By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Junior Team 1 American Legion team finished the regular season with a doubleheader split Monday at home against Lake Hamilton. Cabot beat Lake Hamilton’s junior team 5-4 then fell 6-5 to Lake Hamilton’s AA team Monday night at Cabot City Park.
The games’ results leaves the Cabot junior team with an overall season record of 19-13 heading into the junior zone tournament that begins Thursday at Vince De Salvo Stadium at Burns Park in North Little Rock.
In game one, the Centennial Bank team went up 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning only to see the entire lead vanish in the top of the third. Tristan Bulice put Cabot back in front in the bottom of the third with a solo home run, and Lake Hamilton tied it again in the top of the fourth before Cabot got the win with a run in the bottom of the same inning.
Dylan Bowers faced all but one Lake Hamilton batter, giving up six hits and two earned runs in his time in the mound.
Austin Nell got the final out for the save.
Cabot fell behind 6-1 in game two before rallying late and nearly tying the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Centennial Bank team scored three runs in the sixth inning to make it 6-4, then another with one out in the seventh before falling just short.
In the sixth inning, Bulice doubled to left field with one out, it was the sixth base hit in seven at bats for the Cabot catcher. He then scored on an error at shortstop off the bat of Jonathan Latture.
Kyle Kaufman then put down a bunt single that also scored Latture. He then scored on a double steal.
In the seventh inning, Adam Hicks walked and Knudsen singled to right field. Both base runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch with Bulice at the plate. Bulice then singled to right field to score Hicks. Knudsen also attempted to advance, but was thrown out at home plate.
Latture then popped up to the pitcher for the third out to end the ball game.
“It’s starting to come around,” Cabot coach Chris Gross said. “Tristan Bulice is just killing it. We’re starting to get some good pitching. Hopefully we’ll keep putting things together in the zone tournament.”
Knudsen started on the mound and pitched two-and-a-third innings. The senior Wolves got seven hits and five earned runs in that time before Knudsen yielded to Gavin Tillery. Lake Hamilton got one run off Tillery, but not much else. In his four-and-two-thirds innings pitched, he gave up six hits while striking out eight and walking none.
On Saturday, Cabot crushed North Little Rock 16-0.
Hicks got the shutout facing just two more batters than the minimum for five innings. He gave up one hit, struck out five and walked none.
Bulice got another home run in that win. He, Dalten Hurst and Nell each drove in two runs while Bulice and Hurst got two hits apiece. Hurst went 2 for 4, walked twice and scored four runs.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
SPORTS STORY >> A coach’s prime example
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
High school coaches in every sport see all kinds of athletes come and go. Every now and then a certain type of player comes along who coaches hate to see go. Players, average and even exceptional ones, can be and are replaced. But an attitude, an approach, a work ethic that certain players bring can’t be replaced. That’s what Jacksonville baseball coaches are going to miss about Jesse Harbin.
Harbin has been a full-time starter for the Jacksonville Red Devils since his sophomore year, and he was a part-time starter a year before that. He’s also been the pitching ace for the Red Devils and the Gwatney Chevrolet American Legion team for the past two years. His work ethic isn’t his only quality though. He does have talent, enough to garner a Division I scholarship to play for UALR. But it’s his work ethic and competitiveness that coaches glow about.
Gwatney head coach Bob Hickingbotham loves his work ethic. Red Devils coach Larry Burrows loves his competitiveness.
Hickingbotham said, “Jesse is the hardest working player I’ve had in a long time. He doesn’t ever say a word or complain about what you’re doing. If you need him on the mound he says ‘I’m ready to go coach.’ If I say I need you to do this or that, he says ‘I’m ready to go coach.’
Burrows says there were times in practice when he’d have to put the spurs to him, but he always responded.
“It was kind of a running joke,” Burrows said. “To go up to him and say OK Jesse, let’s turn it on now. When it was time to turn it on, he could turn it on. Most guys can’t do that, turn it on and off like that. He could. When the lights came on he was going to compete, and he was going to compete hard.”
Harbin hit cleanup for the Red Devils’ 2011 state championship team. He was one of two juniors, along with recently drafted D’Vone McClure, to start along with seven seniors. The team’s best hitter that season was Patrick Castleberry, who Burrows moved to the three hole because teams were pitching around him. Burrows explains putting the junior Harbin, who had a lower batting average than some teammates, behind the best hitter.
“All three of us coaches talked about who to put behind Castleberry,” Burrows said. “Maybe we shouldn’t have put him there because his average wasn’t as high as some of the others, but it was unanimous we felt like Jesse was going to compete harder than anybody.”
It paid huge dividends in the state championship game, when Harbin’s two-RBI double sent the game against heavily favored Searcy into extra innings.
Harbin says his work ethic comes naturally from different sources. He loves to play baseball, and his family has instilled a habit of setting goals and working to reach them.
“That’s the way we’ve always been,” Harbin said of his family.
Jesse Lind Harbin is the son of Robert Harbin Sr. and Mary Jo Harbin. He has two older siblings, Robert Jr. and Amber, who are more than a decade older than him..
“I was a surprise,” Jesse said, explaining the large age difference between himself and his siblings.
His approach to the game that his coaches love is something that came easy for him.
“I’ve always done that.” Harbin said. “I just want to get better than I am right now.”
After winning the high-school state title, that same group tore through the American Legion regular season before going out with a whimper in the first round of the zone tournament. Harbin watched as his teammates wore out towards the end of the summer, but says he’s never experienced that personally.
“I love it too much,” Harbin said. “If you don’t love it, it gets hard and it’s really easy for a player to get burned out. But I’ve never had that problem. There’s not a time when I get tired of it, not ever.”
Harbin initially signed with Arkansas Baptist Junior College when none of the larger schools that had been recruiting him came through with a scholarship offer. Shortly after signing with Baptist, UALR coach Scott Norwood decided to get Harbin aboard. There was no ceremony. The school sent the NCAA Letter of Intent to Harbin in the mail, and he signed it at home three weeks ago.
Despite the lack of fanfare in becoming Jacksonville’s second DI baseball signee this season, Harbin is glad to get the opportunity to play for the Trojans.
“It’s DI so I’m very excited,” Harbin said.
The Trojans were a good hitting team last season but struggled on the mound. That’s where Harbin hopes to fit in.
“I’m a good pitcher and a good fielder,” Harbin said. “I think I can contribute in those two areas. I’m not a real strong hitter but I’m pretty good and that’s going to come around. I’m definitely going to work hard at it.”
Harbin, along with McClure, saw a drastic role change on the Red Devils from their junior to senior seasons. After the seven starting seniors left, those two were the only returning starters. Things were tough on Harbin early. He lost several games on the mound despite giving very few earned runs.
“The difference between runs and earned runs were pretty bad early on,” Burrows said. “Jesse handled that really well. Him and Plucky (McClure) both did. Whenever he felt like he needed to say something to one of the younger ones, whether it was positive or negative, he went and said it. He helped keep us together when we went through a few losing streaks. Both of those guys did that really well. It could’ve gone south from there and could’ve got really bad. But those two really helped keep us together and we ended up being a little bit better I think than we were probably expecting.”
Burrows saw Harbin grow into that leader in four years of coaching him.
“Coach (Jeremiah) Clennon works hard with them on that,” Burrows said. “That’s self discipline, and he’s going to need that just in life. He wasn’t always real great at it, but most of them aren’t when they come in. Some of them learn it and some of them don’t, but Jesse learned and became a great leader for a real inexperienced team.”
Hickingbotham notices it, too.
“He works so hard, and there are times when we’re not hustling and it hurts him,” Hickingbotham said. “He don’t say anything except Come guys lets get it together, let’s get it going.”
Part of that patience comes from another rare ability that Burrows explains well.
“He can move to the next pitch,” Burrows said. “He can give up a big hit in a big game, then come back and strike out the next two. Those things don’t bother him because he’s a competitor, and he believes he can get the next guy out.”
Harbin doesn’t know yet what field of study he wants to pursue in college, but he does want to play professional baseball.
“Of course I do,” Harbin said. “Everybody kid wants to play pro ball. You just got to work hard at it.”
Just how much Harbin has meant to Burrow’s and Hickingbotham’s programs came through when they were asked to summarize No. 14.
“I don’t know anything about him except that he’s outstanding in my book,” said Hickingbotham.
“He gets it,” Burrows said. “He understands. I don’t know how to explain it but you need that type of guy just as much in practice as in a game. He makes things fun and can explain to younger guys. He did a lot for our program. I’m definitely going to miss 14.”
Leader sports editor
High school coaches in every sport see all kinds of athletes come and go. Every now and then a certain type of player comes along who coaches hate to see go. Players, average and even exceptional ones, can be and are replaced. But an attitude, an approach, a work ethic that certain players bring can’t be replaced. That’s what Jacksonville baseball coaches are going to miss about Jesse Harbin.
Harbin has been a full-time starter for the Jacksonville Red Devils since his sophomore year, and he was a part-time starter a year before that. He’s also been the pitching ace for the Red Devils and the Gwatney Chevrolet American Legion team for the past two years. His work ethic isn’t his only quality though. He does have talent, enough to garner a Division I scholarship to play for UALR. But it’s his work ethic and competitiveness that coaches glow about.
Gwatney head coach Bob Hickingbotham loves his work ethic. Red Devils coach Larry Burrows loves his competitiveness.
Hickingbotham said, “Jesse is the hardest working player I’ve had in a long time. He doesn’t ever say a word or complain about what you’re doing. If you need him on the mound he says ‘I’m ready to go coach.’ If I say I need you to do this or that, he says ‘I’m ready to go coach.’
Burrows says there were times in practice when he’d have to put the spurs to him, but he always responded.
“It was kind of a running joke,” Burrows said. “To go up to him and say OK Jesse, let’s turn it on now. When it was time to turn it on, he could turn it on. Most guys can’t do that, turn it on and off like that. He could. When the lights came on he was going to compete, and he was going to compete hard.”
Harbin hit cleanup for the Red Devils’ 2011 state championship team. He was one of two juniors, along with recently drafted D’Vone McClure, to start along with seven seniors. The team’s best hitter that season was Patrick Castleberry, who Burrows moved to the three hole because teams were pitching around him. Burrows explains putting the junior Harbin, who had a lower batting average than some teammates, behind the best hitter.
“All three of us coaches talked about who to put behind Castleberry,” Burrows said. “Maybe we shouldn’t have put him there because his average wasn’t as high as some of the others, but it was unanimous we felt like Jesse was going to compete harder than anybody.”
It paid huge dividends in the state championship game, when Harbin’s two-RBI double sent the game against heavily favored Searcy into extra innings.
Harbin says his work ethic comes naturally from different sources. He loves to play baseball, and his family has instilled a habit of setting goals and working to reach them.
“That’s the way we’ve always been,” Harbin said of his family.
Jesse Lind Harbin is the son of Robert Harbin Sr. and Mary Jo Harbin. He has two older siblings, Robert Jr. and Amber, who are more than a decade older than him..
“I was a surprise,” Jesse said, explaining the large age difference between himself and his siblings.
His approach to the game that his coaches love is something that came easy for him.
“I’ve always done that.” Harbin said. “I just want to get better than I am right now.”
After winning the high-school state title, that same group tore through the American Legion regular season before going out with a whimper in the first round of the zone tournament. Harbin watched as his teammates wore out towards the end of the summer, but says he’s never experienced that personally.
“I love it too much,” Harbin said. “If you don’t love it, it gets hard and it’s really easy for a player to get burned out. But I’ve never had that problem. There’s not a time when I get tired of it, not ever.”
Harbin initially signed with Arkansas Baptist Junior College when none of the larger schools that had been recruiting him came through with a scholarship offer. Shortly after signing with Baptist, UALR coach Scott Norwood decided to get Harbin aboard. There was no ceremony. The school sent the NCAA Letter of Intent to Harbin in the mail, and he signed it at home three weeks ago.
Despite the lack of fanfare in becoming Jacksonville’s second DI baseball signee this season, Harbin is glad to get the opportunity to play for the Trojans.
“It’s DI so I’m very excited,” Harbin said.
The Trojans were a good hitting team last season but struggled on the mound. That’s where Harbin hopes to fit in.
“I’m a good pitcher and a good fielder,” Harbin said. “I think I can contribute in those two areas. I’m not a real strong hitter but I’m pretty good and that’s going to come around. I’m definitely going to work hard at it.”
Harbin, along with McClure, saw a drastic role change on the Red Devils from their junior to senior seasons. After the seven starting seniors left, those two were the only returning starters. Things were tough on Harbin early. He lost several games on the mound despite giving very few earned runs.
“The difference between runs and earned runs were pretty bad early on,” Burrows said. “Jesse handled that really well. Him and Plucky (McClure) both did. Whenever he felt like he needed to say something to one of the younger ones, whether it was positive or negative, he went and said it. He helped keep us together when we went through a few losing streaks. Both of those guys did that really well. It could’ve gone south from there and could’ve got really bad. But those two really helped keep us together and we ended up being a little bit better I think than we were probably expecting.”
Burrows saw Harbin grow into that leader in four years of coaching him.
“Coach (Jeremiah) Clennon works hard with them on that,” Burrows said. “That’s self discipline, and he’s going to need that just in life. He wasn’t always real great at it, but most of them aren’t when they come in. Some of them learn it and some of them don’t, but Jesse learned and became a great leader for a real inexperienced team.”
Hickingbotham notices it, too.
“He works so hard, and there are times when we’re not hustling and it hurts him,” Hickingbotham said. “He don’t say anything except Come guys lets get it together, let’s get it going.”
