Russia probably gave them in their fight with the Ukrainian government.
Wuelling was telling a visitor to the shelter Monday that her niece had flown back to Holland on Malaysian Airlines just a few days before Flight 17 was shot down last Thursday.
“She came back on Flight 16,” Wuelling said, speaking with a Dutch accent.
Flight 17 was carrying 193 Dutch passengers. The rest were Malaysians, including the crew, as well as Australians, Indonesians, Britons, Belgians, Germans, Filipinos, a Canadian and a New Zealander.
Wuelling is upset about the way the Ukrainian rebels have collected bodies onto refrigerated trains, stolen the victims’ wallets and credit cards and refused to allow investigators to enter the crash scene until early this week.
“It’s disgusting how they’re holding up personal belongings like teddy bears as if they were trophies,” she said. “No respect. They’ve got their own war, but they should respect other people.
“If they’re innocent, they should let other people in to investigate,” she added.
Wuelling, who moved to Jacksonville 11 years ago, said Dutch people like to travel to Malaysia because of its resorts and its natural beauty. Many of the victims were vacationers. Others were prominent AIDS researchers flying to a conference.
The Ukrainian rebels stalled for almost a week, hiding pieces of the Russian missile they used to shoot down the plane and stealing valuables from the passengers, who lay in a wheat field for days in the oppressive heat while their bodies decomposed.
Some were thrown on stretchers like cordwood reminiscent of previous massacres in the region. The historian Timothy Snyder, in his book “Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin,” recounts the atrocities that took place there before and during the Second World War.
Ukraine is where the Nazis and Soviets took turns killing millions of their victims, depending on who was in control of the area. Their descendants and collaborators are still committing atrocities there almost 70 years later.
Alexander Borodai, the rat-faced commander of the rebel forces, looks like someone who comes from a long line of thugs. His grandfather could have been a Nazi collaborator, and his father a communist enforcer.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman who supplied the rebels with the missile, must be proud of his Ukrainian stooge.
Putin, a former KGB official who continues to arm the separatists, has finally given into international pressure and ordered the rebels to release the plane’s black box and allow foreign monitors into the area.
The Dutch are in mourning. They want the culprits punished.
The Dutch military is sending its C-130s to Ukraine to pick up the victims and fly them home for identification.
Wuelling can see the C-130s from her home on Hwy. 107 near Little Rock Air Force Base. That’s where all C-130 crews do their training, including foreign allies like the Dutch.
She brought her parents here from Holland a few years ago. They’re a long way from home, but, when they see the C-130s flying overhead, they feel a little closer to the victims who perished.
Leader Editor
Hedy Wuelling, who runs the Jacksonville Animal Shelter, follows the news of the downed Malaysian airliner on Dutch websites because she’s from Holland.
She’s appalled that two-thirds of the 298 victims were from her native country and it’s taken almost a week for the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine to release the bodies. The rebels are suspected of shooting down the plane with a surface-to-air missile that Russia probably gave them in their fight with the Ukrainian government.
Wuelling was telling a visitor to the shelter Monday that her niece had flown back to Holland on Malaysian Airlines just a few days before Flight 17 was shot down last Thursday.
“She came back on Flight 16,” Wuelling said, speaking with a Dutch accent.
Flight 17 was carrying 193 Dutch passengers. The rest were Malaysians, including the crew, as well as Australians, Indonesians, Britons, Belgians, Germans, Filipinos, a Canadian and a New Zealander.
Wuelling is upset about the way the Ukrainian rebels have collected bodies onto refrigerated trains, stolen the victims’ wallets and credit cards and refused to allow investigators to enter the crash scene until early this week.
“It’s disgusting how they’re holding up personal belongings like teddy bears as if they were trophies,” she said. “No respect. They’ve got their own war, but they should respect other people.
“If they’re innocent, they should let other people in to investigate,” she added.
Wuelling, who moved to Jacksonville 11 years ago, said Dutch people like to travel to Malaysia because of its resorts and its natural beauty. Many of the victims were vacationers. Others were prominent AIDS researchers flying to a conference.
The Ukrainian rebels stalled for almost a week, hiding pieces of the Russian missile they used to shoot down the plane and stealing valuables from the passengers, who lay in a wheat field for days in the oppressive heat while their bodies decomposed.
Some were thrown on stretchers like cordwood reminiscent of previous massacres in the region. The historian Timothy Snyder, in his book “Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin,” recounts the atrocities that took place there before and during the Second World War.
Ukraine is where the Nazis and Soviets took turns killing millions of their victims, depending on who was in control of the area. Their descendants and collaborators are still committing atrocities there almost 70 years later.
Alexander Borodai, the rat-faced commander of the rebel forces, looks like someone who comes from a long line of thugs. His grandfather could have been a Nazi collaborator, and his father a communist enforcer.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman who supplied the rebels with the missile, must be proud of his Ukrainian stooge.
Putin, a former KGB official who continues to arm the separatists, has finally given into international pressure and ordered the rebels to release the plane’s black box and allow foreign monitors into the area.
The Dutch are in mourning. They want the culprits punished.
The Dutch military is sending its C-130s to Ukraine to pick up the victims and fly them home for identification.
Wuelling can see the C-130s from her home on Hwy. 107 near Little Rock Air Force Base. That’s where all C-130 crews do their training, including foreign allies like the Dutch.
She brought her parents here from Holland a few years ago. They’re a long way from home, but, when they see the C-130s flying overhead, they feel a little closer to the victims who perished.
TOP STORY >> Surprising results in math test
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Lonoke Middle School and Ahlf Junior High in Searcy are two of the best schools in the state based on the recently released Algebra I end-of-course test scores.
The Algebra I test is a high-stakes, state-required exam. It is high stakes because most students who score below basic on the exam will have to repeat the course regardless of their report-card grade.
But students at Beebe Junior High don’t have to worry. They all scored proficient or advanced on the test.
The students at Lonoke and in Searcy did even better as all the students who took the test scored advanced. Lonoke and Searcy are two of just five schools in state that had all of their students score advanced.
Test scores on the Algebra I exam fall into one of four categories: Advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
On the troubling end of the math spectrum is Jacksonville High School, where only four out of 10 passed the test and 18 percent scored below basic.
The Algebra I exam is one of three end-of-course tests required by the state. The other two are biology and geometry. Neither of them are high stakes, so a poor score doesn’t mean repeating the course.
In geometry, all the students taking the test at Cabot Junior High North and South scored proficient or better. Students at North Pulaski and the Lighthouse College Prep Academy were at the bottom of area schools, scoring 60 and 61 percent respectively.
In biology, Searcy had 65 percent of its students at proficient or advanced, while Jacksonville had just 18 percent make the cut.
Here is a closer look at area school results:
ALGEBRA I
All students at Beebe Junior High School who took the Algebra I end-of-course exam scored either proficient or advanced. At the high school, 77 percent scored proficient or better and 5 percent scored below basic. Most of the 5 percent will have to repeat the course.
In Searcy, not only did all the Ahlf Junior High students taking the test pass, they all scored advanced. At the high school, 82 percent were proficient or advanced with 2 percent scoring below basic.
Lonoke Middle School also had 100 percent of their students taking the test score advanced. At the high school, 89 percent were proficient or advanced while 4 percent were below basic.
England High School had 48 percent score proficient or advanced and 13 percent scored below basic.
Students at Cabot Junior High South and Cabot Junior High North tied with 84 percent scoring proficient or advanced. Both had just 1 percent score below basic. At Cabot’s Academic Center for Excellence, 50 percent were proficient, none were advanced and 19 percent were below basic.
Students taking the high-stakes test at Jacksonville Middle School were 80 percent proficient or advanced and 2 percent scored below basic. At the high school, just 39 percent were proficient or advanced and 18 percent were below basic.
Sylvan Hills Middle School had 92 percent score proficient or advance, but, at the high school, is was 67 percent with 9 percent scoring below basic.
North Pulaski High had 54 percent score proficient or better, and 16 percent fell below basic.
Of the students taking the test at Lisa Academy North, 95 were proficient or advanced and none were below basic.
The test was given at three of the Jacksonville Lighthouse campuses. At the middle school, 73 percent were proficient or advanced with none below basic. At the upper academy, 81 percent made the cut and 3 percent were below basic. But, at the college prep campus, just 52 percent scored proficient or advanced while 17 percent were below basic.
GEOMETRY
Of the Beebe High School students who took the test, 77 percent scored proficient or better.
At Searcy, 93 percent of the students who took the test scored proficient or advanced and none were below basic.
At Lonoke High School, 68 percent were proficient or better. England High School had 63 percent make the cut and Carlisle had 74 percent of its students taking the test score proficient or better.
All students taking the test at Cabot Junior High North and Cabot Junior High South scored proficient or advanced. At the high school, it dropped to 81 percent proficient or better.
Jacksonville High School had 65 percent score proficient or better, while Sylvan Hills was at 66 percent and North Pulaski came in at 60 percent proficient or better.
Nearly all — 95 percent — of the students taking the test at Lisa Academy Middle scored proficient or advanced, but that fell to 69 percent at its high school.
Of the students taking the test at Jacksonville’s Lighthouse College Prep Academy, 61 percent scored proficient or advanced.
BIOLOGY
At Beebe High School, 54 percent of the students taking the end-of-course biology test scored proficient or advanced.
Among Searcy students taking the test, 65 percent scored proficient or better.
Lonoke had more at the basic level than the proficient and above levels. Of those taking the test, 43 percent were proficient or better while 45 percent were basic.
England had none scoring advanced, 25 percent at the proficient level, 48 percent basic and 27 percent were below basic.
At Carlisle High School, 54 percent scored proficient or better.
Cabot High School students were 61 percent proficient or advanced. But just 31 percent made the cut at the Academic Center for Excellence.
Of those taking the test at Jacksonville High School, 18 percent scored proficient or advanced, 43 percent basic and 39 percent below basic. Sylvan Hills didn’t do much better. It had 29 percent at proficient or better, 44 percent basic and 26 percent below basic.
North Pulaski High School students taking the test were 36 percent proficient or better, 44 percent basic and 20 percent below basic.
None of the students taking the test at Lisa Academy North scored proficient or advanced while 63 percent were basic and 38 percent were below basic.
Students at the Lighthouse College Prep Academy were 28 percent proficient, 52 percent basic and 20 percent below basic.
Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series taking an in-depth look at the results of this year’s state-mandated testing of elementary, middle school and high school students.
Leader staff writer
Lonoke Middle School and Ahlf Junior High in Searcy are two of the best schools in the state based on the recently released Algebra I end-of-course test scores.
The Algebra I test is a high-stakes, state-required exam. It is high stakes because most students who score below basic on the exam will have to repeat the course regardless of their report-card grade.
But students at Beebe Junior High don’t have to worry. They all scored proficient or advanced on the test.
The students at Lonoke and in Searcy did even better as all the students who took the test scored advanced. Lonoke and Searcy are two of just five schools in state that had all of their students score advanced.
Test scores on the Algebra I exam fall into one of four categories: Advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
On the troubling end of the math spectrum is Jacksonville High School, where only four out of 10 passed the test and 18 percent scored below basic.
The Algebra I exam is one of three end-of-course tests required by the state. The other two are biology and geometry. Neither of them are high stakes, so a poor score doesn’t mean repeating the course.
In geometry, all the students taking the test at Cabot Junior High North and South scored proficient or better. Students at North Pulaski and the Lighthouse College Prep Academy were at the bottom of area schools, scoring 60 and 61 percent respectively.
In biology, Searcy had 65 percent of its students at proficient or advanced, while Jacksonville had just 18 percent make the cut.
Here is a closer look at area school results:
ALGEBRA I
All students at Beebe Junior High School who took the Algebra I end-of-course exam scored either proficient or advanced. At the high school, 77 percent scored proficient or better and 5 percent scored below basic. Most of the 5 percent will have to repeat the course.
In Searcy, not only did all the Ahlf Junior High students taking the test pass, they all scored advanced. At the high school, 82 percent were proficient or advanced with 2 percent scoring below basic.
Lonoke Middle School also had 100 percent of their students taking the test score advanced. At the high school, 89 percent were proficient or advanced while 4 percent were below basic.
England High School had 48 percent score proficient or advanced and 13 percent scored below basic.
Students at Cabot Junior High South and Cabot Junior High North tied with 84 percent scoring proficient or advanced. Both had just 1 percent score below basic. At Cabot’s Academic Center for Excellence, 50 percent were proficient, none were advanced and 19 percent were below basic.
Students taking the high-stakes test at Jacksonville Middle School were 80 percent proficient or advanced and 2 percent scored below basic. At the high school, just 39 percent were proficient or advanced and 18 percent were below basic.
Sylvan Hills Middle School had 92 percent score proficient or advance, but, at the high school, is was 67 percent with 9 percent scoring below basic.
North Pulaski High had 54 percent score proficient or better, and 16 percent fell below basic.
Of the students taking the test at Lisa Academy North, 95 were proficient or advanced and none were below basic.
The test was given at three of the Jacksonville Lighthouse campuses. At the middle school, 73 percent were proficient or advanced with none below basic. At the upper academy, 81 percent made the cut and 3 percent were below basic. But, at the college prep campus, just 52 percent scored proficient or advanced while 17 percent were below basic.
GEOMETRY
Of the Beebe High School students who took the test, 77 percent scored proficient or better.
At Searcy, 93 percent of the students who took the test scored proficient or advanced and none were below basic.
At Lonoke High School, 68 percent were proficient or better. England High School had 63 percent make the cut and Carlisle had 74 percent of its students taking the test score proficient or better.
All students taking the test at Cabot Junior High North and Cabot Junior High South scored proficient or advanced. At the high school, it dropped to 81 percent proficient or better.
Jacksonville High School had 65 percent score proficient or better, while Sylvan Hills was at 66 percent and North Pulaski came in at 60 percent proficient or better.
Nearly all — 95 percent — of the students taking the test at Lisa Academy Middle scored proficient or advanced, but that fell to 69 percent at its high school.
Of the students taking the test at Jacksonville’s Lighthouse College Prep Academy, 61 percent scored proficient or advanced.
BIOLOGY
At Beebe High School, 54 percent of the students taking the end-of-course biology test scored proficient or advanced.
Among Searcy students taking the test, 65 percent scored proficient or better.
Lonoke had more at the basic level than the proficient and above levels. Of those taking the test, 43 percent were proficient or better while 45 percent were basic.
England had none scoring advanced, 25 percent at the proficient level, 48 percent basic and 27 percent were below basic.
At Carlisle High School, 54 percent scored proficient or better.
Cabot High School students were 61 percent proficient or advanced. But just 31 percent made the cut at the Academic Center for Excellence.
Of those taking the test at Jacksonville High School, 18 percent scored proficient or advanced, 43 percent basic and 39 percent below basic. Sylvan Hills didn’t do much better. It had 29 percent at proficient or better, 44 percent basic and 26 percent below basic.
North Pulaski High School students taking the test were 36 percent proficient or better, 44 percent basic and 20 percent below basic.
None of the students taking the test at Lisa Academy North scored proficient or advanced while 63 percent were basic and 38 percent were below basic.
Students at the Lighthouse College Prep Academy were 28 percent proficient, 52 percent basic and 20 percent below basic.
Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series taking an in-depth look at the results of this year’s state-mandated testing of elementary, middle school and high school students.
SPORT STORY >> Gwatney stays alive with shutout win over Conway
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
CONWAY – The Gwatney Chevrolet Senior American Legion team got its second win of the Zone 1 tournament Monday at Hendrix College in Conway, beating the Conway Cougars 9-0 and advancing to the semifinals. It was Jacksonville’s first win on the field.
The Chevy Boys won their first-round game by forfeit when Russellville did not have the required minimum of 12 players show up for their scheduled 9:30 a.m. game on Saturday.
After a 4-1 loss to Cabot on Sunday, Jacksonville blew open a 1-0 game in the seventh inning by posting eight more runs.
It seemed to be a matter of time before Jacksonville would have such an inning. Gwatney pitcher Derek St. Clair kept Conway off balance the entire game, while Jacksonville was on the brink of several big innings before the seventh, but were not able to capitalize on those opportunities.
The Chevy Boys loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first inning and failed to score. Four of their five batters reached base in the second inning but only one run scored. That inning included one strikeout, one runner picked off at first and another thrown out at home trying to score from second base.
In the third inning, the first two runners reached base and were in scoring position with one out. There was a fruitless triple to the wall in left-center field by Greg Jones in the fifth. Jacksonville went three up, three down in the sixth before finally blowing it open in the seventh.
It started with the always-ominous leadoff walk of the nine-hole hitter. D.J. Scott drew that walk and reached second on a base hit to right field by Courtland McDonald. Ryan Mallison then put down a sacrifice bunt, but everyone was safe when the first baseman dropped the throw.
Blake Perry hit a fly ball to right field deep enough for Scott to score from third. Jones then singled to center field to drive in the remaining two base runners. St. Clair then singled to left. He was picked off by Conway pitcher Shawn Schichtl, but was safe at second on another dropped ball. James Tucker then bunted down the third baseline, and again everyone was left safe on an errant throw that also allowed Jones to score.
Laderrious Perry then drew a walk to load the bases again.
Brandon Hickingbotham struck out swinging at a wild pitch that scored St. Clair. Scott drew another walk in his second at-bat of the inning to again load the bases. McDonald hit a hard grounder to third base where a half-hearted effort to field the ball was unsuccessful, allowing two more runs to score and leaving Scott and McDonald safe in scoring position. Mallison walked to load the bases again and Blake Perry was hit by a pitch to drive in the final run of the game.
Jacksonville got just six base hits with Jones’ two leading the way. The Chevy Boys were helped by seven walks, six Conway errors and three hit batters.
Conway got seven base hits, six off of St. Clair in eight innings of work. He also struck out six and walked three. Hickingbotham pitched the ninth inning. He gave up a leadoff single and an E6 to put two runners on with no outs, but got two groundouts and finished it off with a strikeout to preserve the shutout.
Jacksonville faced Fort Smith-Kerwins at 7 p.m. Tuesday after deadlines. Kerwins entered that game 3-0 in the tournament but it’s an elimination game for Jacksonville. A win means a date with the winner of Cabot-North Little Rock on Wednesday. Look for details of those games and the rest of the tournament in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
Leader sports editor
CONWAY – The Gwatney Chevrolet Senior American Legion team got its second win of the Zone 1 tournament Monday at Hendrix College in Conway, beating the Conway Cougars 9-0 and advancing to the semifinals. It was Jacksonville’s first win on the field.
The Chevy Boys won their first-round game by forfeit when Russellville did not have the required minimum of 12 players show up for their scheduled 9:30 a.m. game on Saturday.
After a 4-1 loss to Cabot on Sunday, Jacksonville blew open a 1-0 game in the seventh inning by posting eight more runs.
It seemed to be a matter of time before Jacksonville would have such an inning. Gwatney pitcher Derek St. Clair kept Conway off balance the entire game, while Jacksonville was on the brink of several big innings before the seventh, but were not able to capitalize on those opportunities.
The Chevy Boys loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first inning and failed to score. Four of their five batters reached base in the second inning but only one run scored. That inning included one strikeout, one runner picked off at first and another thrown out at home trying to score from second base.
In the third inning, the first two runners reached base and were in scoring position with one out. There was a fruitless triple to the wall in left-center field by Greg Jones in the fifth. Jacksonville went three up, three down in the sixth before finally blowing it open in the seventh.
It started with the always-ominous leadoff walk of the nine-hole hitter. D.J. Scott drew that walk and reached second on a base hit to right field by Courtland McDonald. Ryan Mallison then put down a sacrifice bunt, but everyone was safe when the first baseman dropped the throw.
Blake Perry hit a fly ball to right field deep enough for Scott to score from third. Jones then singled to center field to drive in the remaining two base runners. St. Clair then singled to left. He was picked off by Conway pitcher Shawn Schichtl, but was safe at second on another dropped ball. James Tucker then bunted down the third baseline, and again everyone was left safe on an errant throw that also allowed Jones to score.
Laderrious Perry then drew a walk to load the bases again.
Brandon Hickingbotham struck out swinging at a wild pitch that scored St. Clair. Scott drew another walk in his second at-bat of the inning to again load the bases. McDonald hit a hard grounder to third base where a half-hearted effort to field the ball was unsuccessful, allowing two more runs to score and leaving Scott and McDonald safe in scoring position. Mallison walked to load the bases again and Blake Perry was hit by a pitch to drive in the final run of the game.
Jacksonville got just six base hits with Jones’ two leading the way. The Chevy Boys were helped by seven walks, six Conway errors and three hit batters.
Conway got seven base hits, six off of St. Clair in eight innings of work. He also struck out six and walked three. Hickingbotham pitched the ninth inning. He gave up a leadoff single and an E6 to put two runners on with no outs, but got two groundouts and finished it off with a strikeout to preserve the shutout.
Jacksonville faced Fort Smith-Kerwins at 7 p.m. Tuesday after deadlines. Kerwins entered that game 3-0 in the tournament but it’s an elimination game for Jacksonville. A win means a date with the winner of Cabot-North Little Rock on Wednesday. Look for details of those games and the rest of the tournament in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot wins two at Zone tourney
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
CONWAY – The Cabot-Centennial Bank Senior American Legion team fell to 2-1 in the Arkansas American Legion Senior Zone Tournament after losing to Fort Smith by the final score of 3-2 Monday at the Hendrix College baseball field.
Both teams were 2-0 heading into Monday’s matchup. Cabot beat Bentonville 10-0 in seven innings on Saturday while Fort Smith beat Conway in the nightcap Saturday by the final score of 7-6.
On Sunday, each team advanced in the winners’ bracket yet again as Cabot handed Jacksonville a 4-1 loss, while Fort Smith won another close game; this one a 5-4 triumph over North Little Rock.
Cabot can still win the double-elimination tourney if it wins out, but for Fort Smith, the win over Cabot guaranteed it a spot in the state tournament that starts Saturday at Bryant.
Cabot scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first inning Monday. Shortstop and leadoff hitter Conner Vocque started the inning with a double to left field, and advanced to third base two batters later on an infield single by teammate Ryan Logan.
With runners at the corners, Fort Smith pitcher Jorden Lawrence tried several times to pick off Logan at first base as he anticipated Logan trying to steal second, but on Lawrence’s final pickoff attempt, Vocque broke for home plate and was able to slide under catcher Jordan Miller’s tag on the throw from first to home, making it 1-0 Cabot.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Fort Smith scored two runs to take the lead. Lawrence singled down the third baseline to lead off the inning, and Miller got on base after being hit by a pitch.
Brennan Dooly tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt the next at-bat, but got the bat too far underneath the ball and popped it up in the air where it was easily caught for the first out of the inning. That brought leadoff hitter Hunter Wilson to the plate, and he reached base safely on a 5-4 fielder’s choice.
With two outs and a 3-1 count, two-hole hitter Drew Person hit a clutch stand-up double down the right-field line to send both Lawrence and Wilson across the plate and give the Kerwins Sportsmen team its first lead at 2-1.
Fort Smith added its third and final run in the top of the eighth. Wilson started things off with a single to the gap in right field, and Person put him in scoring position with a sac bunt.
Wilson stole third base with three-hole hitter Michael Rhea at the plate, and scored the next at-bat on a sac fly to right field by Houston Kennedy, which put Fort Smith on top 3-1. Cabot added its final run in the bottom part of the inning.
Gavin Tillery singled to get on base in the bottom of the eighth. Hayden Vinson came in as Tillery’s courtesy runner, and he stole second base to get in scoring position.
Vinson later stole third base, and was able to score on the same play as Miller made a low throw to third that ended up in shallow left field. Cabot made a serious threat to tie it up in the ninth, but had some bad luck on its side.
Cleanup hitter Landon James singled to right center to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and advanced to second on a groundout to first by Grayson Cole. That brought catcher Tristan Bulice to the plate, and Bulice hit a hard line drive to left field.
James rounded third for what would’ve been a close play at the plate, but tripped up and fell halfway home, and was therefore tagged out on the play. Cabot wasn’t able to recover after that, and Fort Smith was able to escape with the hard-fought win.
Lawrence got the win on the mound. He went the distance and finished the complete game with nine strikeouts and two walks, but gave up eight Cabot hits. Although Lawrence had an overall solid game on the hill, Cabot coach Chris Gross thought his team could’ve and should’ve hit the ball better than it did against him.
“We shut it down,” said Gross. “For seven innings straight we quit swinging the bat and acted like we didn’t want to be here. Grayson Cole made a play in right (field) and all of a sudden everybody’s motivated, and we start hitting the ball.
“We outhit them. If we would’ve showed up to play we would’ve won that game. (Fort Smith) is a really good ball team. They all showed up. They wanted to play, we didn’t. I think we have enough talent and enough pitching to go a long way, but we’ll see if they show up (Tuesday). I know they want to play these guys again Wednesday, so maybe that’s what we needed.”
Cabot outhit Fort Smith 8-5 and Centennial Bank had no errors to Fort Smith’s one error.
Tillery and James led Cabot offensively with two hits each, while teammates Vocque, Logan, Bulice and Kason Kimbrell had one hit apiece.
Lawrence was the only player for Fort Smith with multiple hits. He was 2 for 4.
Cabot played North Little Rock last night after deadlines. Those two teams, along with Jacksonville and Fort Smith, were the last four teams left in the tournament as of Tuesday. Look for details of the Cabot/NLR game and the rest of the tournament in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
Leader sportswriter
CONWAY – The Cabot-Centennial Bank Senior American Legion team fell to 2-1 in the Arkansas American Legion Senior Zone Tournament after losing to Fort Smith by the final score of 3-2 Monday at the Hendrix College baseball field.
Both teams were 2-0 heading into Monday’s matchup. Cabot beat Bentonville 10-0 in seven innings on Saturday while Fort Smith beat Conway in the nightcap Saturday by the final score of 7-6.
On Sunday, each team advanced in the winners’ bracket yet again as Cabot handed Jacksonville a 4-1 loss, while Fort Smith won another close game; this one a 5-4 triumph over North Little Rock.
Cabot can still win the double-elimination tourney if it wins out, but for Fort Smith, the win over Cabot guaranteed it a spot in the state tournament that starts Saturday at Bryant.
Cabot scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first inning Monday. Shortstop and leadoff hitter Conner Vocque started the inning with a double to left field, and advanced to third base two batters later on an infield single by teammate Ryan Logan.
With runners at the corners, Fort Smith pitcher Jorden Lawrence tried several times to pick off Logan at first base as he anticipated Logan trying to steal second, but on Lawrence’s final pickoff attempt, Vocque broke for home plate and was able to slide under catcher Jordan Miller’s tag on the throw from first to home, making it 1-0 Cabot.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Fort Smith scored two runs to take the lead. Lawrence singled down the third baseline to lead off the inning, and Miller got on base after being hit by a pitch.
Brennan Dooly tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt the next at-bat, but got the bat too far underneath the ball and popped it up in the air where it was easily caught for the first out of the inning. That brought leadoff hitter Hunter Wilson to the plate, and he reached base safely on a 5-4 fielder’s choice.
With two outs and a 3-1 count, two-hole hitter Drew Person hit a clutch stand-up double down the right-field line to send both Lawrence and Wilson across the plate and give the Kerwins Sportsmen team its first lead at 2-1.
Fort Smith added its third and final run in the top of the eighth. Wilson started things off with a single to the gap in right field, and Person put him in scoring position with a sac bunt.
Wilson stole third base with three-hole hitter Michael Rhea at the plate, and scored the next at-bat on a sac fly to right field by Houston Kennedy, which put Fort Smith on top 3-1. Cabot added its final run in the bottom part of the inning.
Gavin Tillery singled to get on base in the bottom of the eighth. Hayden Vinson came in as Tillery’s courtesy runner, and he stole second base to get in scoring position.
Vinson later stole third base, and was able to score on the same play as Miller made a low throw to third that ended up in shallow left field. Cabot made a serious threat to tie it up in the ninth, but had some bad luck on its side.
Cleanup hitter Landon James singled to right center to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and advanced to second on a groundout to first by Grayson Cole. That brought catcher Tristan Bulice to the plate, and Bulice hit a hard line drive to left field.
James rounded third for what would’ve been a close play at the plate, but tripped up and fell halfway home, and was therefore tagged out on the play. Cabot wasn’t able to recover after that, and Fort Smith was able to escape with the hard-fought win.
Lawrence got the win on the mound. He went the distance and finished the complete game with nine strikeouts and two walks, but gave up eight Cabot hits. Although Lawrence had an overall solid game on the hill, Cabot coach Chris Gross thought his team could’ve and should’ve hit the ball better than it did against him.
“We shut it down,” said Gross. “For seven innings straight we quit swinging the bat and acted like we didn’t want to be here. Grayson Cole made a play in right (field) and all of a sudden everybody’s motivated, and we start hitting the ball.
“We outhit them. If we would’ve showed up to play we would’ve won that game. (Fort Smith) is a really good ball team. They all showed up. They wanted to play, we didn’t. I think we have enough talent and enough pitching to go a long way, but we’ll see if they show up (Tuesday). I know they want to play these guys again Wednesday, so maybe that’s what we needed.”
Cabot outhit Fort Smith 8-5 and Centennial Bank had no errors to Fort Smith’s one error.
Tillery and James led Cabot offensively with two hits each, while teammates Vocque, Logan, Bulice and Kason Kimbrell had one hit apiece.
Lawrence was the only player for Fort Smith with multiple hits. He was 2 for 4.
Cabot played North Little Rock last night after deadlines. Those two teams, along with Jacksonville and Fort Smith, were the last four teams left in the tournament as of Tuesday. Look for details of the Cabot/NLR game and the rest of the tournament in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
SPORTS STORY >> JHS wide receiver’s decline is shocking
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
What a monumental difference a year can make in the life of a young person, especially those who are graduating high school and embarking on life without the structure, rules, authority and accountability they’ve lived with.