Part of that patience comes from another rare ability that Burrows explains well.
“He can move to the next pitch,” Burrows said. “He can give up a big hit in a big game, then come back and strike out the next two. Those things don’t bother him because he’s a competitor, and he believes he can get the next guy out.”
Harbin doesn’t know yet what field of study he wants to pursue in college, but he does want to play professional baseball.
“Of course I do,” Harbin said. “Everybody kid wants to play pro ball. You just got to work hard at it.”
Just how much Harbin has meant to Burrow’s and Hickingbotham’s programs came through when they were asked to summarize No. 14.
“I don’t know anything about him except that he’s outstanding in my book,” said Hickingbotham.
“He gets it,” Burrows said. “He understands. I don’t know how to explain it but you need that type of guy just as much in practice as in a game. He makes things fun and can explain to younger guys. He did a lot for our program. I’m definitely going to miss 14.”
EDITORIAL >> Where were the crowds?
The Jacksonville Patriotic Spectacular on Sunday — an evening under the stars with free entertainment, face painting, miniature American flags and glow sticks — it’s all free, but the crowd was dismal.
Jacksonville’s population is around 30,000, and about 29,600 residents didn’t make the event.
All those people missed a good show, maybe not the best, but a good show well worth the price, which cost nothing.
Granted, the fireworks were canceled because of the dry weather conditions, but there was still the outstanding Gloryland Youth Choir from North Little Rock, up-and-coming country singer Candy Coburn and the iconic Marshall Tucker Band.
Everyone was there for an evening of fun, family, fellowship and celebrating freedom—everyone, except Jacksonville.
While Coburn was rockin’ and rollin’ with tunes from Johnny Cash, Eddie Rabbitt and songs from her newest album, the small crowd was embarrassing. Thank goodness it improved to dismal by the time the Marshall Tucker Band took the stage.
Sure it was hot, but at 95 degrees and dropping, it was cooler than the past few days and cooler than last year. A slight breeze floated through the football field frequently enough to make it comfortable. It was a cool 89 degrees by the time the Marshall Tucker Band started. The mosquitoes were almost nonexistent and the concession prices reasonable.
So Jacksonville, why weren’t you there?
One of the main reasons there is no Wing Ding Festival this year in Jacksonville is that the hard work of volunteers was not worth it because so few people attended. The same seems to be true for the Patriotic Spectacular — a lot of hard work for a small reward.
It would not be surprising if the spectacular goes the way of the dodo bird because people didn’t come out.
Sure you may not be a Marshall Tucker fan or maybe they aren’t as good as they were back in the 1970s, but it was a free, fun night to connect with family and friends and salute those who serve, which is a very large portion of the city’s population.
In 1987, when The Leader began publishing, there was not just one annual festival in the city, but two, and Jeannie C. Riley performed at a fundraiser for the Fraternal Order of Police. All had good turnouts.
But not anymore, it seems.
If residents don’t participate in these local events, Jacksonville will become the only town in the area without any local gatherings: No festivals, no concerts and no spectaculars.
Cabot has two festivals and a Fourth of July event. Beebe has a festival and a Fourth of July celebration and so does Ward.
Sherwood has an annual festival and a Fourth of July festival, and its Fourth of July program will go on this year without fireworks and without name entertainment but will probably have a bigger crowd than what showed up for Jacksonville’s free Patriotic Spectacular.
So, why weren’t residents at the Patriotic Spectacular?
Again, the excuse will be that the entertainment wasn’t good enough — by the way, those who were there will tell you the entertainment was very good — but it will never improve if attendance doesn’t increase. Much of the entertainment money comes from a grant from the city’s advertising and promotion commission, whose job is to promote events that bring people into the city. If crowds don’t come out for the spectacular and other events, the money will go elsewhere.
It was disappointing that the fireworks were cancelled, but as enjoyable as fireworks are that didn’t cause throngs of people to stay home. What gives?
For Jacksonville to grow, its residents must participate. Without crowds at free events, how can the city get investors to pour millions into a regional fairground or an events center on 440 acres of land as the city is planning?
Jacksonville, you must do better.
Jacksonville’s population is around 30,000, and about 29,600 residents didn’t make the event.
All those people missed a good show, maybe not the best, but a good show well worth the price, which cost nothing.
Granted, the fireworks were canceled because of the dry weather conditions, but there was still the outstanding Gloryland Youth Choir from North Little Rock, up-and-coming country singer Candy Coburn and the iconic Marshall Tucker Band.
Everyone was there for an evening of fun, family, fellowship and celebrating freedom—everyone, except Jacksonville.
While Coburn was rockin’ and rollin’ with tunes from Johnny Cash, Eddie Rabbitt and songs from her newest album, the small crowd was embarrassing. Thank goodness it improved to dismal by the time the Marshall Tucker Band took the stage.
Sure it was hot, but at 95 degrees and dropping, it was cooler than the past few days and cooler than last year. A slight breeze floated through the football field frequently enough to make it comfortable. It was a cool 89 degrees by the time the Marshall Tucker Band started. The mosquitoes were almost nonexistent and the concession prices reasonable.
So Jacksonville, why weren’t you there?
One of the main reasons there is no Wing Ding Festival this year in Jacksonville is that the hard work of volunteers was not worth it because so few people attended. The same seems to be true for the Patriotic Spectacular — a lot of hard work for a small reward.
It would not be surprising if the spectacular goes the way of the dodo bird because people didn’t come out.
Sure you may not be a Marshall Tucker fan or maybe they aren’t as good as they were back in the 1970s, but it was a free, fun night to connect with family and friends and salute those who serve, which is a very large portion of the city’s population.
In 1987, when The Leader began publishing, there was not just one annual festival in the city, but two, and Jeannie C. Riley performed at a fundraiser for the Fraternal Order of Police. All had good turnouts.
But not anymore, it seems.
If residents don’t participate in these local events, Jacksonville will become the only town in the area without any local gatherings: No festivals, no concerts and no spectaculars.
Cabot has two festivals and a Fourth of July event. Beebe has a festival and a Fourth of July celebration and so does Ward.
Sherwood has an annual festival and a Fourth of July festival, and its Fourth of July program will go on this year without fireworks and without name entertainment but will probably have a bigger crowd than what showed up for Jacksonville’s free Patriotic Spectacular.
So, why weren’t residents at the Patriotic Spectacular?
Again, the excuse will be that the entertainment wasn’t good enough — by the way, those who were there will tell you the entertainment was very good — but it will never improve if attendance doesn’t increase. Much of the entertainment money comes from a grant from the city’s advertising and promotion commission, whose job is to promote events that bring people into the city. If crowds don’t come out for the spectacular and other events, the money will go elsewhere.
It was disappointing that the fireworks were cancelled, but as enjoyable as fireworks are that didn’t cause throngs of people to stay home. What gives?
For Jacksonville to grow, its residents must participate. Without crowds at free events, how can the city get investors to pour millions into a regional fairground or an events center on 440 acres of land as the city is planning?
Jacksonville, you must do better.
TOP STORY >> Newspaper wins top state honors
For the fifth year in a row, The Leader has been named the best large weekly in the state by the Arkansas Press Association.
The paper received more than 20 honors, including 11 first-place awards for its coverage, reporting, writing, photography and design.
The awards were announced at a luncheon Saturday in Little Rock concluding the press association’s annual convention.
The 11 first-place wins, including best news story, were the most any newspaper in any category received from the APA.
Staff photographer David Scolli led the charge with three first-place wins.
He took first in the single news photograph category with his “Memorial Day: Remember the Fallen” photo. He also took honorable mention with his “Snow Day” photo.
He took first in the single feature photograph category with his Fourth of July photo of kids burying a playmate in sand. Judges said they loved the angle and composition. They called it a “nice photo.”
Scolli’s third blue-ribbon win came in the picture page/photo essay category with his photo-page essay of “Scenes from 5A Championship.” He also took third with his state decathlon page.
Publisher Garrick Feldman grabbed a first- and third-place award in the contest.
Feldman took first in news and political column writing with “State won’t rescue cities.”
The judges, from the Kentucky Press Association, said it was an “excellent column explaining an important topic, and it was well written.” Feldman also took third in editorial writing with his “Bribe plotters should resign.”
Staff writer Joan McCoy took top honors in the news story category with her article “Lottery winner in $2M drug bust.” She also won second place for investigative reporting.
Staff writer Rick Kron took first place in headline writing for “Gunfire ordinance loaded with blanks.” He also received an honorable mention in the investigative reporting category for his series on the North Belt hitting a dead end.
Sports writer Jason King took first in sports news writing with his article “Bears set for prime time.” The judges said King “took a chance on a creative lead and it worked.”
King also took third place in sports column writing with “Like Mike, we savor big dance” about The Leader’s graphic artist Mike Kwangkeow’s love of the NCAA basketball tournament.
Sports editor Ray Benton and creative editor Christy Hendricks took top honors for best sports page. Judges rated it as the “best balanced layout” they had seen. The page had a variety of stories, good leads and the judges liked the “in- short synopsis of each story.”
Benton won honorable mention for sports feature writing with his article “Exemplifying the spirit” about a talented American Legion pitcher who has a deformed arm.
Staff writer and photographer Jeffrey Smith took top honors for his coverage of business and agriculture with his story “Farm-raised catfish may be thing of the past” about rising costs threatening the industry.
Smith, along with McCoy, Hendricks and Sarah Campbell garnered a top award for their coverage of tourism that focused on events at the Reed’s Bridge Civil War battlefield site in Jacksonville.
Reporter Stephen Steed took first and second in the freelance-writing category with his articles “Woman awarded $2.5M in verdict” and “State fair move seems doomed.”
Judges, writing about Steed’s first-place article, said the “story captured the underlying outrage of a company taking advantage of a cancer patient’s hope for a cure.”
Feldman, Kron, Smith and John Hofheimer took second for their education coverage of the struggles of the Pulaski County Special School District and Little Rock Air Force Base’s dissatisfaction with the district.
The Leader also took second in the best special issue category with its flood coverage and placed third for best front page. Judges called the flood coverage “effective, comprehensive and helpful to the community.”
The paper received more than 20 honors, including 11 first-place awards for its coverage, reporting, writing, photography and design.
The awards were announced at a luncheon Saturday in Little Rock concluding the press association’s annual convention.
The 11 first-place wins, including best news story, were the most any newspaper in any category received from the APA.
Staff photographer David Scolli led the charge with three first-place wins.
He took first in the single news photograph category with his “Memorial Day: Remember the Fallen” photo. He also took honorable mention with his “Snow Day” photo.
He took first in the single feature photograph category with his Fourth of July photo of kids burying a playmate in sand. Judges said they loved the angle and composition. They called it a “nice photo.”
Scolli’s third blue-ribbon win came in the picture page/photo essay category with his photo-page essay of “Scenes from 5A Championship.” He also took third with his state decathlon page.
Publisher Garrick Feldman grabbed a first- and third-place award in the contest.
Feldman took first in news and political column writing with “State won’t rescue cities.”
The judges, from the Kentucky Press Association, said it was an “excellent column explaining an important topic, and it was well written.” Feldman also took third in editorial writing with his “Bribe plotters should resign.”
Staff writer Joan McCoy took top honors in the news story category with her article “Lottery winner in $2M drug bust.” She also won second place for investigative reporting.
Staff writer Rick Kron took first place in headline writing for “Gunfire ordinance loaded with blanks.” He also received an honorable mention in the investigative reporting category for his series on the North Belt hitting a dead end.
Sports writer Jason King took first in sports news writing with his article “Bears set for prime time.” The judges said King “took a chance on a creative lead and it worked.”
King also took third place in sports column writing with “Like Mike, we savor big dance” about The Leader’s graphic artist Mike Kwangkeow’s love of the NCAA basketball tournament.
Sports editor Ray Benton and creative editor Christy Hendricks took top honors for best sports page. Judges rated it as the “best balanced layout” they had seen. The page had a variety of stories, good leads and the judges liked the “in- short synopsis of each story.”
Benton won honorable mention for sports feature writing with his article “Exemplifying the spirit” about a talented American Legion pitcher who has a deformed arm.
Staff writer and photographer Jeffrey Smith took top honors for his coverage of business and agriculture with his story “Farm-raised catfish may be thing of the past” about rising costs threatening the industry.
Smith, along with McCoy, Hendricks and Sarah Campbell garnered a top award for their coverage of tourism that focused on events at the Reed’s Bridge Civil War battlefield site in Jacksonville.
Reporter Stephen Steed took first and second in the freelance-writing category with his articles “Woman awarded $2.5M in verdict” and “State fair move seems doomed.”
Judges, writing about Steed’s first-place article, said the “story captured the underlying outrage of a company taking advantage of a cancer patient’s hope for a cure.”
Feldman, Kron, Smith and John Hofheimer took second for their education coverage of the struggles of the Pulaski County Special School District and Little Rock Air Force Base’s dissatisfaction with the district.
The Leader also took second in the best special issue category with its flood coverage and placed third for best front page. Judges called the flood coverage “effective, comprehensive and helpful to the community.”
TOP STORY >> Musical salute to America
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
“Jamming with the MTB (Marshall Tucker Band)! What a night! I love my job!!” country singer Candy Coburn tweeted to her Facebook page shortly after her performance at the Patriotic Spectacular on Sunday night.
She said she loved returning to Jacksonville for the second year in a row. Even though the crowd was small, it was enthusiastic and enjoyed singing along with Coburn and the Marshall Tucker Band on a number of songs, including “Can’t You See.”