That difference can be positive or negative, and the negative can be illustrated no better than the recent tragedy involving former Jacksonville standout wide receiver Robert Harris, whose rapid decline that began in earnest last September at the start of his senior year, has culminated in him now sitting in jail charged with capital murder. He’s being held without bail after his arraignment on Tuesday.
Harris, still only 17, was arrested early Monday morning as the prime suspect in the shooting death of 29-year-old Michael Cook in North Little Rock.
Harris allegedly robbed Cook at gunpoint in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and then shot him near Whipporwhil Lane and Campbell Road. Cook, a father of two young boys, was found alive, but died later at the hospital. Harris was arrested around 6 a.m. Monday after two witnesses identified him as the shooter.
About this time last year, Harris was volunteering as an instructor and helper at the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club’s annual Fun Day, which is sponsored by the Jacksonville Police Department. Alongside JPD officers, Harris was teaching kids how to play kickball and volunteering to be plunged into the cold water of a dunking booth, all for the entertainment of Jacksonville’s little ones.
He was also interviewed that day for The Leader’s annual football tab for the remarkable comeback he made from a serious injury suffered during the Red-White game before his junior year.
The injury was gruesome. Harris’ skin appeared to be the only thing keeping his right foot attached to his leg, as it protruded in a grotesque angle away from his body and dangled loosely as paramedics lifted him onto the stretcher.
It cost him his junior season, but he worked hard to get ready for his senior year, with teammates helping him get to practice and physical therapy sessions. Last summer, Harris dazzled as a wide receiver in multiple 7-on-7 camps, including a remarkable performance in the Shootout of the South, where he caught 19 touchdown passes and led the Red Devils to a fifth-place finish in the 22-team tournament that included teams from four states.
That performance launched Harris into prospect status among college coaches, but it didn’t carry over into tackle football. Once school started, something changed.
At the time, coaches, fans and media scratched their heads wondering why the talented receiver wasn’t producing like he did in the summer. He dropped passes frequently, got into scuffles on the field and played with an overall lack of focus.
Bewildered observers only needed to let the year play out. Harris was no longer focusing on football or school like he used to. The talented young man, who was always very polite and respectful in the presence of adults, was becoming a different person among his peers.
He was involved in a fracas with Little Rock McClellan after their football game last season, and really began to show his downward direction during basketball season. He didn’t play basketball, but loved being a part of the rowdy JHS student section. Only Harris went further than the rest.
The week of the rivalry game against North Pulaski, Harris took to twitter to get under the skin of one NP player who used to play for Jacksonville.
That nearly resulted in a fight after Jacksonville’s win. Harris finally did get in a fight after Jacksonville’s away game at Sylvan Hills, and that landed him his first arrest for battery.
It also ended his schooling, as he was expelled from JHS only two months from graduation.
It apparently got worse from there. Witnesses say on Saturday evening, Harris and three friends were sitting in a car when one of them, Cook, got out and walked away.
Harris followed him around a corner where he stopped Cook at gunpoint. Cook reportedly began to empty his pockets and throw the contents on the ground. Harris then, according to one witness, fired several shots and fled.
The outcry on social media is varied. The more outrageous and shortsighted involves anger at the snitches who told on Harris.
Those people show a callous and despicable lack of regard for the lost life and the people who are mourning over it.
Some of his coaches, teachers and others who know Harris are distraught over the extreme and rapid nature of his decline.
One former coach even lamented that “this is not who he really is.” It’s an understandable sentiment. It didn’t seem like that’s who Harris was to the reporter who sat down with him among the raucous and happy little kids at the Boys and Girls Club last July.
That coach’s lament has been shared by many people, including by this reporter.
Often times those we see going down a destructive path turn things around and become the good person we knew was underneath the horrible decisions they were making. But sometimes people just aren’t who we thought they were.
Leader sports editor
What a monumental difference a year can make in the life of a young person, especially those who are graduating high school and embarking on life without the structure, rules, authority and accountability they’ve lived with.
That difference can be positive or negative, and the negative can be illustrated no better than the recent tragedy involving former Jacksonville standout wide receiver Robert Harris, whose rapid decline that began in earnest last September at the start of his senior year, has culminated in him now sitting in jail charged with capital murder. He’s being held without bail after his arraignment on Tuesday.
Harris, still only 17, was arrested early Monday morning as the prime suspect in the shooting death of 29-year-old Michael Cook in North Little Rock.
Harris allegedly robbed Cook at gunpoint in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and then shot him near Whipporwhil Lane and Campbell Road. Cook, a father of two young boys, was found alive, but died later at the hospital. Harris was arrested around 6 a.m. Monday after two witnesses identified him as the shooter.
About this time last year, Harris was volunteering as an instructor and helper at the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club’s annual Fun Day, which is sponsored by the Jacksonville Police Department. Alongside JPD officers, Harris was teaching kids how to play kickball and volunteering to be plunged into the cold water of a dunking booth, all for the entertainment of Jacksonville’s little ones.
He was also interviewed that day for The Leader’s annual football tab for the remarkable comeback he made from a serious injury suffered during the Red-White game before his junior year.
The injury was gruesome. Harris’ skin appeared to be the only thing keeping his right foot attached to his leg, as it protruded in a grotesque angle away from his body and dangled loosely as paramedics lifted him onto the stretcher.
It cost him his junior season, but he worked hard to get ready for his senior year, with teammates helping him get to practice and physical therapy sessions. Last summer, Harris dazzled as a wide receiver in multiple 7-on-7 camps, including a remarkable performance in the Shootout of the South, where he caught 19 touchdown passes and led the Red Devils to a fifth-place finish in the 22-team tournament that included teams from four states.
That performance launched Harris into prospect status among college coaches, but it didn’t carry over into tackle football. Once school started, something changed.
At the time, coaches, fans and media scratched their heads wondering why the talented receiver wasn’t producing like he did in the summer. He dropped passes frequently, got into scuffles on the field and played with an overall lack of focus.
Bewildered observers only needed to let the year play out. Harris was no longer focusing on football or school like he used to. The talented young man, who was always very polite and respectful in the presence of adults, was becoming a different person among his peers.
He was involved in a fracas with Little Rock McClellan after their football game last season, and really began to show his downward direction during basketball season. He didn’t play basketball, but loved being a part of the rowdy JHS student section. Only Harris went further than the rest.
The week of the rivalry game against North Pulaski, Harris took to twitter to get under the skin of one NP player who used to play for Jacksonville.
That nearly resulted in a fight after Jacksonville’s win. Harris finally did get in a fight after Jacksonville’s away game at Sylvan Hills, and that landed him his first arrest for battery.
It also ended his schooling, as he was expelled from JHS only two months from graduation.
It apparently got worse from there. Witnesses say on Saturday evening, Harris and three friends were sitting in a car when one of them, Cook, got out and walked away.
Harris followed him around a corner where he stopped Cook at gunpoint. Cook reportedly began to empty his pockets and throw the contents on the ground. Harris then, according to one witness, fired several shots and fled.
The outcry on social media is varied. The more outrageous and shortsighted involves anger at the snitches who told on Harris.
Those people show a callous and despicable lack of regard for the lost life and the people who are mourning over it.
Some of his coaches, teachers and others who know Harris are distraught over the extreme and rapid nature of his decline.
One former coach even lamented that “this is not who he really is.” It’s an understandable sentiment. It didn’t seem like that’s who Harris was to the reporter who sat down with him among the raucous and happy little kids at the Boys and Girls Club last July.
That coach’s lament has been shared by many people, including by this reporter.
Often times those we see going down a destructive path turn things around and become the good person we knew was underneath the horrible decisions they were making. But sometimes people just aren’t who we thought they were.
Friday, July 18, 2014
SPORTS STORY >> Jacksonville golf set for season two
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
With the high school golf season rapidly approaching, Jacksonville is ready to begin its second year of competition, and will do so with one returning player who qualified for the state tournament last year.
Senior Jeremy Wilson tops the list of three returners and one newcomer to the Red Devil boys golf team. Wilson had very little experience when Jacksonville was an upstart program last season, but head coach Max Hatfield said he was the team’s most improved player from beginning of the season to the end.
“Jeremy worked on it and ended up finishing high enough in conference to qualify for state,” Hatfield said. “He’s been taking lessons and he’s been playing in tournaments. He’s been working hard. He wants to be good and he works at it. And he will be if he keeps working. He just got such a late start at the game he’s got a lot of ground to try to make up.”
Senior John Hermann and sophomore Tyler Cox also return for their second year, while sophomore Cody Anderson joined the team this summer.
“John has a good swing but he’s spent a lot of his summer at football camps and things like that,” Hatfield said. “He’s the kicker and he’s pretty good at that. Cody just joined us so I don’t really have a really good idea of where he’s at right now.”
Junior Haley Elmore is the only female player on the team right now. Hatfield lost his top female golfer, Nicole Hardison, who moved to Highland. Hardison just barely missed qualifying for state last season, but Hatfield said a few rounds with Elmore this summer show a marked improvement from her form last year.
“Haley has taken some lessons from the same guy Jeremy has, Tommy Rutherford,” Hatfield said. “She’s played in some tournaments over the summer, too. I’ve played with her a few times and there’s a noticeable improvement. She’s hitting the driver really well. It’s huge to play in those summer tournaments to get that experience in real competition.”
The season begins on Aug. 4 in a six-team match at Hickory Creek Golf Course outside Jacksonville. Sylvan Hills, North Pulaski, Robinson, Mills and England will compete.
The rosters are not set and more interested students are encouraged to sign up, he said.
“Hopefully we’ll get some more interest once school starts and a few more will come out,” Hatfield said. “If anyone is interested they need to call the high school and they will get them in touch with me. They take the top four scores in boys and the top three in girls for team competition, but you can enter as many as you want into an event, so everyone will get to play.”
Leader sports editor
With the high school golf season rapidly approaching, Jacksonville is ready to begin its second year of competition, and will do so with one returning player who qualified for the state tournament last year.
Senior Jeremy Wilson tops the list of three returners and one newcomer to the Red Devil boys golf team. Wilson had very little experience when Jacksonville was an upstart program last season, but head coach Max Hatfield said he was the team’s most improved player from beginning of the season to the end.
“Jeremy worked on it and ended up finishing high enough in conference to qualify for state,” Hatfield said. “He’s been taking lessons and he’s been playing in tournaments. He’s been working hard. He wants to be good and he works at it. And he will be if he keeps working. He just got such a late start at the game he’s got a lot of ground to try to make up.”
Senior John Hermann and sophomore Tyler Cox also return for their second year, while sophomore Cody Anderson joined the team this summer.
“John has a good swing but he’s spent a lot of his summer at football camps and things like that,” Hatfield said. “He’s the kicker and he’s pretty good at that. Cody just joined us so I don’t really have a really good idea of where he’s at right now.”
Junior Haley Elmore is the only female player on the team right now. Hatfield lost his top female golfer, Nicole Hardison, who moved to Highland. Hardison just barely missed qualifying for state last season, but Hatfield said a few rounds with Elmore this summer show a marked improvement from her form last year.
“Haley has taken some lessons from the same guy Jeremy has, Tommy Rutherford,” Hatfield said. “She’s played in some tournaments over the summer, too. I’ve played with her a few times and there’s a noticeable improvement. She’s hitting the driver really well. It’s huge to play in those summer tournaments to get that experience in real competition.”
The season begins on Aug. 4 in a six-team match at Hickory Creek Golf Course outside Jacksonville. Sylvan Hills, North Pulaski, Robinson, Mills and England will compete.
The rosters are not set and more interested students are encouraged to sign up, he said.
“Hopefully we’ll get some more interest once school starts and a few more will come out,” Hatfield said. “If anyone is interested they need to call the high school and they will get them in touch with me. They take the top four scores in boys and the top three in girls for team competition, but you can enter as many as you want into an event, so everyone will get to play.”
SPORTS STORY >> Youth coach’s suspension upheld
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
Against the advice of the city attorney, the Cabot Parks and Recreation commission on Tuesday upheld its one-year suspension of a youth baseball coach and denied his request to appeal until 60 days.
Last month, the commission affirmed the baseball advisory board’s decision to ban John Elizandro from coaching for a year because he allowed someone to play in the wrong age division to give the child a chance to adjust to the game and enjoy himself on the field, he said.
In a letter to the commission, Elizandro said he did not believe the older player gave his team an advantage, or he would not have played him.
Elizandro did not attend the June meeting and requested the commission hear his appeal.
City Attorney Jim Taylor, arguing that the parks commission should leave disciplinary matters up to the parks director, advised the commission not to get involved in the suspension and send it back to the parks director for a decision.
He also recommended that the commission’s by-laws be changed so that it can no longer hear appeals, effectively getting the commission out of the punishment business and helping the city to avoid lawsuits.
Chairman Maggie Cope said the by-laws give the commission the final say in any sports league decision, and it should hear the appeal.
Taylor said if they did hear appeals, the commission is exposing itself to lawsuits and its members could even be sued personally. In that case, Taylor said the Municipal League and the city attorney’s office will not represent commission members.
“You are going to get into highly intense situations athletics carry with them. It is something, in my opinion, you should not be doing,” Taylor said.
He said the commission is delving into the day-to-day operations of the parks and recreation department. In his view, the commission’s job is to simply set and follow up on the parks’ budget. Hearing appeals is the job of the park director, Taylor recommended.
Commission member Nick Whitaker said, “I have really big trouble after last month’s meeting, you (Taylor) did not say a word. The next morning, a man went to the mayor’s office, and we start getting e-mails from you saying we shouldn’t have done it.”
Taylor said he knew nothing about the meeting, until e-mails were sent out. He said at the time he did not know the position the commission would be put in.
“I, nor my office, are no way involved in any kind of political things of nature in this town, and never will be,” Taylor said.
After the meeting adjourned, Whitaker continued to have words with Taylor, angrily pointing at him.
Leader staff writer
Against the advice of the city attorney, the Cabot Parks and Recreation commission on Tuesday upheld its one-year suspension of a youth baseball coach and denied his request to appeal until 60 days.
Last month, the commission affirmed the baseball advisory board’s decision to ban John Elizandro from coaching for a year because he allowed someone to play in the wrong age division to give the child a chance to adjust to the game and enjoy himself on the field, he said.
In a letter to the commission, Elizandro said he did not believe the older player gave his team an advantage, or he would not have played him.
Elizandro did not attend the June meeting and requested the commission hear his appeal.
City Attorney Jim Taylor, arguing that the parks commission should leave disciplinary matters up to the parks director, advised the commission not to get involved in the suspension and send it back to the parks director for a decision.
He also recommended that the commission’s by-laws be changed so that it can no longer hear appeals, effectively getting the commission out of the punishment business and helping the city to avoid lawsuits.
Chairman Maggie Cope said the by-laws give the commission the final say in any sports league decision, and it should hear the appeal.
Taylor said if they did hear appeals, the commission is exposing itself to lawsuits and its members could even be sued personally. In that case, Taylor said the Municipal League and the city attorney’s office will not represent commission members.
“You are going to get into highly intense situations athletics carry with them. It is something, in my opinion, you should not be doing,” Taylor said.
He said the commission is delving into the day-to-day operations of the parks and recreation department. In his view, the commission’s job is to simply set and follow up on the parks’ budget. Hearing appeals is the job of the park director, Taylor recommended.
Commission member Nick Whitaker said, “I have really big trouble after last month’s meeting, you (Taylor) did not say a word. The next morning, a man went to the mayor’s office, and we start getting e-mails from you saying we shouldn’t have done it.”
Taylor said he knew nothing about the meeting, until e-mails were sent out. He said at the time he did not know the position the commission would be put in.
“I, nor my office, are no way involved in any kind of political things of nature in this town, and never will be,” Taylor said.
After the meeting adjourned, Whitaker continued to have words with Taylor, angrily pointing at him.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot Red’s season ends in semifinals
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Red Junior American Legion team’s season came to an end Tuesday in the semifinals of the Junior American Legion state tournament at North Little Rock’s Burns Park, where it lost a close 2-1 decision to the Sheridan Yellowjackets.
Sheridan (22-5) scored the game’s first run in the top of the first inning, and held Cabot scoreless through the first four innings.
The Centennial Bank team knotted up the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, but the Yellowjackets scored the game’s final run their next at-bat in the top of the sixth and kept the Cabot bats at bay for the remainder of the game to move on to the finals.
Other than getting timely hits when needed, Cabot played an overall solid game, but so did Sheridan. Both teams totaled seven hits in the game, and Centennial Bank didn’t commit a single error in the field and didn’t have a single strikeout at the plate in the seven innings played.
Sheridan committed two errors at shortstop in the first inning alone, but didn’t have an error the rest of the way, which is what ultimately kept Cabot from putting together any sort of rally. For the game, Cabot left a total of 10 runners stranded on base – four more than Sheridan’s six.
“They’re a good, solid team, but you expect that at this level,” said Cabot Red assistant coach David Smith, who took over head-coaching duties Tuesday in head coach Justin Moore’s absence. “One thing you know when you play a Sheridan team is they’re going to play the game the right way. They’re going to play fundamentally sound, and that’s what they were.
“Defensively, I thought we did an excellent job. We made the plays when we had to make the plays. Offensively, I couldn’t have asked for anything else. They hit the ball hard – right at them a lot of times. It was just that timely hit that eluded us.
“One thing I was telling the guys, we were in the fifth inning, I said, ‘guys, we’ve had a runner at third every inning. We’re just waiting to bust one open.’ In that inning we finally got that clutch hit, that timely hit, we just didn’t have enough of them.”
Sheridan leadoff hitter David Vilches hit a double to start the game, and two-hole hitter Lathan Wylie drove him in the next at-bat with a single to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead. The score remained 1-0 till the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cabot Red leadoff hitter Blake McCutchen doubled to right field to start the inning, and he advanced to third base on a 6-3 groundout by starting pitcher Chris Odom.
That brought three-hole hitter Jacob Slunder to the plate, and he drove in McCutchen with a one-out single to right field, tying the game at 1-1. However, Sheridan responded with a run in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good.
Yellowjacket cleanup hitter Evan Thompson hit a stand-up double to the wall in center field to lead off the inning, and he advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by teammate Dustin Reid.
That brought Brady Bibb to the plate, and he sent the go-ahead run across the plate with a sac fly to left field. Odom then struck out designated hitter Isiah Quintanilla to end the top part of the sixth inning.
In the last inning, Cabot was able to get runners at first and second base with two outs after Slunder hit a double to left field and cleanup hitter Easton Seidl was intentionally walked, but Reid, who came in to relieve starting pitcher Zach Glidden the next at-bat, got Cabot’s Gavin Tillery to fly out to shallow center field to end the game in the Jackets’ favor.
Even though Cabot lost the game, it was still an excellent year for the Centennial Bank Red team. In addition to advancing all the way to the semifinals of the Junior American Legion state tournament, the Centennial Bank Red team qualified for the state tournament by winning the Zone 3 tournament championship last week in Heber Springs.
The Cabot Red team finished the summer with an overall record of 24-9.
“It was a good year with this group of guys,” Smith said. “They went out there and they fought. They faced some adversity and I thought they did well. Today, they just came up a bit short.”
Odom threw all seven innings for Cabot. He recorded a game-high three strikeouts and allowed just one walk in his time on the hill.
Offensively, Slunder led all batters, going 3 for 3 with an RBI, while teammates McCutchen, Tanner Wilkie, Bobby Duncan and Mike Havard totaled one hit apiece. For Sheridan, Vilches, Wylie and Reid each had two hits, while Thompson had one hit.
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Red Junior American Legion team’s season came to an end Tuesday in the semifinals of the Junior American Legion state tournament at North Little Rock’s Burns Park, where it lost a close 2-1 decision to the Sheridan Yellowjackets.
Sheridan (22-5) scored the game’s first run in the top of the first inning, and held Cabot scoreless through the first four innings.
The Centennial Bank team knotted up the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, but the Yellowjackets scored the game’s final run their next at-bat in the top of the sixth and kept the Cabot bats at bay for the remainder of the game to move on to the finals.
Other than getting timely hits when needed, Cabot played an overall solid game, but so did Sheridan. Both teams totaled seven hits in the game, and Centennial Bank didn’t commit a single error in the field and didn’t have a single strikeout at the plate in the seven innings played.
Sheridan committed two errors at shortstop in the first inning alone, but didn’t have an error the rest of the way, which is what ultimately kept Cabot from putting together any sort of rally. For the game, Cabot left a total of 10 runners stranded on base – four more than Sheridan’s six.
“They’re a good, solid team, but you expect that at this level,” said Cabot Red assistant coach David Smith, who took over head-coaching duties Tuesday in head coach Justin Moore’s absence. “One thing you know when you play a Sheridan team is they’re going to play the game the right way. They’re going to play fundamentally sound, and that’s what they were.
“Defensively, I thought we did an excellent job. We made the plays when we had to make the plays. Offensively, I couldn’t have asked for anything else. They hit the ball hard – right at them a lot of times. It was just that timely hit that eluded us.
“One thing I was telling the guys, we were in the fifth inning, I said, ‘guys, we’ve had a runner at third every inning. We’re just waiting to bust one open.’ In that inning we finally got that clutch hit, that timely hit, we just didn’t have enough of them.”
Sheridan leadoff hitter David Vilches hit a double to start the game, and two-hole hitter Lathan Wylie drove him in the next at-bat with a single to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead. The score remained 1-0 till the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cabot Red leadoff hitter Blake McCutchen doubled to right field to start the inning, and he advanced to third base on a 6-3 groundout by starting pitcher Chris Odom.
That brought three-hole hitter Jacob Slunder to the plate, and he drove in McCutchen with a one-out single to right field, tying the game at 1-1. However, Sheridan responded with a run in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good.
Yellowjacket cleanup hitter Evan Thompson hit a stand-up double to the wall in center field to lead off the inning, and he advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by teammate Dustin Reid.
That brought Brady Bibb to the plate, and he sent the go-ahead run across the plate with a sac fly to left field. Odom then struck out designated hitter Isiah Quintanilla to end the top part of the sixth inning.
In the last inning, Cabot was able to get runners at first and second base with two outs after Slunder hit a double to left field and cleanup hitter Easton Seidl was intentionally walked, but Reid, who came in to relieve starting pitcher Zach Glidden the next at-bat, got Cabot’s Gavin Tillery to fly out to shallow center field to end the game in the Jackets’ favor.
Even though Cabot lost the game, it was still an excellent year for the Centennial Bank Red team. In addition to advancing all the way to the semifinals of the Junior American Legion state tournament, the Centennial Bank Red team qualified for the state tournament by winning the Zone 3 tournament championship last week in Heber Springs.
The Cabot Red team finished the summer with an overall record of 24-9.
“It was a good year with this group of guys,” Smith said. “They went out there and they fought. They faced some adversity and I thought they did well. Today, they just came up a bit short.”
Odom threw all seven innings for Cabot. He recorded a game-high three strikeouts and allowed just one walk in his time on the hill.
Offensively, Slunder led all batters, going 3 for 3 with an RBI, while teammates McCutchen, Tanner Wilkie, Bobby Duncan and Mike Havard totaled one hit apiece. For Sheridan, Vilches, Wylie and Reid each had two hits, while Thompson had one hit.
SPORTS STORY >> New head coach at CHS
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Lady Panther volleyball program just completed its annual summer camp, and the 2014 camp was the first under new program leader Kham Chanthaphasouk, who takes over as Cabot head volleyball coach after former coach DeAnna Campbell stepped down after three years at the helm.
Campbell took over the program in 2011 after the 30-plus year career of Terry Williams.
Chanthaphasouk applied for the Cabot job when Campbell got it, but CHS athletic director Steve Roberts was impressed enough with the France-raised former Sheridan coach to call him and ask him to apply this time around.
Chanthaphasouk coached at Sheridan for eight years, the last three as head coach, and took the Lady Yellowjackets to the state quarterfinals each of those years. Since 2009, he has been a teacher at Benton High School, and has continued to coach in Little Rock’s junior Olympic volleyball program.
Born in Laos, Chanthaphasouk’s family moved to France when he was very young, where he became in involved in competitive volleyball. He had to temporarily give it up when he came to Little Rock Central as an exchange student and found that Arkansas didn’t offer boys’ high school volleyball.
He stayed in Arkansas after graduation and attended UALR and later the University of Arkansas, neither of which have a men’s volleyball program. But he did compete; joining the U.S. Open national team and winning a regional championship at the A level. He competed on the national scene from 1993 to 1998.
He was also a volunteer coach for the UA women before planting roots in central Arkansas as a Sheridan and JO coach, and winning one national championship as coach of a level B team.
The Lady Panthers didn’t begin summer practices until July 7, so Chanthaphasouk hasn’t had much time with the team, but he likes what he’s seen so far.
“There’s a lot of talent on this team,” Chanthaphasouk said. “There’s not a lot of experience, though. I think most of the starters and key players last year were seniors, but I see a lot of potential in this group. I think this is the perfect place to start lifting volleyball in central Arkansas up to the level it’s at in the northwest part of the state.
“For so many years it was just Jonesboro and Fort Smith because they had those strong year-round programs. Now the northwest is becoming very strong and Conway is building a really strong program. I see no reason why Cabot shouldn’t be among programs. Coach Campbell obviously did a great job of getting that started and I hope to keep making it better and better.”
Campbell had a core group of sophomores her first year that remained the core group of starters all three years. They won just one conference game their sophomore year. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round their junior season, then made state and advanced to the quarterfinals last season.
“This is a program that’s headed in the right direction and I’m very happy to be here and have the opportunity to continue to help it grow,” Chanthaphasouk said.
Leader sports editor
The Lady Panther volleyball program just completed its annual summer camp, and the 2014 camp was the first under new program leader Kham Chanthaphasouk, who takes over as Cabot head volleyball coach after former coach DeAnna Campbell stepped down after three years at the helm.
Campbell took over the program in 2011 after the 30-plus year career of Terry Williams.
Chanthaphasouk applied for the Cabot job when Campbell got it, but CHS athletic director Steve Roberts was impressed enough with the France-raised former Sheridan coach to call him and ask him to apply this time around.
Chanthaphasouk coached at Sheridan for eight years, the last three as head coach, and took the Lady Yellowjackets to the state quarterfinals each of those years. Since 2009, he has been a teacher at Benton High School, and has continued to coach in Little Rock’s junior Olympic volleyball program.
Born in Laos, Chanthaphasouk’s family moved to France when he was very young, where he became in involved in competitive volleyball. He had to temporarily give it up when he came to Little Rock Central as an exchange student and found that Arkansas didn’t offer boys’ high school volleyball.
He stayed in Arkansas after graduation and attended UALR and later the University of Arkansas, neither of which have a men’s volleyball program. But he did compete; joining the U.S. Open national team and winning a regional championship at the A level. He competed on the national scene from 1993 to 1998.
He was also a volunteer coach for the UA women before planting roots in central Arkansas as a Sheridan and JO coach, and winning one national championship as coach of a level B team.
The Lady Panthers didn’t begin summer practices until July 7, so Chanthaphasouk hasn’t had much time with the team, but he likes what he’s seen so far.
“There’s a lot of talent on this team,” Chanthaphasouk said. “There’s not a lot of experience, though. I think most of the starters and key players last year were seniors, but I see a lot of potential in this group. I think this is the perfect place to start lifting volleyball in central Arkansas up to the level it’s at in the northwest part of the state.
“For so many years it was just Jonesboro and Fort Smith because they had those strong year-round programs. Now the northwest is becoming very strong and Conway is building a really strong program. I see no reason why Cabot shouldn’t be among programs. Coach Campbell obviously did a great job of getting that started and I hope to keep making it better and better.”
Campbell had a core group of sophomores her first year that remained the core group of starters all three years. They won just one conference game their sophomore year. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round their junior season, then made state and advanced to the quarterfinals last season.
“This is a program that’s headed in the right direction and I’m very happy to be here and have the opportunity to continue to help it grow,” Chanthaphasouk said.
TOP STORY >> Quorum court honors lifesaver
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Lonoke County contractor Barry Weathers and his wife, Patti, the county treasurer, were honored with plaques at Thursday’s Lonoke Quorum Court meeting for their role in saving the life of a young boy.
Both Weathers were given the plaques by Sheriff John Staley. Barry Weathers was also honored with a special resolution from the quorum court. He received a standing ovation from everyone at the meeting.
Weathers downplayed the incident, saying he just happened to be the first one there, and it was the sheriff’s department that calmed the chaos of the event and directed the medical helicopter in.
According to the resolution, Weathers was being honored for his “quick action, performance during an emergency and skill in saving the life of a drowning victim on July 4 in rural Lonoke County.”
At an Independence Day celebration, a 3-year-old child was found floating in a residential swimming pool. The proclamation said the “unresponsive child was brought out of the water, hands and lips blue, with no heartbeat or breathing. Upon hearing the cries for help, Barry immediately ran to the pool area, took charge of a very dire, chaotic situation and began CPR.”
Weathers said he performed CPR for the nine minutes it took the ambulance to get there. “It took about seven minutes for the child to actually take a breath,” he said.
After the incident, Weathers’ brother, Larry, told Barry, “I saw what you were doing and didn’t want to interfere, so I just prayed hard.”
Weathers said that praying contributed to the boy’s recovery as much as his CPR efforts.
The boy, taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, was released the next day “with an excellent prognosis for a full recovery with no adverse effects and will go on to lead a normal, healthy childhood,” according to the resolution.
Weathers’ son, JP B.J. Weathers, introduced the resolution. “Proudly, in my dad’s honor, I make the motion to approve this resolution,” he said. It was unanimously approved.