Held at Jan Crow Stadium at Jacksonville High School on Sunday evening, the annual event featured the Gloryland Youth Choir, Coburn, three veteran motorcycle groups, a salute to past and present military members and the Marshall Tucker Band.
The only thing missing was fireworks.
Mayor Gary Fletcher apologized to the crowd of about 400 — event organizers counted 1,200 all through the night, including band members, press and security — but said it was the right decision to make because of the hot weather and dangerous fire conditions.
Pastor Cedric Hayes and about two dozen members of his famous Gloryland Youth Choir from North Little Rock opened the spectacular with a number of faith-based songs and the Star-Spangled Banner.
Between performances by Coburn and the Marshall Tucker Band, members of the Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard and combat veterans motorcycle groups helped honor area veterans.
In a switch this year, event officials asked members of each branch of service to come forward to take their branch flag from the motorcycle guard and walk on stage when their service song was played.
Volunteers jumped up for every branch except the Coast Guard. Officials picked a young boy to stand in for that group, and he did it proudly.
The motorcycle groups motored in the flags after the choir finished up. As they were circling around the track with the flags, five-year-old Charles Vanderhorst asked his dad if the motorcycles were racing.
After the posting of the colors and a special salute to POWs by the motorcycle clubs, Fletcher took the stage to welcome the crowd and to apologize for canceling fireworks. No one booed, and some even applauded his decision.
Soon after, Coburn took the stage for about 40 minute with her brand of rockin’ Texas flavored songs.
She took a break after her second song to sip some water and said,
“I’m so glad it’s not as hot as last year and this year I’ve even got air on the bus,” she said even though her generator went out earlier in the day.
Coburn grew up in Dexter, Mo., with event coordinator Angie Mitchell’s family.
“I went to high school with Angie’s brother and we all went to the same church,” Coburn explained.
It was that friendship that got the singer to Jacksonville last year and she enjoyed it so much that she came back this year.
Between songs Coburn coaxed the audience to leave the stands and come up close to the stage, then she went down the stage steps to interact with the crowd.
Coburn, who is best known for “Pink Warrior,” the anthem for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, saluted Janis Joplin with a rousing version of “Me and Bobby McGee.” She also sang a new gospel-themed song “Rolling stones, which she told the audience was “hot off the skillet.”
She told everyone that this fall she was beginning a nationwide tour saluting military men and women and that she considered her stop in Jacksonville to be the kickoff for that tour.
She also sang “Coming Home,” a poignant song about the sacrifices made by veterans and others.
Alyssa Christian, 15 of Jacksonville had a great seat for Coburn’s performance. She was on the grass just feet from the stage leaning back on her backpack. She said Coburn was really great.
In one of her songs, Coburn came right up to Mya Taylor, 10, of Jacksonville, who was on the grass closest to the stage.
Taylor enjoyed it so much that she went to talk to Coburn afterward and have her picture taken.
She asked to go on the bus, but Coburn said without the generator there were no lights to see anything and told her maybe next time.
Taylor was excited about the Marshall Tucker Band, which was setting up as she talked to Coburn, but admitted she had no idea who they were.
But two young girls —Devyn Greb, 9, and Mackenzie Featherson, 8, both from Jacksonville — will always remember the Marshall Tucker Band because they were invited up on stage at different times to play tambourine with founder and lead singer Doug Gray. Gray let both girls keep the tambourines he had given them.
Greb got to sing parts of “Can’t You See” with Gray even though he had to whisper the words in her ear.
Two days later, as Featherston’s family was driving in the car, she still had her tambourine, playing it, singing what words she could remember and saying she wanted to tell all her friends she was on stage with legends.
The Marshall Tucker Band took the stage at 9 p.m. and Gray immediately said, “I know you all were told to stay a certain distance away from the stage but we want you right on up here on the steps nice and close. Now relax, let’s have a good time and we’ll keep you up as long as you want.”
The band played for about 90 minutes touching on all their major hits and threw in some blues and country along the way.
In many of its songs, the band featured flutist and saxophone player Marcus Henderson and guitarist Chris Hicks.
Grey got Coburn back up on stage to jam with them on “Can’t You See” and had the crowd enthusiastically joining in too.
The band ended the night with probably their best-known hit, “Heard It In a Love Song,” and even though the crowd was small they clearly showed that they loved the band’s performance and the band responded with an encore.
Leader staff writer
“Jamming with the MTB (Marshall Tucker Band)! What a night! I love my job!!” country singer Candy Coburn tweeted to her Facebook page shortly after her performance at the Patriotic Spectacular on Sunday night.
She said she loved returning to Jacksonville for the second year in a row. Even though the crowd was small, it was enthusiastic and enjoyed singing along with Coburn and the Marshall Tucker Band on a number of songs, including “Can’t You See.”
Held at Jan Crow Stadium at Jacksonville High School on Sunday evening, the annual event featured the Gloryland Youth Choir, Coburn, three veteran motorcycle groups, a salute to past and present military members and the Marshall Tucker Band.
The only thing missing was fireworks.
Mayor Gary Fletcher apologized to the crowd of about 400 — event organizers counted 1,200 all through the night, including band members, press and security — but said it was the right decision to make because of the hot weather and dangerous fire conditions.
Pastor Cedric Hayes and about two dozen members of his famous Gloryland Youth Choir from North Little Rock opened the spectacular with a number of faith-based songs and the Star-Spangled Banner.
Between performances by Coburn and the Marshall Tucker Band, members of the Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard and combat veterans motorcycle groups helped honor area veterans.
In a switch this year, event officials asked members of each branch of service to come forward to take their branch flag from the motorcycle guard and walk on stage when their service song was played.
Volunteers jumped up for every branch except the Coast Guard. Officials picked a young boy to stand in for that group, and he did it proudly.
The motorcycle groups motored in the flags after the choir finished up. As they were circling around the track with the flags, five-year-old Charles Vanderhorst asked his dad if the motorcycles were racing.
After the posting of the colors and a special salute to POWs by the motorcycle clubs, Fletcher took the stage to welcome the crowd and to apologize for canceling fireworks. No one booed, and some even applauded his decision.
Soon after, Coburn took the stage for about 40 minute with her brand of rockin’ Texas flavored songs.
She took a break after her second song to sip some water and said,
“I’m so glad it’s not as hot as last year and this year I’ve even got air on the bus,” she said even though her generator went out earlier in the day.
Coburn grew up in Dexter, Mo., with event coordinator Angie Mitchell’s family.
“I went to high school with Angie’s brother and we all went to the same church,” Coburn explained.
It was that friendship that got the singer to Jacksonville last year and she enjoyed it so much that she came back this year.
Between songs Coburn coaxed the audience to leave the stands and come up close to the stage, then she went down the stage steps to interact with the crowd.
Coburn, who is best known for “Pink Warrior,” the anthem for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, saluted Janis Joplin with a rousing version of “Me and Bobby McGee.” She also sang a new gospel-themed song “Rolling stones, which she told the audience was “hot off the skillet.”
She told everyone that this fall she was beginning a nationwide tour saluting military men and women and that she considered her stop in Jacksonville to be the kickoff for that tour.
She also sang “Coming Home,” a poignant song about the sacrifices made by veterans and others.
Alyssa Christian, 15 of Jacksonville had a great seat for Coburn’s performance. She was on the grass just feet from the stage leaning back on her backpack. She said Coburn was really great.
In one of her songs, Coburn came right up to Mya Taylor, 10, of Jacksonville, who was on the grass closest to the stage.
Taylor enjoyed it so much that she went to talk to Coburn afterward and have her picture taken.
She asked to go on the bus, but Coburn said without the generator there were no lights to see anything and told her maybe next time.
Taylor was excited about the Marshall Tucker Band, which was setting up as she talked to Coburn, but admitted she had no idea who they were.
But two young girls —Devyn Greb, 9, and Mackenzie Featherson, 8, both from Jacksonville — will always remember the Marshall Tucker Band because they were invited up on stage at different times to play tambourine with founder and lead singer Doug Gray. Gray let both girls keep the tambourines he had given them.
Greb got to sing parts of “Can’t You See” with Gray even though he had to whisper the words in her ear.
Two days later, as Featherston’s family was driving in the car, she still had her tambourine, playing it, singing what words she could remember and saying she wanted to tell all her friends she was on stage with legends.
The Marshall Tucker Band took the stage at 9 p.m. and Gray immediately said, “I know you all were told to stay a certain distance away from the stage but we want you right on up here on the steps nice and close. Now relax, let’s have a good time and we’ll keep you up as long as you want.”
The band played for about 90 minutes touching on all their major hits and threw in some blues and country along the way.
In many of its songs, the band featured flutist and saxophone player Marcus Henderson and guitarist Chris Hicks.
Grey got Coburn back up on stage to jam with them on “Can’t You See” and had the crowd enthusiastically joining in too.
The band ended the night with probably their best-known hit, “Heard It In a Love Song,” and even though the crowd was small they clearly showed that they loved the band’s performance and the band responded with an encore.
TOP STORY >> Fireworks are fizzling in sizzling heat wave
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Three fireworks shows have been canceled because of dry, arid conditions and fireworks vendors are having one of their worst years in recent history.
But Cabot, Beebe, Lonoke, Ward and McRae are still planning on having their firework shows, but are taking extra precautions.
Sherwood officials made the decision a week ago to cancel their fireworks display, but their other Fourth of July activities will continue. “We are about safety first,” event coordinator Amy Jackson said.
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher made a decision Saturday morning to pull fireworks from Sunday’s Patriotic Spectacular and the Pennpointe subdivision’s Fourth of July celebration.
Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin issued a fireworks ban Tuesday morning for all the unincorporated areas of Lonoke County.
Erwin said the ban was necessary to avoid endangering lives and property during the drought. The ban does not apply to cities and towns in Lonoke County, but Cabot and Lonoke do not allow fireworks use in their cities.
The Patriotic Spectacular still went forward with the rest its activities and entertainment.
Fletcher said he felt like Brett Favre throwing a deep pass at the end of the game. “If I let the fireworks shows go on and nothing happened, I’d be a hero. But if something caught fire it would be the opposite,” he said, adding, “It’s hard to say go ahead when we are telling everyone else not to shoot fireworks. We are trying to teach responsible and canceling the fireworks was the right thing to do.”
Angie Mitchell, the event coordinator for the Patriotic Spectacular, agreed. “I had absolutely no problem with the mayor’s decision.”
She said the football field grass had been watered pretty heavily, but if anything fell outside of the field it could have caused problems. “You can just see how brown and dry everything is,” Mitchell explained.
The Jacksonville Fire Department has already responded to two fires related to the heat, and fireworks may have caused both.
Hundreds of acres of brushy land around the site Jacksonville proposed for the state fairgrounds burned Sunday. The exact cause is still being determined, but fire officials say the dry brush was sparked by something like fireworks or a tossed cigarette.
Across the state, the Arkansas Forestry Com-mission worked 63 fires over the weekend and had its worse June since 1952, responding to 324 fires, which burned more than 4,800 acres.
Last week, firefighters responded to a house on Spring Street where the front door caught fire from being struck with fireworks. The fire was quickly put out and damage was minimal. The blaze happened while firefighters battled a house fire in the Jamestown subdivision caused by a grill fire getting out-of-hand and caused moderate damage to the home according to the fire marshal.
Jacksonville police have had 19 fireworks calls since June 24, but have made no arrests or written any citations. Police Capt. Kenny Boyd said, “We respond, but don’t see anyone when we get there. But we are taking a zero tolerance approach because of the fire hazard. I think most people understand how dangerous the fire situation is.”
Sherwood police and fire officials said they haven’t had a problem with fireworks yet.
Four fireworks stands between Cabot and Jackson-ville sat mostly empty of customers late Tuesday.
Larry and Amanda Cross of Cabot were operators of one stand.
“It’s our second year and you can definitely say it’s our worst year,” said Amanda Cross, who works as a school counselor. “Luckily, we are just the operators, which means we do not lose any money. We share in the profits, if any this year.”
Her husband, who is in sales, optimistically said, “It could always be worse.” Even though sales are down tremendously, both said they do enjoy meeting the people that do stop in. “We are also praying for all the farmers and firefighters right now,” Amanda Cross said.
Things are tighter for the fireworks operator across the street. He’s a general contractor from St. Louis who came down here to make some money because construction is slow this time of the year. Now he’s not sure which is slower, construction or fireworks sales.
Temperatures are forecasted to run between 98 and 102 degrees on July Fourth and remain near or above triple digits the rest of the week. There is a slight chance of showers over the weekend.
Here is a roundup of area Fourth of July activities:
Sherwood
Sherwood’s 13th annual Fourth of July Family Celebration will be at Sherwood Forest, 1111 W. Maryland Ave. at 6 p.m. Admission is free.
Jackson said there would be free hot dogs and water (while supplies last) . There will also be food vendors with additional items for sale.
Outside entertainment includes Janet, Denise and Bruce and Touch O’Grey. Inside entertainment includes Top of the Rock Chorus and Cornerstone PraiSinger.
There will be free shuttle service from Sylvan Hills High School.
Beside no fireworks, no pets, skateboards, bikes or coolers will be allowed, Jackson added.
Again, there will be no fireworks show because of the weather conditions.
Cabot
Eddie Long, Cabot’s director of operations, said city officials had meetings with county officials and the state fire marshal and will go ahead with their fireworks show, which is part of a Fourth of July program sponsored by Mt. Carmel Church.