Patti Weathers was given a plaque for her efforts to get the sheriff’s department and others on the scene with updated information.
Staley said, “I know 911 was bombarded with calls, but Patti called me directly and made sure I was exactly aware of the severity of the situation and made sure that I had the helicopter coming in. She saved precious moments for that child, and I’m sure it made the difference.”
Weathers downplayed his role, but did admit that his phone had been jammed up with positive and congratulatory messages, especially from the boy’s family.
In other quorum court business:
• It took more than 30 minutes of debate, but the court did vote to dissolve the Grand Prairie/Bayou Two water board in favor of a water authority that had already been established through state law to oversee the water entity. The ordinance was tabled last month after it was brought to the court with no notice and the JPs wanted time to research exactly what was in it.
Switching from a water board to a water authority, by state law, gives Grand Prairie/Bayou Two more ability to raise money and issue bonds, more power to set rates and to condemn property.
JP Larry Odom said the old board made the water entity grow without using any condemnation powers or raising rates.
The vote was not unanimous as JP Mike Verkler still wasn’t happy with the whole affair after all the debating.
Nearly all the JPs were upset that the water entity basically went behind the quorum court’s back to form the new governing body and then, as their last action, moved for the dissolution of the old water board.
Verkler was upset that the water group never came before the council with its bylaws, which state that the new authority board members get to replace successor board members instead of the ratepayers.
The attorney for the water entity said it would discuss changing the bylaw to allow ratepayers to elect board members, but that the court couldn’t force the issue.
At this point, the changeover means very little in the day-to-day operations of the water entity.
But Grand Prairie/Bayou Two is moving into the wastewater/sewer end of the business and charging customers a minimum of $40 a month, which is higher than most surrounding areas.
Leader staff writer
Lonoke County contractor Barry Weathers and his wife, Patti, the county treasurer, were honored with plaques at Thursday’s Lonoke Quorum Court meeting for their role in saving the life of a young boy.
Both Weathers were given the plaques by Sheriff John Staley. Barry Weathers was also honored with a special resolution from the quorum court. He received a standing ovation from everyone at the meeting.
Weathers downplayed the incident, saying he just happened to be the first one there, and it was the sheriff’s department that calmed the chaos of the event and directed the medical helicopter in.
According to the resolution, Weathers was being honored for his “quick action, performance during an emergency and skill in saving the life of a drowning victim on July 4 in rural Lonoke County.”
At an Independence Day celebration, a 3-year-old child was found floating in a residential swimming pool. The proclamation said the “unresponsive child was brought out of the water, hands and lips blue, with no heartbeat or breathing. Upon hearing the cries for help, Barry immediately ran to the pool area, took charge of a very dire, chaotic situation and began CPR.”
Weathers said he performed CPR for the nine minutes it took the ambulance to get there. “It took about seven minutes for the child to actually take a breath,” he said.
After the incident, Weathers’ brother, Larry, told Barry, “I saw what you were doing and didn’t want to interfere, so I just prayed hard.”
Weathers said that praying contributed to the boy’s recovery as much as his CPR efforts.
The boy, taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, was released the next day “with an excellent prognosis for a full recovery with no adverse effects and will go on to lead a normal, healthy childhood,” according to the resolution.
Weathers’ son, JP B.J. Weathers, introduced the resolution. “Proudly, in my dad’s honor, I make the motion to approve this resolution,” he said. It was unanimously approved.
Patti Weathers was given a plaque for her efforts to get the sheriff’s department and others on the scene with updated information.
Staley said, “I know 911 was bombarded with calls, but Patti called me directly and made sure I was exactly aware of the severity of the situation and made sure that I had the helicopter coming in. She saved precious moments for that child, and I’m sure it made the difference.”
Weathers downplayed his role, but did admit that his phone had been jammed up with positive and congratulatory messages, especially from the boy’s family.
In other quorum court business:
• It took more than 30 minutes of debate, but the court did vote to dissolve the Grand Prairie/Bayou Two water board in favor of a water authority that had already been established through state law to oversee the water entity. The ordinance was tabled last month after it was brought to the court with no notice and the JPs wanted time to research exactly what was in it.
Switching from a water board to a water authority, by state law, gives Grand Prairie/Bayou Two more ability to raise money and issue bonds, more power to set rates and to condemn property.
JP Larry Odom said the old board made the water entity grow without using any condemnation powers or raising rates.
The vote was not unanimous as JP Mike Verkler still wasn’t happy with the whole affair after all the debating.
Nearly all the JPs were upset that the water entity basically went behind the quorum court’s back to form the new governing body and then, as their last action, moved for the dissolution of the old water board.
Verkler was upset that the water group never came before the council with its bylaws, which state that the new authority board members get to replace successor board members instead of the ratepayers.
The attorney for the water entity said it would discuss changing the bylaw to allow ratepayers to elect board members, but that the court couldn’t force the issue.
At this point, the changeover means very little in the day-to-day operations of the water entity.
But Grand Prairie/Bayou Two is moving into the wastewater/sewer end of the business and charging customers a minimum of $40 a month, which is higher than most surrounding areas.
TOP STORY >> Cabot middle school kids do well on test
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Cabot middle school students tested smarter than almost 70 percent of the middle school students across the country in math on the recently released Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
On the other hand, nearly 70 percent of the students across the country outscored Jacksonville students.
The norm-referenced test is given as part of the annual Benchmark exam but is pulled out and scored separately. It is not used to determine whether a school is failing or not, but as a tool for teachers to see how well students are doing on basic skills.
Being a norm-referenced exam, it does not have cut scores and students do not “pass” or “fail.”
Sixth graders at Cabot Middle School South scored the best in math in the local area. Students were in the 69th percentile in math, followed by CMS North students at 66 percent, meaning they did better than almost seven out of 10 sixth graders across the country.
On the other hand, sixth graders at Jacksonville Middle School were in the 32nd percentile in math, meaning seven out of 10 students across the country are doing better than them.
Kimberly Friedman, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Education, said, “Unlike the Arkansas Benchmark, ITBS is a norm-referenced exam that provides data in math, literacy and science for Arkansas students as compared with other students in the nation. This feedback is at the individual, school and district levels.
“The only other national assessment is the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), which uses a sample size of Arkansas students. With NAEP, neither the school nor the students receive feedback regarding the national sample given for literacy and math in grades 4, 8 and 12,” she said.
The deputy superintendent for the Pulaski County Special School District, Dr. Laura Bednar, said, “It is one more indicator of where each student is at, and we also looked at it to make grade-level improvements.”
About 35,000 fifth graders statewide were tested in April and the scores were released last week. Out of 35,000 students, they were in the 54th percentile in math, 47th in reading and 50th in language — basically average.
Here is a closer look at the scores from fifth through eighth grades:
FIFTH GRADE
Beebe Middle School students scored in the 50th percentile in math, 49th in reading and 47th in language.
In Searcy, fifth graders at Southwest Middle School were in the 61st percentile in math, 57th in reading and 63rd in language.
Lonoke fifth graders were in the 45th percentile in math, 46th in reading and 49th in language.
In England, the students were in the 47th percentile in math, 32nd in reading and 40th in language.
Carlisle fifth graders were in the 63rd percentile in math, 55th in reading and 64th in language.
Students at Cabot Middle School South were in the 69th percentile in math, 60th in reading and 58th in language
Cabot Middle School North students were 66th in math, 56th in reading and 54th in language.
In PCSSD, Bayou Meto was in the 50th percentile in math, 47th in reading and 46th in language. Clinton Elementary was 52nd in math, 49th in reading and 54th in language. Warren Dupree was 42nd in math, 35th in reading and 44th in language. Harris Elementary was 25th in math, 19th in reading and 26th in language.
Tolleson was in the 56th percentile in math, 49th in reading and also 49th in language. Sherwood Elementary was 51st in math, 41st in reading and 62nd in language. Sylvan Hills Elementary was 50th in math, 43rd in reading and 49th in language. Cato was in the 56th percentile in math, 52nd in reading and also 52nd in language. Pinewood was 35th in math, 42nd in reading and 43rd in language.
PCSSD’s Arnold Drive was in the 51st percentile in math, 57th in reading and 54th in language. Oakbrooke was 51st in math, 48th in reading and 51st in language. Murrell Taylor was 35th in math, 31st in reading and 36th in language.
Lisa Academy North was in the 48th percentile in math, 46th percentile in reading and 47th in language.
Jacksonville Lighthouse Middle School was in the 38th percentile in math, 30th in reading and 36th in language. The charter school’s Flightline Upper Academy was 52nd in math, 52nd in reading and 57th in language.
SIXTH GRADE
Beebe sixth-grade students scored right in the middle at the 50th percentile in math, 50th percentile in reading and 45th percentile in language.
Searcy students at Southwest Middle School were in the 61st percentile in math, 58th in reading and 59th in language.
Lonoke Middle School sixth graders were 48th in math, 43rd in reading and 46th in language. England sixth graders were in the 42nd percentile in math, 34th in reading and 30th in language. Carlisle students were 53rd in math, 48th in reading and 50th in language.
Cabot Middle School South students were in the 69th percentile in math, 53rd in reading and 53rd in language. CMS North students were 66th in math, 55th in reading and 55th in language.
In PCSSD, Jacksonville Middle School sixth graders were in the 32nd percentile in math, 28th in reading and 32nd in language. Sylvan Hills sixth graders were 48th in math, 39th in reading and 42nd in language.
Lisa Academy North was in the 54th percentile in math, 49th in reading and 58th in language.
Jacksonville Lighthouse Middle School students were in the 47th percentile in math, 37th in reading and 42nd in language. Lighthouse’s Flightline Academy was 62nd in math, 57th in reading and 63rd in language.
SEVENTH GRADE
Beebe Junior High seventh graders scored in the 55th percentile in math, 60th percentile in reading and 46th percentile in language.
Seventh graders at Searcy’s Ahlf Junior High scored in the 60th percentile in math, 58th in reading and 55th in language.
Lonoke students were 53rd in math, 42nd in reading and 41st in language. England seventh graders were 40th in math, 39th in reading and 36th in language. Carlisle students scored in the 44th percentile in math, 39th in the reading and 39th in language.
Cabot Junior High South students were in the 56th percentile in math, 54th in reading and 49th in language. CHJ North finished in the 60th percentile in math, 58th in reading and 49th in language.
Jacksonville Middle School seventh graders were in the 40th percentile in math, 33rd in reading and 33rd in language.
Sylvan Hills students were 47th in math, 43rd in reading and 43rd in language.
Lisa Academy North finished in the 58th percentile in math, 62nd in reading and 53rd in language.
Jacksonville Lighthouse Middle School was in the 43rd percentile in math, 37th in reading and 43rd in language. At the Upper Academy, students were 55th in math, 55th in reading and 52nd in language.
EIGHTH GRADE
Beebe eighth graders scored in the 54th percentile in math, 55th in reading and 48th in language.
Ahlf Junior High students in Searcy were in the 57th percentile in math, 65th in reading and 58th in language.
Lonoke eighth graders were 53rd in math, 52nd in reading and 46th in language. England students were in the 40th percentile in math, 40th in
Leader staff writer
Cabot middle school students tested smarter than almost 70 percent of the middle school students across the country in math on the recently released Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
On the other hand, nearly 70 percent of the students across the country outscored Jacksonville students.
The norm-referenced test is given as part of the annual Benchmark exam but is pulled out and scored separately. It is not used to determine whether a school is failing or not, but as a tool for teachers to see how well students are doing on basic skills.
Being a norm-referenced exam, it does not have cut scores and students do not “pass” or “fail.”
Sixth graders at Cabot Middle School South scored the best in math in the local area. Students were in the 69th percentile in math, followed by CMS North students at 66 percent, meaning they did better than almost seven out of 10 sixth graders across the country.
On the other hand, sixth graders at Jacksonville Middle School were in the 32nd percentile in math, meaning seven out of 10 students across the country are doing better than them.
Kimberly Friedman, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Education, said, “Unlike the Arkansas Benchmark, ITBS is a norm-referenced exam that provides data in math, literacy and science for Arkansas students as compared with other students in the nation. This feedback is at the individual, school and district levels.
“The only other national assessment is the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), which uses a sample size of Arkansas students. With NAEP, neither the school nor the students receive feedback regarding the national sample given for literacy and math in grades 4, 8 and 12,” she said.
The deputy superintendent for the Pulaski County Special School District, Dr. Laura Bednar, said, “It is one more indicator of where each student is at, and we also looked at it to make grade-level improvements.”
About 35,000 fifth graders statewide were tested in April and the scores were released last week. Out of 35,000 students, they were in the 54th percentile in math, 47th in reading and 50th in language — basically average.
Here is a closer look at the scores from fifth through eighth grades:
FIFTH GRADE
Beebe Middle School students scored in the 50th percentile in math, 49th in reading and 47th in language.
In Searcy, fifth graders at Southwest Middle School were in the 61st percentile in math, 57th in reading and 63rd in language.
Lonoke fifth graders were in the 45th percentile in math, 46th in reading and 49th in language.
In England, the students were in the 47th percentile in math, 32nd in reading and 40th in language.
Carlisle fifth graders were in the 63rd percentile in math, 55th in reading and 64th in language.
Students at Cabot Middle School South were in the 69th percentile in math, 60th in reading and 58th in language
Cabot Middle School North students were 66th in math, 56th in reading and 54th in language.
In PCSSD, Bayou Meto was in the 50th percentile in math, 47th in reading and 46th in language. Clinton Elementary was 52nd in math, 49th in reading and 54th in language. Warren Dupree was 42nd in math, 35th in reading and 44th in language. Harris Elementary was 25th in math, 19th in reading and 26th in language.
Tolleson was in the 56th percentile in math, 49th in reading and also 49th in language. Sherwood Elementary was 51st in math, 41st in reading and 62nd in language. Sylvan Hills Elementary was 50th in math, 43rd in reading and 49th in language. Cato was in the 56th percentile in math, 52nd in reading and also 52nd in language. Pinewood was 35th in math, 42nd in reading and 43rd in language.
PCSSD’s Arnold Drive was in the 51st percentile in math, 57th in reading and 54th in language. Oakbrooke was 51st in math, 48th in reading and 51st in language. Murrell Taylor was 35th in math, 31st in reading and 36th in language.
Lisa Academy North was in the 48th percentile in math, 46th percentile in reading and 47th in language.
Jacksonville Lighthouse Middle School was in the 38th percentile in math, 30th in reading and 36th in language. The charter school’s Flightline Upper Academy was 52nd in math, 52nd in reading and 57th in language.
SIXTH GRADE
Beebe sixth-grade students scored right in the middle at the 50th percentile in math, 50th percentile in reading and 45th percentile in language.
Searcy students at Southwest Middle School were in the 61st percentile in math, 58th in reading and 59th in language.