Cook said the activities are going to start later this year and that should help with the heat. Activities start at 7:30 p.m. and the fireworks show will be around 9.
“The fire department will have a very large presence at the show this year to be on the safe side,” Cook said.
Lonoke
Lonoke’s fireworks show is part of Freedomfest sponsored by the Lonoke ballpark. This is the first year for Freedomfest and there will be barbecue, music and games as well as a professional fireworks show. Activities will run from 3 to 9:30 p.m.
Beebe
Beebe’s annual fireworks show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the city hall complex. Besides fireworks, there will be family activities, an Elvis impersonator and a performance by Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers.
Ward
Ward’s annual Fourth of July picnic and fireworks show will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the city’s sports complex.
The event will also include a car and motorcycle show. There will be numerous vendors, a tractor pull and music by Midnight Express starting at 6:30 p.m.
The fireworks will commence at dark.
McRae
The First Baptist Church, located at 703 E. Second St., will host the community’s fireworks show tonight.
At 6:30 p.m. a free catfish dinner with all the trimmings will be served indoors. Other activities and the fireworks show will follow.
Leader staff writer
Three fireworks shows have been canceled because of dry, arid conditions and fireworks vendors are having one of their worst years in recent history.
But Cabot, Beebe, Lonoke, Ward and McRae are still planning on having their firework shows, but are taking extra precautions.
Sherwood officials made the decision a week ago to cancel their fireworks display, but their other Fourth of July activities will continue. “We are about safety first,” event coordinator Amy Jackson said.
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher made a decision Saturday morning to pull fireworks from Sunday’s Patriotic Spectacular and the Pennpointe subdivision’s Fourth of July celebration.
Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin issued a fireworks ban Tuesday morning for all the unincorporated areas of Lonoke County.
Erwin said the ban was necessary to avoid endangering lives and property during the drought. The ban does not apply to cities and towns in Lonoke County, but Cabot and Lonoke do not allow fireworks use in their cities.
The Patriotic Spectacular still went forward with the rest its activities and entertainment.
Fletcher said he felt like Brett Favre throwing a deep pass at the end of the game. “If I let the fireworks shows go on and nothing happened, I’d be a hero. But if something caught fire it would be the opposite,” he said, adding, “It’s hard to say go ahead when we are telling everyone else not to shoot fireworks. We are trying to teach responsible and canceling the fireworks was the right thing to do.”
Angie Mitchell, the event coordinator for the Patriotic Spectacular, agreed. “I had absolutely no problem with the mayor’s decision.”
She said the football field grass had been watered pretty heavily, but if anything fell outside of the field it could have caused problems. “You can just see how brown and dry everything is,” Mitchell explained.
The Jacksonville Fire Department has already responded to two fires related to the heat, and fireworks may have caused both.
Hundreds of acres of brushy land around the site Jacksonville proposed for the state fairgrounds burned Sunday. The exact cause is still being determined, but fire officials say the dry brush was sparked by something like fireworks or a tossed cigarette.
Across the state, the Arkansas Forestry Com-mission worked 63 fires over the weekend and had its worse June since 1952, responding to 324 fires, which burned more than 4,800 acres.
Last week, firefighters responded to a house on Spring Street where the front door caught fire from being struck with fireworks. The fire was quickly put out and damage was minimal. The blaze happened while firefighters battled a house fire in the Jamestown subdivision caused by a grill fire getting out-of-hand and caused moderate damage to the home according to the fire marshal.
Jacksonville police have had 19 fireworks calls since June 24, but have made no arrests or written any citations. Police Capt. Kenny Boyd said, “We respond, but don’t see anyone when we get there. But we are taking a zero tolerance approach because of the fire hazard. I think most people understand how dangerous the fire situation is.”
Sherwood police and fire officials said they haven’t had a problem with fireworks yet.
Four fireworks stands between Cabot and Jackson-ville sat mostly empty of customers late Tuesday.
Larry and Amanda Cross of Cabot were operators of one stand.
“It’s our second year and you can definitely say it’s our worst year,” said Amanda Cross, who works as a school counselor. “Luckily, we are just the operators, which means we do not lose any money. We share in the profits, if any this year.”
Her husband, who is in sales, optimistically said, “It could always be worse.” Even though sales are down tremendously, both said they do enjoy meeting the people that do stop in. “We are also praying for all the farmers and firefighters right now,” Amanda Cross said.
Things are tighter for the fireworks operator across the street. He’s a general contractor from St. Louis who came down here to make some money because construction is slow this time of the year. Now he’s not sure which is slower, construction or fireworks sales.
Temperatures are forecasted to run between 98 and 102 degrees on July Fourth and remain near or above triple digits the rest of the week. There is a slight chance of showers over the weekend.
Here is a roundup of area Fourth of July activities:
Sherwood
Sherwood’s 13th annual Fourth of July Family Celebration will be at Sherwood Forest, 1111 W. Maryland Ave. at 6 p.m. Admission is free.
Jackson said there would be free hot dogs and water (while supplies last) . There will also be food vendors with additional items for sale.
Outside entertainment includes Janet, Denise and Bruce and Touch O’Grey. Inside entertainment includes Top of the Rock Chorus and Cornerstone PraiSinger.
There will be free shuttle service from Sylvan Hills High School.
Beside no fireworks, no pets, skateboards, bikes or coolers will be allowed, Jackson added.
Again, there will be no fireworks show because of the weather conditions.
Cabot
Eddie Long, Cabot’s director of operations, said city officials had meetings with county officials and the state fire marshal and will go ahead with their fireworks show, which is part of a Fourth of July program sponsored by Mt. Carmel Church.
Cook said the activities are going to start later this year and that should help with the heat. Activities start at 7:30 p.m. and the fireworks show will be around 9.
“The fire department will have a very large presence at the show this year to be on the safe side,” Cook said.
Lonoke
Lonoke’s fireworks show is part of Freedomfest sponsored by the Lonoke ballpark. This is the first year for Freedomfest and there will be barbecue, music and games as well as a professional fireworks show. Activities will run from 3 to 9:30 p.m.
Beebe
Beebe’s annual fireworks show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the city hall complex. Besides fireworks, there will be family activities, an Elvis impersonator and a performance by Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers.
Ward
Ward’s annual Fourth of July picnic and fireworks show will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the city’s sports complex.
The event will also include a car and motorcycle show. There will be numerous vendors, a tractor pull and music by Midnight Express starting at 6:30 p.m.
The fireworks will commence at dark.
McRae
The First Baptist Church, located at 703 E. Second St., will host the community’s fireworks show tonight.
At 6:30 p.m. a free catfish dinner with all the trimmings will be served indoors. Other activities and the fireworks show will follow.
Friday, June 29, 2012
EDITORIAL >> Court ruling will help state
Pardon us while we ignore the raging debate of the day, whether by upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, the U. S. Supreme Court helped the president or his opponent and Republican candidates for Congress or Democrats. That all depends on the propaganda skills of Republicans and Democrats, and Republicans are nearly always better at that stuff.
But what does it mean for all the rest of us, the consumers of health care in the United States, both the insured and uninsured? We have no reservation in saying that it is a great victory for people—everyone—for it protects the financial security that the law will soon provide for the millions of people who cannot be, or choose somehow not to be, insured and it ends the cost shifting that has long hit every single American who enjoys insurance, either through one of the government insurance programs or private policies.
Yes, we know that the polls have consistently shown that more people dislike the law than favor it, but that will end when people discover that the law does none of the things that the propagandists said it would do: kill Grandma, give the government control over medical decisions, force people to abandon their present coverage, end Medicare or reduce its benefits, or tell people which doctor or hospital must treat them and what procedures they can perform on a patient. The Affordable Care Act, though imperfect, never did any of those things. Poll testing in 2009 showed that all those things would alarm voters, so the commercials, flyers and political speeches claimed that it would somehow produce all those horrors even if the words were nowhere to be found in the act.
The key provisions of the act—the system of insurance exchanges where people now uninsured and large employers who now don’t cover their workers can buy affordable health policies, the mandatory coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and the expansion of Medicaid to cover nearly all poor adults—will not take effect for another 18 months, Jan. 1, 2014, but tens of millions of people are already realizing the benefits of other provisions, whether or not they know that the help is a result of the Affordable Care Act that they were led to believe would hurt them.
Let’s look at the impact on Arkansas so far.
Last year, the law began phasing out the infamous “doughnut hole” that forced elderly and disabled Medicare enrollees to pay full price for all their drugs midway every year. In the first five months of 2012, a total of 5,410 Arkansans with Medicare got a 50 percent discount on their prescriptions as a result of the new law. Tens of thousands more will be helped as the year goes along. Their savings totaled $3,460,414 through May. The discounts will go up each year until the doughnut hole is closed entirely in 2020.
Last year, 380,000 Arkansans on Medicare received free preventive services, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, as a result of the act. Through May this year 169,384 people received the services, free of deductibles or copays. Of course, most of them do not know that the new benefit was from “Obamacare.” Formerly, Medicare didn’t cover preventive services and if the law had been struck down or if it is repealed, it won’t cover them again.
This summer, some 115,000 Arkansans—people who have private coverage through their employer or individual policies—will receive some $7.8 million in rebates from insurance companies. Obamacare requires all insurance companies to send rebates to their policyholders if they spend less than 85 percent of the premiums from customers on actual care (80 percent in the case of small group of policyholders). The law sets a ceiling on what insurance companies can keep in profits and overhead, a rule that has affected regulated utilities for much of a century.
Twenty-three thousand young adults in Arkansas who were uninsured were placed under their parents’ health policies last year as a result of the new law.
Those are for starters. Next year, insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on health benefits so that cancer patients and people suffering from other long-term chronic diseases will not have to worry about going without treatment because they have hit their lifetime limits.
The big changes will come in 2014, when the uninsured who are not employed in a business with more than 50 full-time employees will have to buy a plan they can afford from the insurance exchange in their state (Republicans forced Arkansans to buy plans from a national exchange instead of one set up for Arkansans). That is when states that do not now cover poor adults in Medicaid can do so with Washington paying 100 percent of the cost until 2017, when it will gradually go down to 90 percent. The Supreme Court said the federal government could not force states to cover poor adults, but it seems insane that any state would not.
Those are the provisions that ought to be popular with everyone who is now insured. Since everyone except the few who will choose to pay a federal tax rather than buy a policy will then start paying for their hospital and doctor care with subsidized help from the federal government, Arkansas hospitals every year will no longer have billions of dollars in uncompensated care, which is routinely passed along to insured customers through higher room rates and surgical fees and higher premiums. Arkansas hospitals, by the way, were cheerleaders for the new law when Congress passed it in 2010.
Arkansas, as we pointed out in 2010, reaps a special bonanza under the act, primarily because we are one of the poorest states. The vast majority of the 500,000 uninsured Arkansans will get health and financial security, either with highly subsidized premiums, Medicaid or the guarantee that their illnesses or disabilities will not cause them to lose their insurance.
A band of Arkansas Republicans—state officials and legislators—gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to denounce the court decision and declare their opposition to taking advantage of the expanded Medicaid coverage to poor adults in Arkansas, the one option remaining for killing some of Obamacare. But what rational person would do that? Stop hundreds of millions of dollars from flowing into the Arkansas economy each year and prevent better health care for 200,000 of the poorest adults in the state? True, the state government by 2020 will bear 10 percent of the coverage costs, but it will recoup an equal or larger amount through lower premium costs for government employees and an end to uncompensated care at facilities like the University of Arkansas Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and regional mental health centers.
If Mitt Romney and the Republicans are going to repeal Obamacare, they had better do it somehow early next year because after that they will not find an ally anywhere.
—Ernie Dumas
But what does it mean for all the rest of us, the consumers of health care in the United States, both the insured and uninsured? We have no reservation in saying that it is a great victory for people—everyone—for it protects the financial security that the law will soon provide for the millions of people who cannot be, or choose somehow not to be, insured and it ends the cost shifting that has long hit every single American who enjoys insurance, either through one of the government insurance programs or private policies.
Yes, we know that the polls have consistently shown that more people dislike the law than favor it, but that will end when people discover that the law does none of the things that the propagandists said it would do: kill Grandma, give the government control over medical decisions, force people to abandon their present coverage, end Medicare or reduce its benefits, or tell people which doctor or hospital must treat them and what procedures they can perform on a patient. The Affordable Care Act, though imperfect, never did any of those things. Poll testing in 2009 showed that all those things would alarm voters, so the commercials, flyers and political speeches claimed that it would somehow produce all those horrors even if the words were nowhere to be found in the act.
The key provisions of the act—the system of insurance exchanges where people now uninsured and large employers who now don’t cover their workers can buy affordable health policies, the mandatory coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and the expansion of Medicaid to cover nearly all poor adults—will not take effect for another 18 months, Jan. 1, 2014, but tens of millions of people are already realizing the benefits of other provisions, whether or not they know that the help is a result of the Affordable Care Act that they were led to believe would hurt them.
Let’s look at the impact on Arkansas so far.
Last year, the law began phasing out the infamous “doughnut hole” that forced elderly and disabled Medicare enrollees to pay full price for all their drugs midway every year. In the first five months of 2012, a total of 5,410 Arkansans with Medicare got a 50 percent discount on their prescriptions as a result of the new law. Tens of thousands more will be helped as the year goes along. Their savings totaled $3,460,414 through May. The discounts will go up each year until the doughnut hole is closed entirely in 2020.
Last year, 380,000 Arkansans on Medicare received free preventive services, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, as a result of the act. Through May this year 169,384 people received the services, free of deductibles or copays. Of course, most of them do not know that the new benefit was from “Obamacare.” Formerly, Medicare didn’t cover preventive services and if the law had been struck down or if it is repealed, it won’t cover them again.
This summer, some 115,000 Arkansans—people who have private coverage through their employer or individual policies—will receive some $7.8 million in rebates from insurance companies. Obamacare requires all insurance companies to send rebates to their policyholders if they spend less than 85 percent of the premiums from customers on actual care (80 percent in the case of small group of policyholders). The law sets a ceiling on what insurance companies can keep in profits and overhead, a rule that has affected regulated utilities for much of a century.
Twenty-three thousand young adults in Arkansas who were uninsured were placed under their parents’ health policies last year as a result of the new law.
Those are for starters. Next year, insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on health benefits so that cancer patients and people suffering from other long-term chronic diseases will not have to worry about going without treatment because they have hit their lifetime limits.
The big changes will come in 2014, when the uninsured who are not employed in a business with more than 50 full-time employees will have to buy a plan they can afford from the insurance exchange in their state (Republicans forced Arkansans to buy plans from a national exchange instead of one set up for Arkansans). That is when states that do not now cover poor adults in Medicaid can do so with Washington paying 100 percent of the cost until 2017, when it will gradually go down to 90 percent. The Supreme Court said the federal government could not force states to cover poor adults, but it seems insane that any state would not.
Those are the provisions that ought to be popular with everyone who is now insured. Since everyone except the few who will choose to pay a federal tax rather than buy a policy will then start paying for their hospital and doctor care with subsidized help from the federal government, Arkansas hospitals every year will no longer have billions of dollars in uncompensated care, which is routinely passed along to insured customers through higher room rates and surgical fees and higher premiums. Arkansas hospitals, by the way, were cheerleaders for the new law when Congress passed it in 2010.
Arkansas, as we pointed out in 2010, reaps a special bonanza under the act, primarily because we are one of the poorest states. The vast majority of the 500,000 uninsured Arkansans will get health and financial security, either with highly subsidized premiums, Medicaid or the guarantee that their illnesses or disabilities will not cause them to lose their insurance.
A band of Arkansas Republicans—state officials and legislators—gathered at the Capitol on Thursday to denounce the court decision and declare their opposition to taking advantage of the expanded Medicaid coverage to poor adults in Arkansas, the one option remaining for killing some of Obamacare. But what rational person would do that? Stop hundreds of millions of dollars from flowing into the Arkansas economy each year and prevent better health care for 200,000 of the poorest adults in the state? True, the state government by 2020 will bear 10 percent of the coverage costs, but it will recoup an equal or larger amount through lower premium costs for government employees and an end to uncompensated care at facilities like the University of Arkansas Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and regional mental health centers.
If Mitt Romney and the Republicans are going to repeal Obamacare, they had better do it somehow early next year because after that they will not find an ally anywhere.
—Ernie Dumas
TOP STORY >> Geriatric unit marks milestone
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Brows were wiped of sweat and chilled water was guzzled Friday afternoon in the triple-digit weather during the 20th anniversary celebration of North Metro Medical Center’s Transitions, the largest geriatric psychiatry unit in the state.
Transitions opened at the Jacksonville hospital with just 12 beds on July 1, 1992. Since then, it has grown to 31 beds with the last expansion on July 1, 2010, said chief nursing officer Jacque Davidson.
Davidson said, “When the doors opened 20 years ago, we’re not sure they were expecting it be as successful as it has been.”
While the unit was expanding, the hospital that housed it was renamed Rebsamen Medical Center, dropping regional from its name.
A few years ago, the hospital was renamed North Metro Medical Center.
Transitions prides itself on staff longevity, Davidson said.
She said Dr. Paul Valentine-Stone has been the unit’s internal-medicine physician since it opened. Turner-Stout has been with Transitions since 2000 Dr. Andrew Powell, the unit’s medical director, has provided psychiatric care to the unit’s patients since 2006.
Transitions officials say they have retained many nurses and patient-care technicians for more than 10 years.
The party had to be held outside, on the patio at the back of the hospital, due to the sensitive nature of the patients’ conditions, explained Crystal Hutchinson with Transitions. She organized the event.
Davidson stepped in at Friday’s event for Transitions director Debbie Turner-Stout, who was unavailable.
She said the one thing that hasn’t changed is how Transitions serves the community with “trust, dedication and teamwork.”
Although there were a few good-natured jokes about how everyone could stand it a couple of degrees hotter, most of the guests were in good spirits while they enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers grilled by First Arkansas Bank and Trust employees.
Several complimented the chocolate cake with puffy white icing. It also featured hardened chocolate made to look like overflowing fondue and had a chocolate-covered strawberry in each of the four corners.
The cake was provided 2 Sisters Catering of North Little Rock.
Louisiana-based Allegiance Health Management Group, which has managed North Metro for the past three years, officially purchased the hospital from the city in April.
Jodi Love was hired earlier this month to take over for Jay Quebedeaux, who had been the hospital’s CEO since February 2011.
She has lived in Arkansas for more than two decades and has ties to Little Rock Air Force Base. Love attended the “Transitions Birthday.” She greeted most of the 30 or 40 people there one-on-one and praised the unit for making it this far.
Quebedeaux transferred to a CEO position with another Allegiance-owned facility in Louisiana, where he was born.
Leader staff writer
Brows were wiped of sweat and chilled water was guzzled Friday afternoon in the triple-digit weather during the 20th anniversary celebration of North Metro Medical Center’s Transitions, the largest geriatric psychiatry unit in the state.
Transitions opened at the Jacksonville hospital with just 12 beds on July 1, 1992. Since then, it has grown to 31 beds with the last expansion on July 1, 2010, said chief nursing officer Jacque Davidson.
Davidson said, “When the doors opened 20 years ago, we’re not sure they were expecting it be as successful as it has been.”
While the unit was expanding, the hospital that housed it was renamed Rebsamen Medical Center, dropping regional from its name.
A few years ago, the hospital was renamed North Metro Medical Center.
Transitions prides itself on staff longevity, Davidson said.
She said Dr. Paul Valentine-Stone has been the unit’s internal-medicine physician since it opened. Turner-Stout has been with Transitions since 2000 Dr. Andrew Powell, the unit’s medical director, has provided psychiatric care to the unit’s patients since 2006.
Transitions officials say they have retained many nurses and patient-care technicians for more than 10 years.
The party had to be held outside, on the patio at the back of the hospital, due to the sensitive nature of the patients’ conditions, explained Crystal Hutchinson with Transitions. She organized the event.
Davidson stepped in at Friday’s event for Transitions director Debbie Turner-Stout, who was unavailable.
She said the one thing that hasn’t changed is how Transitions serves the community with “trust, dedication and teamwork.”
Although there were a few good-natured jokes about how everyone could stand it a couple of degrees hotter, most of the guests were in good spirits while they enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers grilled by First Arkansas Bank and Trust employees.
Several complimented the chocolate cake with puffy white icing. It also featured hardened chocolate made to look like overflowing fondue and had a chocolate-covered strawberry in each of the four corners.
The cake was provided 2 Sisters Catering of North Little Rock.
Louisiana-based Allegiance Health Management Group, which has managed North Metro for the past three years, officially purchased the hospital from the city in April.
Jodi Love was hired earlier this month to take over for Jay Quebedeaux, who had been the hospital’s CEO since February 2011.
She has lived in Arkansas for more than two decades and has ties to Little Rock Air Force Base. Love attended the “Transitions Birthday.” She greeted most of the 30 or 40 people there one-on-one and praised the unit for making it this far.
Quebedeaux transferred to a CEO position with another Allegiance-owned facility in Louisiana, where he was born.
TOP STORY >> Lonoke job fair for felons offers fresh start
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Leader staff writer
One hundred and thirty-three people lined up for information on how to reset their lives at the first Lonoke County Re-entry Job and Resource Fair for convicted felons Wednesday at the Lonoke Community Center.
Jim Terry has spent the past year looking for a job. His was convicted for illegal possession of a firearm. He is now on parole.
Terry said his parole officer told him about the event and he came “so I can better my life and do better things. I’ve been out of trouble.”
Parole officers and probation officers granted some of the participants time toward their court-ordered community service hours or a break on monthly fees (not fines) for attending the fair.
Terry wants to stick to the straight and narrow. It’s not easy with the possibility of rejection around every corner.
“Mainly, I’ve gotten the runaround. ‘I’ll give you a call.’ Never hear back from them. Background check,” Terry said.
He said he is looking for construction jobs, or anything else he can do to make an honest living.
Terry said Life After Prison Ministries, one of the vendors, has helped him achieve those goals through counseling services.
Steve Bailey was convicted of threatening a man with a gun. Bailey said he had a concealed gun license and is innocent, but ran into “legal issues.”
He is attempting to have his record expunged.
“Once these people get you into their system...I see murderers and pedophiles walk away. (Searching for a job), it’s been a headache. Right now, I say this to all black men: racism is alive and well and women are still not getting their fair due,” Bailey said.
Bailey recently transferred from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to Arkansas State University at Beebe, where he’s taking classes he hopes will help him attain his dreams.
Those dreams are to work on cleaning up natural and environmental disasters.
Bailey said he was “not aware at all” of the opportunities touted at the job fair.
The Central Arkansas Planning and Development District and Arkansas Work-force Centers organized the event.
“They won’t see any doors closed in their faces here. It’s very necessary. This is a way of addressing the need of these individuals that have found reintegrating very difficult. This may open doors slightly and (employers) could realize these people are OK. Maybe other employers will read about it,” said Damian McNeal with the state Department of Community Corrections.
Shane Willbanks with Life After Prison Ministries explained that convicted felons experience a lot of losses, including “freedom” and “dignity” that can drive them back into lives of crime.
The vendors included:
– Lewis-Burnett Employment Finders;
– Associated General Con-tractors;
– Manpower;
– Arkansas Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Con-tractors Association;
– Goodwill;
– UALR;
– Pulaski Technical College;
– ASU-Beebe;
– Phillips Community College;
– Arkansas Adult Education;
– Arkansas Department of Career Education;
– Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement;
– Arkansas Department of Human Services;
– Central Arkansas Development Council;
– National Foundation for Credit Counseling;
– Arkansas Access to Recovery;
– Focus Education Alcohol/Chemical Treatment Series;
– Family Service Agency;
– and New Hearts Ministries of Arkansas.
Jim Terry has spent the past year looking for a job. His was convicted for illegal possession of a firearm. He is now on parole.
Terry said his parole officer told him about the event and he came “so I can better my life and do better things. I’ve been out of trouble.”
Parole officers and probation officers granted some of the participants time toward their court-ordered community service hours or a break on monthly fees (not fines) for attending the fair.
Terry wants to stick to the straight and narrow. It’s not easy with the possibility of rejection around every corner.
“Mainly, I’ve gotten the runaround. ‘I’ll give you a call.’ Never hear back from them. Background check,” Terry said.
He said he is looking for construction jobs, or anything else he can do to make an honest living.
Terry said Life After Prison Ministries, one of the vendors, has helped him achieve those goals through counseling services.
Steve Bailey was convicted of threatening a man with a gun. Bailey said he had a concealed gun license and is innocent, but ran into “legal issues.”
He is attempting to have his record expunged.
“Once these people get you into their system...I see murderers and pedophiles walk away. (Searching for a job), it’s been a headache. Right now, I say this to all black men: racism is alive and well and women are still not getting their fair due,” Bailey said.
Bailey recently transferred from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to Arkansas State University at Beebe, where he’s taking classes he hopes will help him attain his dreams.
Those dreams are to work on cleaning up natural and environmental disasters.
Bailey said he was “not aware at all” of the opportunities touted at the job fair.
The Central Arkansas Planning and Development District and Arkansas Work-force Centers organized the event.
“They won’t see any doors closed in their faces here. It’s very necessary. This is a way of addressing the need of these individuals that have found reintegrating very difficult. This may open doors slightly and (employers) could realize these people are OK. Maybe other employers will read about it,” said Damian McNeal with the state Department of Community Corrections.
Shane Willbanks with Life After Prison Ministries explained that convicted felons experience a lot of losses, including “freedom” and “dignity” that can drive them back into lives of crime.
The vendors included:
– Lewis-Burnett Employment Finders;
– Associated General Con-tractors;
– Manpower;
– Arkansas Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Con-tractors Association;
– Goodwill;
– UALR;
– Pulaski Technical College;
– ASU-Beebe;
– Phillips Community College;
– Arkansas Adult Education;
– Arkansas Department of Career Education;
– Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement;
– Arkansas Department of Human Services;
– Central Arkansas Development Council;
– National Foundation for Credit Counseling;
– Arkansas Access to Recovery;
– Focus Education Alcohol/Chemical Treatment Series;
– Family Service Agency;
– and New Hearts Ministries of Arkansas.
TOP STORY >> Heat puts squeeze on Fourth
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Hot, arid weather conditions have put the brakes on individual fireworks use across most of the area and even one of the planned professional shows.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission has asked county judges to prohibit fireworks during the July 4th holiday because of the risk of fire. The commission considers the threat of wildfires as high in all 75 Arkansas counties.
In the local area, only Beebe is allowing residents to shoot fireworks. “We are asking them to be very, very careful,” said Mayor Mike Robertson.
Sherwood, not taking any chances, is dropping the fireworks show from its Fourth of July activities, but still has a number of events planned.
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher made it clear at the city council meeting Thursday: “No fireworks in the city.” He added that even though the city has an ordinance that allows people with permits to shoot fireworks, the countywide burn ban takes precedent.