Lonoke Middle School sixth graders were 48th in math, 43rd in reading and 46th in language. England sixth graders were in the 42nd percentile in math, 34th in reading and 30th in language. Carlisle students were 53rd in math, 48th in reading and 50th in language.
Cabot Middle School South students were in the 69th percentile in math, 53rd in reading and 53rd in language. CMS North students were 66th in math, 55th in reading and 55th in language.
In PCSSD, Jacksonville Middle School sixth graders were in the 32nd percentile in math, 28th in reading and 32nd in language. Sylvan Hills sixth graders were 48th in math, 39th in reading and 42nd in language.
Lisa Academy North was in the 54th percentile in math, 49th in reading and 58th in language.
Jacksonville Lighthouse Middle School students were in the 47th percentile in math, 37th in reading and 42nd in language. Lighthouse’s Flightline Academy was 62nd in math, 57th in reading and 63rd in language.
SEVENTH GRADE
Beebe Junior High seventh graders scored in the 55th percentile in math, 60th percentile in reading and 46th percentile in language.
Seventh graders at Searcy’s Ahlf Junior High scored in the 60th percentile in math, 58th in reading and 55th in language.
Lonoke students were 53rd in math, 42nd in reading and 41st in language. England seventh graders were 40th in math, 39th in reading and 36th in language. Carlisle students scored in the 44th percentile in math, 39th in the reading and 39th in language.
Cabot Junior High South students were in the 56th percentile in math, 54th in reading and 49th in language. CHJ North finished in the 60th percentile in math, 58th in reading and 49th in language.
Jacksonville Middle School seventh graders were in the 40th percentile in math, 33rd in reading and 33rd in language.
Sylvan Hills students were 47th in math, 43rd in reading and 43rd in language.
Lisa Academy North finished in the 58th percentile in math, 62nd in reading and 53rd in language.
Jacksonville Lighthouse Middle School was in the 43rd percentile in math, 37th in reading and 43rd in language. At the Upper Academy, students were 55th in math, 55th in reading and 52nd in language.
EIGHTH GRADE
Beebe eighth graders scored in the 54th percentile in math, 55th in reading and 48th in language.
Ahlf Junior High students in Searcy were in the 57th percentile in math, 65th in reading and 58th in language.
Lonoke eighth graders were 53rd in math, 52nd in reading and 46th in language. England students were in the 40th percentile in math, 40th in
TOP STORY >> Big firm looks to bring in 400 jobs
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
There is a good chance that Sherwood will see more than the 250 jobs TeleTech is already working to fill, senior vice president for global operations Todd Baxter said during a grand-opening celebration Wednesday afternoon.
According to a news release announcing the company’s intention to open a second Arkansas site in Jonesboro, Sherwood’s site at 2402 Wildwood Ave. could see another 150 jobs created — a total of 400 — when all is said and done.
TeleTech is an inbound customer service call center for health-insurance providers, according to Sherwood economic development director Barry Sellers.
The Jonesboro office will open in August with a staff of 150 and the ability to later employ up to 600, according to the release.
It states that both the Jonesboro and Sherwood sites could expand to employ a total of 1,000 Arkansans.
Baxter hinted during the grand opening in Sherwood at the Wildwood Centre and Medical Tower that the announcement of the second site was hours or days away.
He said then, “All in all, we’re going to have capacity to expand here and expand in that location in the state of Arkansas significantly over the next several months.”
Baxter compared Sherwood to the company’s office in Melbourne, Fla., which created 250 jobs at first.
“We’ve made the decision to double in size there. Actually, we’ll be closer to 600 jobs. We doubled our footprint, and we made that decision in less than 18 months,” Baxter said. “That was a great market for us, and I think we have a real opportunity to do the same thing here.”
Sherwood was one of 30 markets the company considered for its first Arkansas location, Baxter told the crowd of about 40 attending TeleTech’s grand opening.
“In a market like Sherwood, one of the things that’s so important to us is to be able to go in and have it be of a size where we can attract the type of employees we need but also have it be small enough where we know who to pick up the phone and call when we have an issue, and we can get the creative help we need,” he continued.
Baxter said, “The first time I pulled up, one of the most pleasant surprises was that this building is part of a medical center. Somehow, that didn’t make it on the data sheet before I got to town. So I thought ‘well, this might be meant to be’ and it turns out that it was.”
He noted, “We’re fortunate to be a company that has had a tremendous amount of growth in the last two years. In fact, we’ve opened several sites around the country.”
TeleTech opened a location in Ennis, Texas, two years ago that has grown to a staff of 800, Baxter said.
In Hopkinsville, Ky., 400 jobs became 700 while 150 jobs became 556 at TeleTech’s Paducah, Ky., site, Baxter noted.
“We’ve done a nice job keeping up with this pace,” he said.
Baxter also praised Sher-wood’s economic development director, Barry Sellers, for being the “linchpin” in TeleTech moving to the city.
He added, “We often find that colleges are great partners with us, not just in the beginning, but long term in terms of sourcing employees and finding a place to continue education.”
Bentley Wallace of Pulaski Technical College, the largest two-year college in the state, was one of three speakers at the grand opening. He said he was happy to help as PTC is committed to providing world-class workforce training and helping launch new enterprise.
Wallace noted that he was invited to an April 2013 Arkansas Economic Development Commission training session in Sherwood on attracting and retaining good jobs.
During that session, “I realized that the passion and desire to bring good jobs to Sherwood and retain good jobs in Sherwood was there among that group,” he said. “I’m so pleased today to see the fruits of that labor and that passion playing out.”
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman also spoke at the grand opening.
She said, “We are very excited that TeleTech has chosen Sherwood to be a part of their family. It’s going to be a great partnership between the two entities and, not only for Sherwood, but for central Arkansas. So we’re excited about the jobs and the potential it has for us.
“No success is gained alone. None of us are successful by ourselves. This has been a very huge team effort,” Hillman said.
She named Sellers, state Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock), the Metro Little Rock Alliance, Pulaski Technical College, Gov. Mike Beebe and his staff, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and local elected officials as essential players in the deal to bring TeleTech here.
Baxter said TeleTech’s global public health insurance operation is serving Fortune 500 companies with 41,000 employees on nearly every continent.
Sellers said some of those who apply for open positions at TeleTech will be trained as licensed health-care agents.
To view open positions and apply, visit http://www.teletechjobs.com/.
Leader staff writer
There is a good chance that Sherwood will see more than the 250 jobs TeleTech is already working to fill, senior vice president for global operations Todd Baxter said during a grand-opening celebration Wednesday afternoon.
According to a news release announcing the company’s intention to open a second Arkansas site in Jonesboro, Sherwood’s site at 2402 Wildwood Ave. could see another 150 jobs created — a total of 400 — when all is said and done.
TeleTech is an inbound customer service call center for health-insurance providers, according to Sherwood economic development director Barry Sellers.
The Jonesboro office will open in August with a staff of 150 and the ability to later employ up to 600, according to the release.
It states that both the Jonesboro and Sherwood sites could expand to employ a total of 1,000 Arkansans.
Baxter hinted during the grand opening in Sherwood at the Wildwood Centre and Medical Tower that the announcement of the second site was hours or days away.
He said then, “All in all, we’re going to have capacity to expand here and expand in that location in the state of Arkansas significantly over the next several months.”
Baxter compared Sherwood to the company’s office in Melbourne, Fla., which created 250 jobs at first.
“We’ve made the decision to double in size there. Actually, we’ll be closer to 600 jobs. We doubled our footprint, and we made that decision in less than 18 months,” Baxter said. “That was a great market for us, and I think we have a real opportunity to do the same thing here.”
Sherwood was one of 30 markets the company considered for its first Arkansas location, Baxter told the crowd of about 40 attending TeleTech’s grand opening.
“In a market like Sherwood, one of the things that’s so important to us is to be able to go in and have it be of a size where we can attract the type of employees we need but also have it be small enough where we know who to pick up the phone and call when we have an issue, and we can get the creative help we need,” he continued.
Baxter said, “The first time I pulled up, one of the most pleasant surprises was that this building is part of a medical center. Somehow, that didn’t make it on the data sheet before I got to town. So I thought ‘well, this might be meant to be’ and it turns out that it was.”
He noted, “We’re fortunate to be a company that has had a tremendous amount of growth in the last two years. In fact, we’ve opened several sites around the country.”
TeleTech opened a location in Ennis, Texas, two years ago that has grown to a staff of 800, Baxter said.
In Hopkinsville, Ky., 400 jobs became 700 while 150 jobs became 556 at TeleTech’s Paducah, Ky., site, Baxter noted.
“We’ve done a nice job keeping up with this pace,” he said.
Baxter also praised Sher-wood’s economic development director, Barry Sellers, for being the “linchpin” in TeleTech moving to the city.
He added, “We often find that colleges are great partners with us, not just in the beginning, but long term in terms of sourcing employees and finding a place to continue education.”
Bentley Wallace of Pulaski Technical College, the largest two-year college in the state, was one of three speakers at the grand opening. He said he was happy to help as PTC is committed to providing world-class workforce training and helping launch new enterprise.
Wallace noted that he was invited to an April 2013 Arkansas Economic Development Commission training session in Sherwood on attracting and retaining good jobs.
During that session, “I realized that the passion and desire to bring good jobs to Sherwood and retain good jobs in Sherwood was there among that group,” he said. “I’m so pleased today to see the fruits of that labor and that passion playing out.”
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman also spoke at the grand opening.
She said, “We are very excited that TeleTech has chosen Sherwood to be a part of their family. It’s going to be a great partnership between the two entities and, not only for Sherwood, but for central Arkansas. So we’re excited about the jobs and the potential it has for us.
“No success is gained alone. None of us are successful by ourselves. This has been a very huge team effort,” Hillman said.
She named Sellers, state Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock), the Metro Little Rock Alliance, Pulaski Technical College, Gov. Mike Beebe and his staff, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and local elected officials as essential players in the deal to bring TeleTech here.
Baxter said TeleTech’s global public health insurance operation is serving Fortune 500 companies with 41,000 employees on nearly every continent.
Sellers said some of those who apply for open positions at TeleTech will be trained as licensed health-care agents.
To view open positions and apply, visit http://www.teletechjobs.com/.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot seniors sweep Benton
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot-Centennial Bank Senior American Legion team pulled off a doubleheader sweep of Benton on Saturday in Saline County. Cabot won by scores of 8-1 and 7-5 to improve to 13-9 on the season and head into the Zone 3 tournament with some momentum.
In game one, left-handed pitcher Ryan Logan scattered seven hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking no one in getting the win. Cabot got just two more hits than Benton. Sportshop starting pitcher Andrew Swaim gave up just three hits in three innings of work, but struggled with control. Swaim walked five Cabot batters while the home team’s defense committed three errors behind him. Most of that came in the second inning when Cabot scored three of its runs.
Grayson Cole started the second-inning rally by drawing a leadoff walk. After an out, Dylan Bowers reached on a fielder’s choice that also left Cole safe at second. Grant Bell then hit a single to load the bases and Conner Vocque singled to score a run. After another out, Logan and Adam Hicks drew RBI walks to make it 3-0.
That’s how it stayed over the next four innings before Centennial Bank blew it open in the seventh.
Tristan Bulice started the rally with one out when he took a pitch to the hip. Cole and Lee Sullivan hit back-to-back singles to load the bases. Two runs then scored when Hayden Vinson hit into an error in left field. Vinson became the second out when he was thrown out on a fielder’s choice by Bell. Sullivan also scored on the play, leaving just Bell at first. Vocque’s grounder to second base was mishandled, leaving both runners safe. Kason Kimbrell walked to load the bases. Logan then singled to left to score Bell and Vocque, but Kimbrell was thrown out at third from centerfield to end the inning.
Benton finally got on the board with a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt and two more base hits, but could not manage a serious rally.
Game two took on a very different route to Cabot’s victory. The Centennial Bank squad fell into a 5-0 hole after three innings, but cleaned up its defense and took advantage of a Benton pitching change to come away with the victory.
Zachary Patterson started on the mound for Cabot and threw three and two-thirds innings. He gave up four of Benton’s five hits while walking five and striking out eight of the 11 outs he recorded, but the defense fell apart behind him, committing five errors that helped the host team, though Cabot was home team on the scoreboard for game two, to a 5-0 lead by the middle of the fourth.
Benton starting pitcher Wesley Ramsey held Cabot hitless in his three innings of work, but Centennial Bank pounced on reliever Tyler Hamilton in the fourth. Cabot scored three runs on one hit and three Benton errors to make it 5-3.
Cabot got another run back in the fifth when Vocque reached second base on an error in right field, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a wild pitch.
Cabot took the lead and set the final margin in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a Bowers leadoff double. Bell walked and Sullivan bunted the runners into scoring position for the first out.
Vocque then singled to center field to drive in both base runners, and advanced to second when Ramsey misplayed the hop. Kimbrell then singled to right-center field to score Vocque and set the final margin.
Cabot begins play in the Zone 3 tournament at Hendrix College at 4:30 p.m. Friday against Bentonville.
Leader sports editor
The Cabot-Centennial Bank Senior American Legion team pulled off a doubleheader sweep of Benton on Saturday in Saline County. Cabot won by scores of 8-1 and 7-5 to improve to 13-9 on the season and head into the Zone 3 tournament with some momentum.
In game one, left-handed pitcher Ryan Logan scattered seven hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking no one in getting the win. Cabot got just two more hits than Benton. Sportshop starting pitcher Andrew Swaim gave up just three hits in three innings of work, but struggled with control. Swaim walked five Cabot batters while the home team’s defense committed three errors behind him. Most of that came in the second inning when Cabot scored three of its runs.
Grayson Cole started the second-inning rally by drawing a leadoff walk. After an out, Dylan Bowers reached on a fielder’s choice that also left Cole safe at second. Grant Bell then hit a single to load the bases and Conner Vocque singled to score a run. After another out, Logan and Adam Hicks drew RBI walks to make it 3-0.
That’s how it stayed over the next four innings before Centennial Bank blew it open in the seventh.
Tristan Bulice started the rally with one out when he took a pitch to the hip. Cole and Lee Sullivan hit back-to-back singles to load the bases. Two runs then scored when Hayden Vinson hit into an error in left field. Vinson became the second out when he was thrown out on a fielder’s choice by Bell. Sullivan also scored on the play, leaving just Bell at first. Vocque’s grounder to second base was mishandled, leaving both runners safe. Kason Kimbrell walked to load the bases. Logan then singled to left to score Bell and Vocque, but Kimbrell was thrown out at third from centerfield to end the inning.
Benton finally got on the board with a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt and two more base hits, but could not manage a serious rally.
Game two took on a very different route to Cabot’s victory. The Centennial Bank squad fell into a 5-0 hole after three innings, but cleaned up its defense and took advantage of a Benton pitching change to come away with the victory.
Zachary Patterson started on the mound for Cabot and threw three and two-thirds innings. He gave up four of Benton’s five hits while walking five and striking out eight of the 11 outs he recorded, but the defense fell apart behind him, committing five errors that helped the host team, though Cabot was home team on the scoreboard for game two, to a 5-0 lead by the middle of the fourth.