He said the city has received permission from the state fire marshal and county officials to have the fireworks show at the end of Sunday’s Patriotic Spectacular at Jacksonville High School and the Pennpointe community will have their Fourth of July fireworks show on the fourth at the subdivision’s lake.
“Both are being done by professionals and the fire department will be present,” the mayor said.
Police Capt. Kenny Boyd said the violation in Jacksonville for shooting off fireworks is a fine between $250 and $750, but no jail time.
He added that anyone shooting fireworks off and causing a fire or damage could be made to pay for all the damages.
Triple digit temperatures are expected to hit the region every day next week with highs running from 101 to 105 degrees. Central Arkansas also saw the mercury hit 101 on Sunday and 107 on Monday and Thursday
The forecast for the Fourth of July calls for highs around 101 degrees.
The record heat has already claimed one life in Fayetteville and is being blamed on the deaths of cattle in White and Cleburne counties, as well as other livestock around Arkansas, officials said Friday.
Earlier this week, a 39-year-old man working on construction at the University of Arkansas died from the heat.
Dustan Clark, extension veterinarian for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said he’s also had people report the loss of rabbits and pond fish. Heat is the chief suspect in some turkey deaths as well.
On Thursday, heat records were set at:
Russellville, 109, broke the record of 105 set in 1952.
Batesville, 108 degrees, broke record of 102 set in 1944.
Jacksonville/Little Rock Air Force Base, 107, broke record of 100 set in 1980.
Harrison, 106, broke record of 105 set in 1936.
North Little Rock, 105, broke record of 101 set in 1980.
Hot Springs, 105, broke record of 102 set in 1988.
Fayetteville, 101, broke record of 100 set in 1954
And Mount Ida, 101 tied the record set in 1936.
The dry conditions have put almost the entire state on burn bans and more than a third of the state has reached extreme drought stage, up from one percent just a week ago.
Sherwood
Sherwood’s 13th annual 4th of July Family Celebration will occur, but there will be no fireworks display because of the burn ban.
“We are putting safety first,” event coordinator Amy Jackson said.
But all the other activities are still a go and will be at 6 p.m. at Sherwood Forest, 1111 W. Maryland Ave. Admission is free.
Jackson said there would be free hot dogs and water (while supplies last) . There will also be food vendors with additional items for sale .
Outside entertainment includes Janet, Denise and Bruce and Touch O’Grey.
Inside entertainment includes Top of the Rock Chorus and Cornerstone PraiSinger.
There will be free shuttle bus service from Sylvan Hills High School.
Besides no fireworks, no pets, skateboards, bikes or coolers will be allowed, Jackson added.
Cabot
Eddie Cook, the Cabot’s director of operations, said fireworks are not allowed to be bought, sold or used in the city limits even without the burn ban.
He said city officials had long meetings with county officials and the state fire marshal and received permission to go ahead with their fireworks show, which is part of a Fourth of July program sponsored by Mt. Carmel Church.
Cook said the activities are going to start later this year and that should help with the heat. Activities start at 7:30 and the fireworks show will be around 9 p.m.
“The fire department will have a very large presence at the show this year to be on the safe side,” he said.
Lonoke
The countywide burn ban means no one can use fireworks, but there will be a Fourth of July program sponsored by the Lonoke Assembly of God at the Lonoke ball park.
This is the first year for Freedomfest and there will be barbecue, music and games as well as a professional firework works show.
Activities will run from 3 to 9:30 p.m.
Beebe
Beebe’s annual fireworks show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the city hall complex. Besides fireworks, there will be fun, an Elvis impersonator and a performance by Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers.
Ward
Ward’s annual Fourth of July picnic and fireworks show will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the city’s sports complex. The event will also include a car and motorcycle show. An honor guard will open the festivities at 2:15 p.m., followed by Carla’s Dance Group.
There will be numerous vendors, a tractor pull and music by Midnight Express starting at 6:30 p.m. The fireworks will start at dark.
McRae
First Baptist Church, 703 E. Second St., will host the community’s fireworks show on the Fourth.
At 6:30 p.m. a free catfish dinner with all the trimmings will be served indoors and then other activities and the fireworks show will follow.
Leader staff writer
Hot, arid weather conditions have put the brakes on individual fireworks use across most of the area and even one of the planned professional shows.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission has asked county judges to prohibit fireworks during the July 4th holiday because of the risk of fire. The commission considers the threat of wildfires as high in all 75 Arkansas counties.
In the local area, only Beebe is allowing residents to shoot fireworks. “We are asking them to be very, very careful,” said Mayor Mike Robertson.
Sherwood, not taking any chances, is dropping the fireworks show from its Fourth of July activities, but still has a number of events planned.
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher made it clear at the city council meeting Thursday: “No fireworks in the city.” He added that even though the city has an ordinance that allows people with permits to shoot fireworks, the countywide burn ban takes precedent.
He said the city has received permission from the state fire marshal and county officials to have the fireworks show at the end of Sunday’s Patriotic Spectacular at Jacksonville High School and the Pennpointe community will have their Fourth of July fireworks show on the fourth at the subdivision’s lake.
“Both are being done by professionals and the fire department will be present,” the mayor said.
Police Capt. Kenny Boyd said the violation in Jacksonville for shooting off fireworks is a fine between $250 and $750, but no jail time.
He added that anyone shooting fireworks off and causing a fire or damage could be made to pay for all the damages.
Triple digit temperatures are expected to hit the region every day next week with highs running from 101 to 105 degrees. Central Arkansas also saw the mercury hit 101 on Sunday and 107 on Monday and Thursday
The forecast for the Fourth of July calls for highs around 101 degrees.
The record heat has already claimed one life in Fayetteville and is being blamed on the deaths of cattle in White and Cleburne counties, as well as other livestock around Arkansas, officials said Friday.
Earlier this week, a 39-year-old man working on construction at the University of Arkansas died from the heat.
Dustan Clark, extension veterinarian for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said he’s also had people report the loss of rabbits and pond fish. Heat is the chief suspect in some turkey deaths as well.
On Thursday, heat records were set at:
Russellville, 109, broke the record of 105 set in 1952.
Batesville, 108 degrees, broke record of 102 set in 1944.
Jacksonville/Little Rock Air Force Base, 107, broke record of 100 set in 1980.
Harrison, 106, broke record of 105 set in 1936.
North Little Rock, 105, broke record of 101 set in 1980.
Hot Springs, 105, broke record of 102 set in 1988.
Fayetteville, 101, broke record of 100 set in 1954
And Mount Ida, 101 tied the record set in 1936.
The dry conditions have put almost the entire state on burn bans and more than a third of the state has reached extreme drought stage, up from one percent just a week ago.
Sherwood
Sherwood’s 13th annual 4th of July Family Celebration will occur, but there will be no fireworks display because of the burn ban.
“We are putting safety first,” event coordinator Amy Jackson said.
But all the other activities are still a go and will be at 6 p.m. at Sherwood Forest, 1111 W. Maryland Ave. Admission is free.
Jackson said there would be free hot dogs and water (while supplies last) . There will also be food vendors with additional items for sale .
Outside entertainment includes Janet, Denise and Bruce and Touch O’Grey.
Inside entertainment includes Top of the Rock Chorus and Cornerstone PraiSinger.
There will be free shuttle bus service from Sylvan Hills High School.
Besides no fireworks, no pets, skateboards, bikes or coolers will be allowed, Jackson added.
Cabot
Eddie Cook, the Cabot’s director of operations, said fireworks are not allowed to be bought, sold or used in the city limits even without the burn ban.
He said city officials had long meetings with county officials and the state fire marshal and received permission to go ahead with their fireworks show, which is part of a Fourth of July program sponsored by Mt. Carmel Church.
Cook said the activities are going to start later this year and that should help with the heat. Activities start at 7:30 and the fireworks show will be around 9 p.m.
“The fire department will have a very large presence at the show this year to be on the safe side,” he said.
Lonoke
The countywide burn ban means no one can use fireworks, but there will be a Fourth of July program sponsored by the Lonoke Assembly of God at the Lonoke ball park.
This is the first year for Freedomfest and there will be barbecue, music and games as well as a professional firework works show.
Activities will run from 3 to 9:30 p.m.
Beebe
Beebe’s annual fireworks show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the city hall complex. Besides fireworks, there will be fun, an Elvis impersonator and a performance by Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers.
Ward
Ward’s annual Fourth of July picnic and fireworks show will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the city’s sports complex. The event will also include a car and motorcycle show. An honor guard will open the festivities at 2:15 p.m., followed by Carla’s Dance Group.
There will be numerous vendors, a tractor pull and music by Midnight Express starting at 6:30 p.m. The fireworks will start at dark.
McRae
First Baptist Church, 703 E. Second St., will host the community’s fireworks show on the Fourth.
At 6:30 p.m. a free catfish dinner with all the trimmings will be served indoors and then other activities and the fireworks show will follow.
SPORTS STORY >> Two late runs lift Gwatney
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville got a hard-fought win in the first round of the Gwatney Chevrolet Fourth of July Classic on Thursday at Dupree Park. The Gwatney senior team beat Benton 6-4 to open the tournament.
Pitcher Jess Harbin was best at the beginning and end, running into a little trouble in the middle innings.
He faced only 10 batters in the first three innings, but the one player he didn’t get out, Benton’s Colton Welch, nailed a solo home run over the wall in left field in the first inning to put the visiting team up quickly.
Welch remained a thorn in Harbin’s side the entire game, accounting for four of the seven hits the Jacksonville ace allowed.
After a groundout in the top of the first, Harbin fanned two-hole hitter Alex Wilcox before yielding Welch’s bomb. He then struck out cleanup hitter Ryne Besancon, the first of three strikeouts of the Benton cleanup man.
Jacksonville failed to score in the first inning but was up to bat again quickly in the second after Harbin struck out the side in order.
Jared Wilson got on base with one out when he laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first base. Greg Jones drew a walk and a passed ball moved the runners into scoring position. With two outs, Jacob Abrahamson hit a two-RBI single into right field to put Gwatney ahead 2-1.
After three quick groundouts by Benton, Jacksonville was back at the plate and added two more runs to its lead. Alex Tucker led off with a walk, but two outs followed with Tucker still at first base. James McCranie then got an RBI single to centerfield. Wilson and Jones drew walks and McCranie scored when Benton shortstop Tanner Bates was offline with his throw to first that left Austin Allen safe.
Benton scored two runs in the top of the fourth when the first three batters got base hits. Wilcox singled and Welch got an RBI double and moved to third on the throw home that failed to get Wilcox. Besancon then singled to score Welch, but he was also the first out when he was thrown out by Jones while trying to steal third base.
With two outs and no one on base, Harbin walked Bates, gave up a single to Dillon Oliver and walked Matt Frelin to load the bases. But he got out of the jam by forcing designated hitter Tyler Massey to ground into a 4-6 fielder’s choice that kept Jacksonville in front 4-3.
Benton tied it the very next inning when Harbin continued to struggle with control in the 100-plus degree heat. He hit centerfielder Levon Steward and walked Bates to start the inning. Oliver sacrificed the runners into scoring position and Frelin singled to right field to score one run.
Massey then struck out and leadoff hitter Brad Neighbors was robbed of a hit and at least one RBI when Allen made a diving catch in right-centerfield to end the inning.
Jacksonville got two quick outs in the bottom of the sixth, but put together a two-out rally that scored two runs and set the final margin. Harbin started it by drawing a walk and Xavier Brown did the same. Left-handed hitter McCranie then hit a hard grounder over the top of first base that scored both base runners and gave McCranie his second and third RBIs of the game.
Benton threatened to answer in kind when its first two batters reached base in the top of the seventh. Wilcox drew a walk and Welch singled for his fourth base hit of the game, but Harbin dug in. Besancon and Steward struck out swinging and Harbin ended it by leaving Bates standing and looking at a called strike three.
Jacksonville, 7-9, finished with six base hits.
McCranie and Wilson picked up two apiece to lead the way.
The Chevy Boys were patient at the plate as well, drawing eight free passes with seven walks and one hit batter.
Harbin went the distance on the mound, striking out 10 while walking four.
Jacksonville played Sheridan last night after The Leader’s deadlines, and will continue in the Fourth of July Classic through Sunday.
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville got a hard-fought win in the first round of the Gwatney Chevrolet Fourth of July Classic on Thursday at Dupree Park. The Gwatney senior team beat Benton 6-4 to open the tournament.
Pitcher Jess Harbin was best at the beginning and end, running into a little trouble in the middle innings.
He faced only 10 batters in the first three innings, but the one player he didn’t get out, Benton’s Colton Welch, nailed a solo home run over the wall in left field in the first inning to put the visiting team up quickly.
Welch remained a thorn in Harbin’s side the entire game, accounting for four of the seven hits the Jacksonville ace allowed.
After a groundout in the top of the first, Harbin fanned two-hole hitter Alex Wilcox before yielding Welch’s bomb. He then struck out cleanup hitter Ryne Besancon, the first of three strikeouts of the Benton cleanup man.
Jacksonville failed to score in the first inning but was up to bat again quickly in the second after Harbin struck out the side in order.
Jared Wilson got on base with one out when he laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first base. Greg Jones drew a walk and a passed ball moved the runners into scoring position. With two outs, Jacob Abrahamson hit a two-RBI single into right field to put Gwatney ahead 2-1.
After three quick groundouts by Benton, Jacksonville was back at the plate and added two more runs to its lead. Alex Tucker led off with a walk, but two outs followed with Tucker still at first base. James McCranie then got an RBI single to centerfield. Wilson and Jones drew walks and McCranie scored when Benton shortstop Tanner Bates was offline with his throw to first that left Austin Allen safe.
Benton scored two runs in the top of the fourth when the first three batters got base hits. Wilcox singled and Welch got an RBI double and moved to third on the throw home that failed to get Wilcox. Besancon then singled to score Welch, but he was also the first out when he was thrown out by Jones while trying to steal third base.
With two outs and no one on base, Harbin walked Bates, gave up a single to Dillon Oliver and walked Matt Frelin to load the bases. But he got out of the jam by forcing designated hitter Tyler Massey to ground into a 4-6 fielder’s choice that kept Jacksonville in front 4-3.
Benton tied it the very next inning when Harbin continued to struggle with control in the 100-plus degree heat. He hit centerfielder Levon Steward and walked Bates to start the inning. Oliver sacrificed the runners into scoring position and Frelin singled to right field to score one run.
Massey then struck out and leadoff hitter Brad Neighbors was robbed of a hit and at least one RBI when Allen made a diving catch in right-centerfield to end the inning.
Jacksonville got two quick outs in the bottom of the sixth, but put together a two-out rally that scored two runs and set the final margin. Harbin started it by drawing a walk and Xavier Brown did the same. Left-handed hitter McCranie then hit a hard grounder over the top of first base that scored both base runners and gave McCranie his second and third RBIs of the game.
Benton threatened to answer in kind when its first two batters reached base in the top of the seventh. Wilcox drew a walk and Welch singled for his fourth base hit of the game, but Harbin dug in. Besancon and Steward struck out swinging and Harbin ended it by leaving Bates standing and looking at a called strike three.
Jacksonville, 7-9, finished with six base hits.
McCranie and Wilson picked up two apiece to lead the way.
The Chevy Boys were patient at the plate as well, drawing eight free passes with seven walks and one hit batter.
Harbin went the distance on the mound, striking out 10 while walking four.
Jacksonville played Sheridan last night after The Leader’s deadlines, and will continue in the Fourth of July Classic through Sunday.
SPORTS STORY >> Sylvan Hills begins team camps in July
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Team football camps have been the norm for Sylvan Hills this summer as the Bears prepare for fall in their new 5A Central Conference. The Bears will continue that theme into July with three-straight team camps each Monday along with Maumelle and Pulaski Robinson, with 7 on 7 practice scrimmages on Thursdays.
Good numbers in the spring and a variety of talent among new incoming players is long-awaited news for head coach Jim Withrow and staff, who have struggled in the rebuilding process since losing the last group to reach the state playoffs back in 2009.
For the second-straight summer, the Bears have stayed away from 7-on-7 events and weekly leagues, instead focusing on the 11-man approach of team camps.
“One of the things we talked about was getting more people involved,” Bears coach Jim Withrow said. “I’ve got a feeling that we’re going to end up being pretty young up front, so it’s good to get those guys out there and give them an opportunity.”
Low overall numbers have been at the root of the problem for the past three seasons going back to the last time Sylvan Hills reached the postseason in ’09.
A small roster meant limited depth in several different areas, but spring practice in May brought new hope with a turnout of close to 70 players. Withrow said he expects at least 60 potential players to still be on hand at the first of August.
“That final class back when we had Ahmad Scott and Jordan Spears, they were great guys, but there were less than 10 of them,” Withrow said of the senior 2009 class. “We knew it was going to look like this for a while, but I like our future. There are some good athletes with this younger group, and a lot of really good football players.”
Part of the conference landscape will be familiar for the Bears this season while other parts will be somewhat of a throwback with local rival Jacksonville getting back into the 5A mix as a return member.
North Pulaski, Helena West-Helena Central and Mills University Studies joined Sylvan Hills in the transfer from their former 5A Southeast Conference to the 5A Central, joining Little Rock McClellan, as well as private schools Little Rock Christian Academy and Pulaski Academy.
The realignment will make for less travel time with the exception of games against Helena West-Helena Central, with every other school in the league from central or northern Pulaski County.
“I think the crowds ought to be great this year,” Withrow said. “And think of all the rivalries you have right there with that bunch. It will be a lot better on travel, and everyone will save a ton of money.”
Having a team like the Bruins in the same conference is particularly challenging considering the amount of success Pulaski Academy has had in both the 4A and 5A classifications in recent years. But Withrow said he is a firm believer that today’s struggles can lead to tomorrow’s triumphs.
“This is where you can either embrace it or cry about it,” Withrow said. “We look at it as an opportunity to get to that level, and it will happen. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but we can get there. And if you can get to the point where you can beat PA, you’re going to have a chance to win the whole thing. We’re looking forward to it.”
Leader sportswriter
Team football camps have been the norm for Sylvan Hills this summer as the Bears prepare for fall in their new 5A Central Conference. The Bears will continue that theme into July with three-straight team camps each Monday along with Maumelle and Pulaski Robinson, with 7 on 7 practice scrimmages on Thursdays.
Good numbers in the spring and a variety of talent among new incoming players is long-awaited news for head coach Jim Withrow and staff, who have struggled in the rebuilding process since losing the last group to reach the state playoffs back in 2009.
For the second-straight summer, the Bears have stayed away from 7-on-7 events and weekly leagues, instead focusing on the 11-man approach of team camps.
“One of the things we talked about was getting more people involved,” Bears coach Jim Withrow said. “I’ve got a feeling that we’re going to end up being pretty young up front, so it’s good to get those guys out there and give them an opportunity.”
Low overall numbers have been at the root of the problem for the past three seasons going back to the last time Sylvan Hills reached the postseason in ’09.
A small roster meant limited depth in several different areas, but spring practice in May brought new hope with a turnout of close to 70 players. Withrow said he expects at least 60 potential players to still be on hand at the first of August.
“That final class back when we had Ahmad Scott and Jordan Spears, they were great guys, but there were less than 10 of them,” Withrow said of the senior 2009 class. “We knew it was going to look like this for a while, but I like our future. There are some good athletes with this younger group, and a lot of really good football players.”
Part of the conference landscape will be familiar for the Bears this season while other parts will be somewhat of a throwback with local rival Jacksonville getting back into the 5A mix as a return member.
North Pulaski, Helena West-Helena Central and Mills University Studies joined Sylvan Hills in the transfer from their former 5A Southeast Conference to the 5A Central, joining Little Rock McClellan, as well as private schools Little Rock Christian Academy and Pulaski Academy.
The realignment will make for less travel time with the exception of games against Helena West-Helena Central, with every other school in the league from central or northern Pulaski County.
“I think the crowds ought to be great this year,” Withrow said. “And think of all the rivalries you have right there with that bunch. It will be a lot better on travel, and everyone will save a ton of money.”
Having a team like the Bruins in the same conference is particularly challenging considering the amount of success Pulaski Academy has had in both the 4A and 5A classifications in recent years. But Withrow said he is a firm believer that today’s struggles can lead to tomorrow’s triumphs.
“This is where you can either embrace it or cry about it,” Withrow said. “We look at it as an opportunity to get to that level, and it will happen. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but we can get there. And if you can get to the point where you can beat PA, you’re going to have a chance to win the whole thing. We’re looking forward to it.”
SPORTS STORY >> Junior Olympics is next stop for Cabot equestrian
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
After completing all qualifications and overcoming adversity at her most recent event, nationally-ranked junior equestrian rider Jordan Payton of Cabot and her thoroughbred horse, Slew’s Aftershock, have been selected as alternates to represent their respective team at the illustrious Junior Olympics next month in Lexington, Ky.
The Junior Olympics, also referred to as the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, is the premier championship event for the one and two-star levels of eventing.
Eventing is the triathlon of equestrian riding, which consists of three different challenging events or phases.
The events are categorized as dressage, show jumping and cross country. Equestrianism is the art of skillful horseback riding. In order to be eligible for a spot on the Junior Olympic team, the riders have to complete at least five different one and two-star level qualifying events.
Once the horse and rider complete the five events, they then have to compete in front of a selection committee in a mandatory outing where the committee then chooses the members for the Junior Olympic team.
Only four riders are chosen to represent the team, but two more are chosen as well to compete in individual events.
In the mandatory selection trials that took place earlier this month at Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, Texas, Payton had an unfortunate disadvantage going into the event as she was unable to train adequately due to a minor injury Slew’s Aftershock sustained a week before the outing.
While doing routine fitness work the previous Saturday before the selection trials, Payton’s horsestrained one of his tendons, which aggravated a previous injury.
Payton’s horse was given the week off to recover from the injury, but the lack of practice time certainly didn’t help the duo as far as competing in front of the Junior Olympic selection committee.
“Basically it wasn’t anything major, but I didn’t even ride him for a few days that week,” Payton said about her horse’s untimely injury. “I was icing (the injury) twice a day to keep the swelling down and to keep him happy. I did not jump him all week leading up to the event, which was not ideal.”
In order to rehab Slew’s Aftershock, Payton had to limit the horse’s training to light dressage work, eliminating all jumps. Dressage is the phase of eventing that is the least physically strenuous on the horse and rider, but is considered the most difficult as the event consists of an exact sequence of movements ridden in an enclosed area (20 meters x 60 meters for international eventing, but usually 20 x 40 for a one-day event).
In the dressage phase, judges look for balance, rhythm, suppleness, and most importantly, obedience of the horse and its harmony with the rider. The challenge of dressage is to demonstrate that a supremely fit horse has the training to perform in a graceful, relaxed and precise manner.
Payton, who is currently the nation’s seventh-ranked rider in the Preliminary Junior Division of U.S. Eventing, makes no excuses as far as the obvious disadvantage she and her horse were faced with. But admits the situation wasn’t exactly beneficial to achieving the goal of being selected to the Junior Olympic team.
“It wasn’t the best condition going into the weekend, especially for me,” Payton said. “Jumping has so much to do with my sight, like the distances I see to the fences are very important. For the horse to clear the jump or have the best chance of clearing it and leaving (the rails) up, my job as the rider is to judge the distance to the fence.
“Whether I need to hold (the horse) or make the strides bigger to cover more ground in order to get to the spots I see. If I don’t process that with my eyes, it’s not very good. I really needed the practice. So, that was a major thing going into the weekend that prevented us from doing well I guess you could say.”
The next two phases of eventing, cross country and show jumping, requires the horse and rider to jump over several lower and higher level fences that are usually set up on a long outdoor circuit. Both events are timed and require both the horse and rider to be in excellent physical shape as the phases tests the fitness and stamina of the riding duo.
Scoring for these phases is based on the number of penalties the horse and rider tally during a phase.
Knocking down an obstacle, jumping an obstacle out of order, disobedience, fall of horse or rider, errors on course not rectified, and exceeding the time allowed are some of the mishaps that result in penalties.
The winner is the horse and rider with the fewest penalties.
Even though Payton and her horse had limited time to practice leading up to the selection trials, the two had a strong showing in the dressage phase to start the event.
However, the lack of practice time was noticeable in the show jumping phase, as their performance was less than stellar according to the standards of both Payton and the selectors.
The selectors initially ruled out Payton and her horse from Junior Olympic consideration after the show jumping phase, but after an excellent showing in the cross country phase the following morning, the selectors asked Payton to join the Junior Olympic team as the lone alternate.
Payton was a bit disappointed in the selectors’ decision, but was relieved after the final phase to see her horse looking like his old self again.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to be sound after running cross country, because I felt that he tweaked it galloping,” Payton said of the horse she’s trained with and owned for two years. “I wasn’t sure the pounding and the stress from it would keep him sound. We all had to jog the horses out for the vet after we ran Sunday morning, which happened to be the same vet that had been taking care of him earlier that week.
“He jogged up and looked completely sound. Actually, he looked better than most of the other horses that are on the team. So, that was a bit relieving and we haven’t had a problem since then. He’s stayed sound and seems to be doing well, and (the injury) doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore, thankfully.”
Although Payton isn’t currently scheduled to ride at the Junior Olympics, she will travel with the team to Lexington, Ky., and is training as if she will ride.
If something were to happen that would prevent any of the current team members or their horses from competing between now and then, Payton and Slew’s Aftershock will naturally step in as the permanent replacements.
Payton trains with her horse six days a week at the prestigious Gold Chip Stables in Bartonville, Texas. Opening ceremonies for the Junior Olympics begin July 17 at Kentucky Horse Park.
Leader sportswriter
After completing all qualifications and overcoming adversity at her most recent event, nationally-ranked junior equestrian rider Jordan Payton of Cabot and her thoroughbred horse, Slew’s Aftershock, have been selected as alternates to represent their respective team at the illustrious Junior Olympics next month in Lexington, Ky.
The Junior Olympics, also referred to as the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, is the premier championship event for the one and two-star levels of eventing.
Eventing is the triathlon of equestrian riding, which consists of three different challenging events or phases.
The events are categorized as dressage, show jumping and cross country. Equestrianism is the art of skillful horseback riding. In order to be eligible for a spot on the Junior Olympic team, the riders have to complete at least five different one and two-star level qualifying events.
Once the horse and rider complete the five events, they then have to compete in front of a selection committee in a mandatory outing where the committee then chooses the members for the Junior Olympic team.
Only four riders are chosen to represent the team, but two more are chosen as well to compete in individual events.
In the mandatory selection trials that took place earlier this month at Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, Texas, Payton had an unfortunate disadvantage going into the event as she was unable to train adequately due to a minor injury Slew’s Aftershock sustained a week before the outing.