Benton starting pitcher Wesley Ramsey held Cabot hitless in his three innings of work, but Centennial Bank pounced on reliever Tyler Hamilton in the fourth. Cabot scored three runs on one hit and three Benton errors to make it 5-3.
Cabot got another run back in the fifth when Vocque reached second base on an error in right field, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a wild pitch.
Cabot took the lead and set the final margin in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a Bowers leadoff double. Bell walked and Sullivan bunted the runners into scoring position for the first out.
Vocque then singled to center field to drive in both base runners, and advanced to second when Ramsey misplayed the hop. Kimbrell then singled to right-center field to score Vocque and set the final margin.
Cabot begins play in the Zone 3 tournament at Hendrix College at 4:30 p.m. Friday against Bentonville.
SPORTS STORY >> Eight Bears qualify for nationwide track meets
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Eight Sylvan Hills Middle School and High School athletes have qualified for Junior Olympic track meets in Iowa, Missouri and Texas this summer. Sylvan Hills girls’ track coach Grover Garrison took several athletes to the USATF Regional meet at Hendrix College that took place last Thursday through Saturday. Seven girls and one boy qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa, and six girls qualified for the United States Amateur Track and Field Junior Olympics in Humble, Texas.
“It’s very exciting,” said Garrison. “Four going into high school and three in middle school qualified. It certainly looks like things are going in the right direction.”
Sprinter O’Shayla Muldrow, who is entering eighth grade, qualified for both national meets in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She took second place in the 100m with a time of 13.56 and second in the 200 with a 27.42. She was also second in the 400m with a time of 1:03.31.
She can compete in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays in Iowa, and the 400-meter race in Texas. Her classmate Katelyn Burnett qualified for both events in the middle distance races, garnering a top-5 finish in the 800m and winning the 1,500-meter race with a time of 5:34.93.
Jordan Sanders, who is entering seventh grade at SHMS, will join Muldrow on 4x400 relay and could also run in the AAU 400-meter race.
At the high-school level, senior-to-be Justis Jakes qualified for both nationals in the 800-meter race. Junior Kristal McLennan qualified to throw discus at both national meets with a 74-feet, three-inch throw and fourth-place finish, and also qualified for the USATF in the shot put by finishing in fifth place.
The quarter-mile distance appears to be a real strength for Lady Bear runners, as a pair of ninth-graders qualified in the 400 as well.
Erykah Sanders will run in the AAU 400 and 4x400, while classmate Chanel Miller will also run in the AAU 4x400, and also qualified for the USATF nationals in the triple jump.
Freshman Malik Strong qualified for the AAU meet in Joplin, Mo., with a top-4 finish in the triple jump.
The meets run almost simultaneously, with the USATF meet running from July 21-27, and the AAU meet going from July 27 to Aug. 2. Garrison did not indicate which athletes will compete at which event.
Garrison is also starting a cross country program for Sylvan Hills athletics as well. The roster and schedules are not yet set, but the season begins on Sept. 4.
Jacksonville coach Hank Hawk and North Pulaski coach Todd Romaine are also starting cross country programs, giving the 5A-Central four teams with the addition of Beebe, who has a longstanding and competitive XC program, to the conference for the next two years.
Leader sports editor
Eight Sylvan Hills Middle School and High School athletes have qualified for Junior Olympic track meets in Iowa, Missouri and Texas this summer. Sylvan Hills girls’ track coach Grover Garrison took several athletes to the USATF Regional meet at Hendrix College that took place last Thursday through Saturday. Seven girls and one boy qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa, and six girls qualified for the United States Amateur Track and Field Junior Olympics in Humble, Texas.
“It’s very exciting,” said Garrison. “Four going into high school and three in middle school qualified. It certainly looks like things are going in the right direction.”
Sprinter O’Shayla Muldrow, who is entering eighth grade, qualified for both national meets in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She took second place in the 100m with a time of 13.56 and second in the 200 with a 27.42. She was also second in the 400m with a time of 1:03.31.
She can compete in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays in Iowa, and the 400-meter race in Texas. Her classmate Katelyn Burnett qualified for both events in the middle distance races, garnering a top-5 finish in the 800m and winning the 1,500-meter race with a time of 5:34.93.
Jordan Sanders, who is entering seventh grade at SHMS, will join Muldrow on 4x400 relay and could also run in the AAU 400-meter race.
At the high-school level, senior-to-be Justis Jakes qualified for both nationals in the 800-meter race. Junior Kristal McLennan qualified to throw discus at both national meets with a 74-feet, three-inch throw and fourth-place finish, and also qualified for the USATF in the shot put by finishing in fifth place.
The quarter-mile distance appears to be a real strength for Lady Bear runners, as a pair of ninth-graders qualified in the 400 as well.
Erykah Sanders will run in the AAU 400 and 4x400, while classmate Chanel Miller will also run in the AAU 4x400, and also qualified for the USATF nationals in the triple jump.
Freshman Malik Strong qualified for the AAU meet in Joplin, Mo., with a top-4 finish in the triple jump.
The meets run almost simultaneously, with the USATF meet running from July 21-27, and the AAU meet going from July 27 to Aug. 2. Garrison did not indicate which athletes will compete at which event.
Garrison is also starting a cross country program for Sylvan Hills athletics as well. The roster and schedules are not yet set, but the season begins on Sept. 4.
Jacksonville coach Hank Hawk and North Pulaski coach Todd Romaine are also starting cross country programs, giving the 5A-Central four teams with the addition of Beebe, who has a longstanding and competitive XC program, to the conference for the next two years.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot Red still alive after win over Mt. Home
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Red-Centennial Bank Junior American Legion team stayed alive after three days of play in the Junior American Legion state tournament at Burns Park in North Little Rock. Cabot opened the tournament with a minor upset, handing Paragould’s 29-7 Glen Sain-Ford team a 4-2 loss. That put them into a winners’ bracket semifinal game against defending state champion Bryant, where the Blacksox prevailed 2-1.
Facing elimination on Monday, Cabot beat Mountain Home 7-4 to keep state championship hopes alive.
“Someone said after we lost like we did up there to Heber last week, that Heber woke us up,” said Cabot assistant David Smith, who took the reigns Monday in head coach Justin Moore’s absence. “We’ve played really good baseball since then. We got three more big wins up there, and we’ve two more here. We lost to Bryant, who’s really probably the best team in this tournament. Gavin Tillery pitched a great game against them, they got a couple of big hits late in the game that made the difference. We had two errors today, but overall we’ve played really solid baseball since that loss. You have to be pleased with that.”
In Monday’s win, Cabot scored two runs in the top of the first and four in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Mountain Home’s Hooper Environmental Services team, 18-10, chipped away slowly at the lead, pulling to within 6-4 after six innings. HES scored one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the sixth, but Cabot pitcher Mike Havard got out of each jam with timely strikeouts and good defense behind him.
In the seventh inning, Havard walked Brody Ninemire to start the inning. But Luke Kinder hit a hardgrounder to third base, where Braden Jarnagin made the play, threw to second base where Bobby Duncan relayed to first for the 5-4-3 double play. Havard then walked Ethan Roark, but got seven-hole hitter Ryan Czanstkowski looking at a vicious curve ball to end the game.
Cabot took the lead quickly in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Blake McCutchen singled to left field. Catcher Denver Mullins then singled with one out and both runners scored when cleanup hitter Easton Seidl singled to right field.
In the top of the second, Cabot’s first four batters reached base and all four scored. Tillery hit a leadoff single before Duncan was hit by a pitch.
Havard then singled, followed by another hit by McCutchen that made it 3-0. After two consecutive outs, Seidl’s grounder to third base was mishandled, allowing McCutchen to score and make it 6-0.
Cabot’s final run came in the last inning. Jarnagin hit a leadoff single to left field. With one out, Seidl hit a one-hop double off the base of the wall in left field to score Jarnagin and set the final margin.
McCutchen and Seidl each got two hits to lead the Centennial Bank squad, which finished with nine total base hits.
Havard went the distance for the win, scattering nine base hits while walking and striking out four.
Cabot, 19-11, was scheduled to play another elimination game at 5 p.m. Tuesday after The Leader deadlines. Look for details of that or any subsequent state tournament game in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Red-Centennial Bank Junior American Legion team stayed alive after three days of play in the Junior American Legion state tournament at Burns Park in North Little Rock. Cabot opened the tournament with a minor upset, handing Paragould’s 29-7 Glen Sain-Ford team a 4-2 loss. That put them into a winners’ bracket semifinal game against defending state champion Bryant, where the Blacksox prevailed 2-1.
Facing elimination on Monday, Cabot beat Mountain Home 7-4 to keep state championship hopes alive.
“Someone said after we lost like we did up there to Heber last week, that Heber woke us up,” said Cabot assistant David Smith, who took the reigns Monday in head coach Justin Moore’s absence. “We’ve played really good baseball since then. We got three more big wins up there, and we’ve two more here. We lost to Bryant, who’s really probably the best team in this tournament. Gavin Tillery pitched a great game against them, they got a couple of big hits late in the game that made the difference. We had two errors today, but overall we’ve played really solid baseball since that loss. You have to be pleased with that.”
In Monday’s win, Cabot scored two runs in the top of the first and four in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Mountain Home’s Hooper Environmental Services team, 18-10, chipped away slowly at the lead, pulling to within 6-4 after six innings. HES scored one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the sixth, but Cabot pitcher Mike Havard got out of each jam with timely strikeouts and good defense behind him.
In the seventh inning, Havard walked Brody Ninemire to start the inning. But Luke Kinder hit a hardgrounder to third base, where Braden Jarnagin made the play, threw to second base where Bobby Duncan relayed to first for the 5-4-3 double play. Havard then walked Ethan Roark, but got seven-hole hitter Ryan Czanstkowski looking at a vicious curve ball to end the game.
Cabot took the lead quickly in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Blake McCutchen singled to left field. Catcher Denver Mullins then singled with one out and both runners scored when cleanup hitter Easton Seidl singled to right field.
In the top of the second, Cabot’s first four batters reached base and all four scored. Tillery hit a leadoff single before Duncan was hit by a pitch.
Havard then singled, followed by another hit by McCutchen that made it 3-0. After two consecutive outs, Seidl’s grounder to third base was mishandled, allowing McCutchen to score and make it 6-0.
Cabot’s final run came in the last inning. Jarnagin hit a leadoff single to left field. With one out, Seidl hit a one-hop double off the base of the wall in left field to score Jarnagin and set the final margin.
McCutchen and Seidl each got two hits to lead the Centennial Bank squad, which finished with nine total base hits.
Havard went the distance for the win, scattering nine base hits while walking and striking out four.
Cabot, 19-11, was scheduled to play another elimination game at 5 p.m. Tuesday after The Leader deadlines. Look for details of that or any subsequent state tournament game in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
EDITORIAL >> Public must be informed
Editor’s note: This editorial from Dec. 21, 2013, won the Arkansas Press Association’s newspaper contest for editorial writing on Saturday. The Jacksonville Police Department is meeting today to reconsider its policy of not notifying the public about armed robberies when no one is hurt or only a small amount of money is stolen. The suspect in the case will go on trial next month.
The Jacksonville Police Department kept residents in the dark about a string of armed robberies at ATM machines — which ended in the shooting death of a 23-year-old man — under the premise that they were investigating those cases. Meanwhile, people continued to be victimized while using cash machines at night.
Perhaps if police would have thought to alert the public to be more vigilant at ATMs after dark, Jacksonville might not be closing out 2013 with a fourth murder.
“If you see something, say something” clearly did not apply to Jacksonville police officers when it came to notifying the public.
The police reports were hidden from the media, so the public didn’t know there was a dangerous serial ATM robber on the loose in their community. It took more than three weeks before the police made an arrest, although last weekend’s fatal shooting clearly put pressure on the police department to make an arrest.
Law-enforcement officials often withhold crime reports from the public — including this newspaper — to ensure they don’t disclose something that could later compromise their chances of getting a conviction in court. But, oftentimes when reports are concealed, it appears the motivation is to hide from view crimes that will reflect poorly on police departments and the community.
When the FBI releases its annual crime statistics, rape cases are almost always reported, even though they were not previously released by local police departments. That smacks of a public-relations effort rather than solid police work.
Police are not the owners of public information; they are merely temporary custodians of it.
In defense of keeping the robberies quiet, Capt. Kenny Boyd, spokesman for the Jacksonville Police Department, said, “We don’t want to give all of our clues out so quickly.”
That implies officers were following up on clues that would lead to an arrest. But incident reports should be released immediately, without tipping off a criminal to what the police know about him. In this case, investigators were not aggressive enough in tracking down a suspect who carried out his crimes on a bicycle while armed with a semi-automatic pistol.
Lerome Deshawn Kelley, 19, a homeless youth, admitted to officers that he shot Marcus Israel on Dec. 13 as he was withdrawing $20 from the ATM at First Arkansas Bank on Main Street. Israel fled from his alleged killer instead of handing over the money. Kelley has pleaded not guilty, but the police department said he admitted to robbing customers at Bank of America on Nov. 28 and Nov. 30. He also confessed to holding up an employee at Sonic on the day of the murder.
Residents who generously financed a new $6 million state-of-the-art police department on Marshall Road deserve to be informed when they are at risk of being victimized. Otherwise, they are easy prey for criminals.
We don’t expect police officers to get it right all the time, but public safety should always come first. In this tragic series of ATM robberies, the public’s need to know was sadly ignored.
The Jacksonville Police Department kept residents in the dark about a string of armed robberies at ATM machines — which ended in the shooting death of a 23-year-old man — under the premise that they were investigating those cases. Meanwhile, people continued to be victimized while using cash machines at night.
Perhaps if police would have thought to alert the public to be more vigilant at ATMs after dark, Jacksonville might not be closing out 2013 with a fourth murder.
“If you see something, say something” clearly did not apply to Jacksonville police officers when it came to notifying the public.
The police reports were hidden from the media, so the public didn’t know there was a dangerous serial ATM robber on the loose in their community. It took more than three weeks before the police made an arrest, although last weekend’s fatal shooting clearly put pressure on the police department to make an arrest.
Law-enforcement officials often withhold crime reports from the public — including this newspaper — to ensure they don’t disclose something that could later compromise their chances of getting a conviction in court. But, oftentimes when reports are concealed, it appears the motivation is to hide from view crimes that will reflect poorly on police departments and the community.
When the FBI releases its annual crime statistics, rape cases are almost always reported, even though they were not previously released by local police departments. That smacks of a public-relations effort rather than solid police work.
Police are not the owners of public information; they are merely temporary custodians of it.
In defense of keeping the robberies quiet, Capt. Kenny Boyd, spokesman for the Jacksonville Police Department, said, “We don’t want to give all of our clues out so quickly.”
That implies officers were following up on clues that would lead to an arrest. But incident reports should be released immediately, without tipping off a criminal to what the police know about him. In this case, investigators were not aggressive enough in tracking down a suspect who carried out his crimes on a bicycle while armed with a semi-automatic pistol.
Lerome Deshawn Kelley, 19, a homeless youth, admitted to officers that he shot Marcus Israel on Dec. 13 as he was withdrawing $20 from the ATM at First Arkansas Bank on Main Street. Israel fled from his alleged killer instead of handing over the money. Kelley has pleaded not guilty, but the police department said he admitted to robbing customers at Bank of America on Nov. 28 and Nov. 30. He also confessed to holding up an employee at Sonic on the day of the murder.
Residents who generously financed a new $6 million state-of-the-art police department on Marshall Road deserve to be informed when they are at risk of being victimized. Otherwise, they are easy prey for criminals.
We don’t expect police officers to get it right all the time, but public safety should always come first. In this tragic series of ATM robberies, the public’s need to know was sadly ignored.
TOP STORY >> Museums focus on World War I
The Lonoke County Museum and Cabot’s Museum of American History are seeking local artifacts from World War I to preserve and display in exhibits commemorating the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into the Great War in three years.
The museums hope to collect as much of this history as possible in the next few months to preserve it before it is lost forever. The staffs of the museums are asking that people who have diaries, letters, documents, photos or stories of relatives who served in the war and would like to share them with others to contact the museums.
The museums especially want items from Lonoke County soldiers, but all World War I items are sought.
“We are hoping that people will donate the original items to the museum,” said Mike Polston, director of the Museum of American History. “That way they can be cared for and preserved for future generations. If donation is not an option, the museum would like to preserve copies of the material.
“Diaries and letters would be transcribed and photos copied and returned to the original owners. The copies would then be preserved in the museum collections for future research,” he continued.
The items will be added to the museums’ First World War current exhibits as well as future ones.
It is hoped that several exhibits can be developed from the new materials collected. One proposed exhibit will concentrate on just Lonoke County. A photo exhibit will be developed on the role of Lonoke County in the war.
The exhibit will consist of photos of individual soldiers, Eberts Field in Lonoke, where pilots and air crew trained, and any other war activities conducted throughout the county.
Lonoke County Museum director Sherryl Miller, said, “We have not seen any photos of county patriotic activities, such as bond rallies or parades, but we are sure they must exist.”
Once completed, the photo exhibits will be displayed at each museum and perhaps at different locations around the county.
Polston said, “This is a countywide project and will only be successful if people throughout the county will share their family’s history with all of us. Don’t let history fade away into a memory. Become proactive and help preserve it.”
To contribute World War I memorabilia, call Polston at 501-286-9665 or Miller at 501-676-6750.
The museums hope to collect as much of this history as possible in the next few months to preserve it before it is lost forever. The staffs of the museums are asking that people who have diaries, letters, documents, photos or stories of relatives who served in the war and would like to share them with others to contact the museums.
The museums especially want items from Lonoke County soldiers, but all World War I items are sought.
“We are hoping that people will donate the original items to the museum,” said Mike Polston, director of the Museum of American History. “That way they can be cared for and preserved for future generations. If donation is not an option, the museum would like to preserve copies of the material.
“Diaries and letters would be transcribed and photos copied and returned to the original owners. The copies would then be preserved in the museum collections for future research,” he continued.
The items will be added to the museums’ First World War current exhibits as well as future ones.
It is hoped that several exhibits can be developed from the new materials collected. One proposed exhibit will concentrate on just Lonoke County. A photo exhibit will be developed on the role of Lonoke County in the war.
The exhibit will consist of photos of individual soldiers, Eberts Field in Lonoke, where pilots and air crew trained, and any other war activities conducted throughout the county.
Lonoke County Museum director Sherryl Miller, said, “We have not seen any photos of county patriotic activities, such as bond rallies or parades, but we are sure they must exist.”
Once completed, the photo exhibits will be displayed at each museum and perhaps at different locations around the county.
Polston said, “This is a countywide project and will only be successful if people throughout the county will share their family’s history with all of us. Don’t let history fade away into a memory. Become proactive and help preserve it.”
To contribute World War I memorabilia, call Polston at 501-286-9665 or Miller at 501-676-6750.
TOP STORY >> Top news, editorial prizes go to Leader
The Leader garnered 29 awards, including first-place awards for hard-nose reporting and tell-it-like-it-is editorials, at the annual Arkansas Press Association meeting.
Overall, the newspaper and its staff were honored with five first-place awards, five second-place awards, six third-place awards and 10 honorable mentions.
The newspaper also placed second for general excellence in the large weekly division.
Staff writer Rick Kron took first-place honors in investigative reporting about North Metro’s financial problems and in-depth series reporting about the wet-dry issue.
The judges — reporters, editors and publishers from Tennessee — said about his hospital article, “Kron sounds a clear warning to the community in this well-written piece. Love the details about broken clocks, unfilled hand sanitizers. Stay with this story.”
Kron, along with Sarah Campbell and Joan McCoy, took first in education coverage.
“Excellent writing, coverage and initiative. Best example of seeking out news stories rather than simply reprinting school press releases. Good use of art, as well,” the judges, wrote.
Creative Editor Christy Hendricks and Editor Jonathan Feldman won first-place honors for best front page. According to the judges, the page was a “clean, inviting design with effective layering. Clear page hierarchy guided the reader through this page.”
Feldman also took first place in editorial writing with his piece on the “Public must be informed.” (See Editorial column at left)
Campbell took home a second-place award in feature writing with her story, “Young witness tells of evils in Nazi Germany.” The judges said it was “an interesting read with very good, detailed, gripping quotes.”
Campbell also took second place in investigative reporting with her report on Pulaski County Special School District’s discipline rates.
Sports editor Ray Benton and sports writer Graham Powell took second for Best Sports Page. The judges liked the photography and variety of articles.
Campbell, Kron, writers Jeffrey Smith and John Hofheimer, as a group, took second in coverage of health and medical. The judges called the collection of articles “well written.”
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake Barreiro’s story on a detailed look at raising an autistic daughter took second in the freelance category.
Campbell took third in the news story category with her article “Amidst fears, firearms sales spike.” Benton took third in sports column writing for “Red Devils, Panthers look strong.”
Publisher Garrick Feldman took third in the news/political column division with his “Waiting for Big Brother” piece. Editorial writer Ernie Dumas took third for “Ignorance no excuse.”
Photographer David Scolli took third in the single sports feature photograph competition.
Hofheimer, Smith, Campbell and Kron took third-place honors in the business/agricultural coverage competition.
Hendricks and Lisa Tigue took third for best website.
Honorable mention awards went to Hofheimer in the news story competition and Managing Editor Eileen Feldman for her “For a Pledge of Allegiance” editorial. Benton took two honorable mentions in the sports news story category.
Campbell and Kron both received honorable mentions for beat reporting. Scolli received three honorable-mention awards for his sports photography.
The newspaper also received honorable-mention awards for its high school football and graduation special sections.
Overall, the newspaper and its staff were honored with five first-place awards, five second-place awards, six third-place awards and 10 honorable mentions.
The newspaper also placed second for general excellence in the large weekly division.
Staff writer Rick Kron took first-place honors in investigative reporting about North Metro’s financial problems and in-depth series reporting about the wet-dry issue.
The judges — reporters, editors and publishers from Tennessee — said about his hospital article, “Kron sounds a clear warning to the community in this well-written piece. Love the details about broken clocks, unfilled hand sanitizers. Stay with this story.”
Kron, along with Sarah Campbell and Joan McCoy, took first in education coverage.
“Excellent writing, coverage and initiative. Best example of seeking out news stories rather than simply reprinting school press releases. Good use of art, as well,” the judges, wrote.
Creative Editor Christy Hendricks and Editor Jonathan Feldman won first-place honors for best front page. According to the judges, the page was a “clean, inviting design with effective layering. Clear page hierarchy guided the reader through this page.”
Feldman also took first place in editorial writing with his piece on the “Public must be informed.” (See Editorial column at left)
Campbell took home a second-place award in feature writing with her story, “Young witness tells of evils in Nazi Germany.” The judges said it was “an interesting read with very good, detailed, gripping quotes.”
Campbell also took second place in investigative reporting with her report on Pulaski County Special School District’s discipline rates.
Sports editor Ray Benton and sports writer Graham Powell took second for Best Sports Page. The judges liked the photography and variety of articles.
Campbell, Kron, writers Jeffrey Smith and John Hofheimer, as a group, took second in coverage of health and medical. The judges called the collection of articles “well written.”
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake Barreiro’s story on a detailed look at raising an autistic daughter took second in the freelance category.
Campbell took third in the news story category with her article “Amidst fears, firearms sales spike.” Benton took third in sports column writing for “Red Devils, Panthers look strong.”
Publisher Garrick Feldman took third in the news/political column division with his “Waiting for Big Brother” piece. Editorial writer Ernie Dumas took third for “Ignorance no excuse.”
Photographer David Scolli took third in the single sports feature photograph competition.
Hofheimer, Smith, Campbell and Kron took third-place honors in the business/agricultural coverage competition.
Hendricks and Lisa Tigue took third for best website.
Honorable mention awards went to Hofheimer in the news story competition and Managing Editor Eileen Feldman for her “For a Pledge of Allegiance” editorial. Benton took two honorable mentions in the sports news story category.
Campbell and Kron both received honorable mentions for beat reporting. Scolli received three honorable-mention awards for his sports photography.
The newspaper also received honorable-mention awards for its high school football and graduation special sections.
TOP STORY >> Reserve unit is soaring to new heights
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The Air Force Reserve Command’s 913th Airlift Group was activated at Little Rock Air Force Base with the presentation of the unit’s new guidon during a ceremony on Sunday.
Sitting outside the hangar was a C-130 with the 913th Tail Flash as each of 913th units’ guidons were unfurled.
The 913th AG takes the place of the 22nd Air Force, Detachment 1, which was activated in March 2011 with two people. It has since grown to more than 500 reservists and is authorized to grow to more than 800 people. The group has an annual budget of $20 million.
Maj. Gen. Mark A. Kyle, commander of 22nd Air Force, presented the unit’s new guidon to Col. Edsel A. (Archie) Frye Jr., the group’s commander, who organized the unit from its beginning.
Frye said the activation gives the 913th airmen a tremendous sense of pride.
“It is the equivalent of an American gaining their citizenship for over the past three and half years,” Frye said.
Frye said the activation gives the 913th an identity in the mission of combat tactical airlift. It helps with recruiting. It gives a sense of permanence and credibility.
“It allows us to build a legacy. When people see our patch, they’ll say that’s a great unit,” Frye said.
The 913th has 10 C-130 H-models and will increase to 12. The 913th shares aircraft and facilities with the 50th Airlift Squadron of the 19th Airlift Wing to use their resources more efficiently.
The planes assigned to the new group increases the number of C-130s at Little Rock to 95, with 41 of them C-130Js and about 50 more the older C-130H models.
Frye explained the 913th patch. The falcon swiftly moves when called. The globe is the scale of reach being anywhere with C-130s. The “Omnes Prosperant” motto means “everyone prospers.” If the airmen work hard to succeed, leadership will be a mentor and offer a roadmap to success, he said.
Most of the 913th civilian airmen serve parttime and work locally. They have drill one weekend a month and two weeks each year.
The 913th consists of a headquarters unit, the 327th Airlift Squadron, the 913th Operation Support Squadron, the 913th Maintenance Squadron, the 96th Aerial Port Squadron, the 913th Force Support Flight and the 913th Aerospace Medical Squadron.
Approximately 28 percent of the Reservists work fulltime as Air Reserve technicians and civil servants, while the rest are traditional Reservists.
Their slogan is “Stationed locally — serving globally.”
Some make $70,000 a year.
Frye previously commanded the 931st Air Refueling Group at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan.
The unit’s new designation is a reactivation of the 913th, a Reserve unit of the 22nd Air Force that was deactivated in September 2007 at its home station of Willow Grove, Penn.
The 913th has its own headquarters on base and has worked alongside the 314th Airlift Wing and 189th Airlift Wing for nearly three years as part of the formal training unit mission at Little Rock Air Force Base.
The unit began transitioning to a combat mission last October and is integrated with the 19th Airlift Wing’s 50th Airlift Squadron and their aircraft maintenance unit.
Leader staff writer
The Air Force Reserve Command’s 913th Airlift Group was activated at Little Rock Air Force Base with the presentation of the unit’s new guidon during a ceremony on Sunday.
Sitting outside the hangar was a C-130 with the 913th Tail Flash as each of 913th units’ guidons were unfurled.
The 913th AG takes the place of the 22nd Air Force, Detachment 1, which was activated in March 2011 with two people. It has since grown to more than 500 reservists and is authorized to grow to more than 800 people. The group has an annual budget of $20 million.
Maj. Gen. Mark A. Kyle, commander of 22nd Air Force, presented the unit’s new guidon to Col. Edsel A. (Archie) Frye Jr., the group’s commander, who organized the unit from its beginning.
Frye said the activation gives the 913th airmen a tremendous sense of pride.
“It is the equivalent of an American gaining their citizenship for over the past three and half years,” Frye said.
Frye said the activation gives the 913th an identity in the mission of combat tactical airlift. It helps with recruiting. It gives a sense of permanence and credibility.
“It allows us to build a legacy. When people see our patch, they’ll say that’s a great unit,” Frye said.
The 913th has 10 C-130 H-models and will increase to 12. The 913th shares aircraft and facilities with the 50th Airlift Squadron of the 19th Airlift Wing to use their resources more efficiently.
The planes assigned to the new group increases the number of C-130s at Little Rock to 95, with 41 of them C-130Js and about 50 more the older C-130H models.
Frye explained the 913th patch. The falcon swiftly moves when called. The globe is the scale of reach being anywhere with C-130s. The “Omnes Prosperant” motto means “everyone prospers.” If the airmen work hard to succeed, leadership will be a mentor and offer a roadmap to success, he said.
Most of the 913th civilian airmen serve parttime and work locally. They have drill one weekend a month and two weeks each year.
The 913th consists of a headquarters unit, the 327th Airlift Squadron, the 913th Operation Support Squadron, the 913th Maintenance Squadron, the 96th Aerial Port Squadron, the 913th Force Support Flight and the 913th Aerospace Medical Squadron.
Approximately 28 percent of the Reservists work fulltime as Air Reserve technicians and civil servants, while the rest are traditional Reservists.
Their slogan is “Stationed locally — serving globally.”
Some make $70,000 a year.
Frye previously commanded the 931st Air Refueling Group at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan.
The unit’s new designation is a reactivation of the 913th, a Reserve unit of the 22nd Air Force that was deactivated in September 2007 at its home station of Willow Grove, Penn.
The 913th has its own headquarters on base and has worked alongside the 314th Airlift Wing and 189th Airlift Wing for nearly three years as part of the formal training unit mission at Little Rock Air Force Base.
The unit began transitioning to a combat mission last October and is integrated with the 19th Airlift Wing’s 50th Airlift Squadron and their aircraft maintenance unit.
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