While doing routine fitness work the previous Saturday before the selection trials, Payton’s horsestrained one of his tendons, which aggravated a previous injury.
Payton’s horse was given the week off to recover from the injury, but the lack of practice time certainly didn’t help the duo as far as competing in front of the Junior Olympic selection committee.
“Basically it wasn’t anything major, but I didn’t even ride him for a few days that week,” Payton said about her horse’s untimely injury. “I was icing (the injury) twice a day to keep the swelling down and to keep him happy. I did not jump him all week leading up to the event, which was not ideal.”
In order to rehab Slew’s Aftershock, Payton had to limit the horse’s training to light dressage work, eliminating all jumps. Dressage is the phase of eventing that is the least physically strenuous on the horse and rider, but is considered the most difficult as the event consists of an exact sequence of movements ridden in an enclosed area (20 meters x 60 meters for international eventing, but usually 20 x 40 for a one-day event).
In the dressage phase, judges look for balance, rhythm, suppleness, and most importantly, obedience of the horse and its harmony with the rider. The challenge of dressage is to demonstrate that a supremely fit horse has the training to perform in a graceful, relaxed and precise manner.
Payton, who is currently the nation’s seventh-ranked rider in the Preliminary Junior Division of U.S. Eventing, makes no excuses as far as the obvious disadvantage she and her horse were faced with. But admits the situation wasn’t exactly beneficial to achieving the goal of being selected to the Junior Olympic team.
“It wasn’t the best condition going into the weekend, especially for me,” Payton said. “Jumping has so much to do with my sight, like the distances I see to the fences are very important. For the horse to clear the jump or have the best chance of clearing it and leaving (the rails) up, my job as the rider is to judge the distance to the fence.
“Whether I need to hold (the horse) or make the strides bigger to cover more ground in order to get to the spots I see. If I don’t process that with my eyes, it’s not very good. I really needed the practice. So, that was a major thing going into the weekend that prevented us from doing well I guess you could say.”
The next two phases of eventing, cross country and show jumping, requires the horse and rider to jump over several lower and higher level fences that are usually set up on a long outdoor circuit. Both events are timed and require both the horse and rider to be in excellent physical shape as the phases tests the fitness and stamina of the riding duo.
Scoring for these phases is based on the number of penalties the horse and rider tally during a phase.
Knocking down an obstacle, jumping an obstacle out of order, disobedience, fall of horse or rider, errors on course not rectified, and exceeding the time allowed are some of the mishaps that result in penalties.
The winner is the horse and rider with the fewest penalties.
Even though Payton and her horse had limited time to practice leading up to the selection trials, the two had a strong showing in the dressage phase to start the event.
However, the lack of practice time was noticeable in the show jumping phase, as their performance was less than stellar according to the standards of both Payton and the selectors.
The selectors initially ruled out Payton and her horse from Junior Olympic consideration after the show jumping phase, but after an excellent showing in the cross country phase the following morning, the selectors asked Payton to join the Junior Olympic team as the lone alternate.
Payton was a bit disappointed in the selectors’ decision, but was relieved after the final phase to see her horse looking like his old self again.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to be sound after running cross country, because I felt that he tweaked it galloping,” Payton said of the horse she’s trained with and owned for two years. “I wasn’t sure the pounding and the stress from it would keep him sound. We all had to jog the horses out for the vet after we ran Sunday morning, which happened to be the same vet that had been taking care of him earlier that week.
“He jogged up and looked completely sound. Actually, he looked better than most of the other horses that are on the team. So, that was a bit relieving and we haven’t had a problem since then. He’s stayed sound and seems to be doing well, and (the injury) doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore, thankfully.”
Although Payton isn’t currently scheduled to ride at the Junior Olympics, she will travel with the team to Lexington, Ky., and is training as if she will ride.
If something were to happen that would prevent any of the current team members or their horses from competing between now and then, Payton and Slew’s Aftershock will naturally step in as the permanent replacements.
Payton trains with her horse six days a week at the prestigious Gold Chip Stables in Bartonville, Texas. Opening ceremonies for the Junior Olympics begin July 17 at Kentucky Horse Park.
SPORTS STORY >> Centennial beats Beebe
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Cabot Junior Team 1 won its second-straight game Tuesday night, beating Beebe 15-5 in five innings at Cabot City Park.
The Centennial Bank squad racked up 12 base hits to five for the visiting Post 91 team.
Cabot jumped ahead early with six runs in the first inning.
Leadoff hitter Adam Hicks got it started with a single on the game’s second pitch. Jonathan Latture and Riley Knudsen reached on infield errors by Beebe and Landon James got a two-RBI single to make it 3-0. With one out, Gavin Tillery singled to drive in another run. Dylan Bowers walked and Austin Null hit a two-RBI double to give Centennial Bank a 6-0 lead.
Cabot added another run in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice grounder by Dalten Hurst. That made 7-0, but Beebe finally got on the board in the top of the third.
Tyler Parker led off with a walk and scored when J. Underwood hit a two-out, RBI double. But Cabot got rolling again in the bottom of the same frame to quickly make it 11-1.
Eric Pique drew a leadoff walk and Null reached on an error at shortstop. John Van Hovelyn then singled and Latture did the same, making it 10-1. James then singled to score Latture from second base.
Beebe’s best inning came in the fourth when it scored three runs. Brandon Gray got a leadoff single and Elijah Cannon drew a one-out walk. One run scored when Cabot committed an error off the bat of Beebe’s Aaron Nunez, who later scored on a wild pitch, pulling Beebe to within seven at 11-4.
Cabot had another big inning in the bottom of the fourth when the first four batters scored before Beebe got three-straight outs.
Tillery, Pique and Null all singled to start the inning and Lee Sullivan tripled to drive in three runs. Sullivan then scored on a sacrifice fly by Van Hovelyn to make it 15-4.
Beebe needed two runs in the top of the fifth to keep the game going, but could only manage one.
Underwood and Dillon Tippy started the inning with back-to-back singles and Underwood scored on a sacrifice grounder by Gray, but Beebe couldn’t get Tippy around and the game ended on the 10-run sportsmanship rule.
Riley Knudsen started on the mound for Cabot and got the win while Gray took the loss for Beebe.
The Centennial Bank team (16-13) will play a doubleheader at home on Monday against Lake Hamilton’s Junior and AA teams.
Leader sports editor
Cabot Junior Team 1 won its second-straight game Tuesday night, beating Beebe 15-5 in five innings at Cabot City Park.
The Centennial Bank squad racked up 12 base hits to five for the visiting Post 91 team.
Cabot jumped ahead early with six runs in the first inning.
Leadoff hitter Adam Hicks got it started with a single on the game’s second pitch. Jonathan Latture and Riley Knudsen reached on infield errors by Beebe and Landon James got a two-RBI single to make it 3-0. With one out, Gavin Tillery singled to drive in another run. Dylan Bowers walked and Austin Null hit a two-RBI double to give Centennial Bank a 6-0 lead.
Cabot added another run in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice grounder by Dalten Hurst. That made 7-0, but Beebe finally got on the board in the top of the third.
Tyler Parker led off with a walk and scored when J. Underwood hit a two-out, RBI double. But Cabot got rolling again in the bottom of the same frame to quickly make it 11-1.
Eric Pique drew a leadoff walk and Null reached on an error at shortstop. John Van Hovelyn then singled and Latture did the same, making it 10-1. James then singled to score Latture from second base.
Beebe’s best inning came in the fourth when it scored three runs. Brandon Gray got a leadoff single and Elijah Cannon drew a one-out walk. One run scored when Cabot committed an error off the bat of Beebe’s Aaron Nunez, who later scored on a wild pitch, pulling Beebe to within seven at 11-4.
Cabot had another big inning in the bottom of the fourth when the first four batters scored before Beebe got three-straight outs.
Tillery, Pique and Null all singled to start the inning and Lee Sullivan tripled to drive in three runs. Sullivan then scored on a sacrifice fly by Van Hovelyn to make it 15-4.
Beebe needed two runs in the top of the fifth to keep the game going, but could only manage one.
Underwood and Dillon Tippy started the inning with back-to-back singles and Underwood scored on a sacrifice grounder by Gray, but Beebe couldn’t get Tippy around and the game ended on the 10-run sportsmanship rule.
Riley Knudsen started on the mound for Cabot and got the win while Gray took the loss for Beebe.
The Centennial Bank team (16-13) will play a doubleheader at home on Monday against Lake Hamilton’s Junior and AA teams.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
TOP STORY >> Austin voters pass sales tax
Austin voters on Tuesday approved a proposed one-cent sales tax to repair city streets.
Residents passed the sales tax by a vote of 58-16, while a bond issue passed 62-12.
Still to be counted are 27 early votes and three absentee votes, which would not affect the outcome.
The tax will support a $1.25 million bond that would likely be paid in less than 15 years. The tax will continue after the bond is paid with no stipulation as to how it must be spent. The tax revenue could be used for other projects in the future, not only streets.
Residents passed the sales tax by a vote of 58-16, while a bond issue passed 62-12.
Still to be counted are 27 early votes and three absentee votes, which would not affect the outcome.
The tax will support a $1.25 million bond that would likely be paid in less than 15 years. The tax will continue after the bond is paid with no stipulation as to how it must be spent. The tax revenue could be used for other projects in the future, not only streets.
TOP STORY >> Marshall Tucker will rock
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Can’t you see the Marshall Tucker Band performing live at the annual Patriotic Spectacular on Sunday at the Jacksonville High School football field?
Event coordinator Angie Mitchell certainly could and didn’t hesitate to book the iconic 1970s Southern rock band when she had the chance using funding from the Jacksonville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
The band will top off an evening of family fun, fireworks, singing, re-enactments and a salute to military heroes.
The event is free and gates open at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Mitchell said a number of things came together to bring Marshall Tucker to Jacksonville. “We had been talking to country singer Candy Coburn, who performed last year for us and is coming back this year. We told her it would be great to have a band, a familiar group,” Mitchell explained.
Coburn gave Mitchell a list of possible bands. “Marshall Tucker was on top of the list and (was) a group Candy had opened for a number of times. Her agency helped us get them. Plus, what helped is that the band had to come through this way to a concert they have booked in Austin, Texas,” Mitchell said.
The event coordinator said the band’s people have been wonderful to work with “and have helped us a lot as this is the first time we’ve brought in such a big name, although Candy is getting more and more popular too,” Mitchell said.
The Marshall Tucker Band formed in the early 1970s in South Carolina.
Many members of the original group have died. But founding member and lead singer Doug Gray continues the tradition. Even though some of the band members are new, the sound is pure Marshall Tucker.
By the way, the group picked up its name from a key chain they found during a rehearsal that belonged to a piano tuner.
Gray’s group includes slide guitarist Stuart Swanlund, who joined the band in 1989; drummer B.B. Borden, a former member of both Mother’s Finest and the Outlaws; Marcus Henderson of Macon, Ga., who plays flute, saxophone and keyboards in addition to lead and background vocals; Pat Elwood on bass guitar, and Rick Willis on lead guitar and vocals, both of Spartanburg S.C., who are disciples of the Caldwell brothers, original members of the band.
In 1972, the Marshall Tucker Band signed with Capricorn Records, the same label that guided the Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie and others to national fame.
Tucker opened shows for the Allman Brothers in 1973, and the following year, they began to headline their own shows across America. They toured constantly playing arenas, stadiums, theaters, fairs and festivals.
The group has gone on to record hit singles like “Heard It in a Love Song,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Can’t You See” and “Take the Highway.”
The band earned seven gold and three platinum albums while they were on the Capricorn Records label.
During the 90s, Marshall Tucker scored four hit singles on Billboard’s country chart and one on Billboard’s gospel chart. Their music has also been featured in numerous movies and television shows.
The band, with its blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country and gospel, has influenced major country acts like Alabama, the Kentucky Headhunters, Confederate Railroad and Travis Tritt.
The Gloryland Pastors Choir of North Little Rock will open the Patriotic Spectacular by performing the national anthem.
Country singer Coburn will perform at 7 p.m. The concert will be followed by an appreciation ceremony for military men and women.
At 8:15 p.m., the Marshall Tucker Band will take the stage. Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
The high school football field, known as Jan Crow Stadium, is at 2400 Linda Lane. Those attending may bring lawn chairs or blankets.
In case of rain, the event, minus the Marshall Tucker Band performance, will be held at First Baptist Church, 401 N. First St.
The fireworks show will still be held at the JHS football field, rain or shine.
The school’s booster club will sell concessions.
So, can’t you see yourself at this once-a-year celebration saluting family, fun, faith and heroes?
Leader staff writer
Can’t you see the Marshall Tucker Band performing live at the annual Patriotic Spectacular on Sunday at the Jacksonville High School football field?
Event coordinator Angie Mitchell certainly could and didn’t hesitate to book the iconic 1970s Southern rock band when she had the chance using funding from the Jacksonville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
The band will top off an evening of family fun, fireworks, singing, re-enactments and a salute to military heroes.
The event is free and gates open at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Mitchell said a number of things came together to bring Marshall Tucker to Jacksonville. “We had been talking to country singer Candy Coburn, who performed last year for us and is coming back this year. We told her it would be great to have a band, a familiar group,” Mitchell explained.
Coburn gave Mitchell a list of possible bands. “Marshall Tucker was on top of the list and (was) a group Candy had opened for a number of times. Her agency helped us get them. Plus, what helped is that the band had to come through this way to a concert they have booked in Austin, Texas,” Mitchell said.
The event coordinator said the band’s people have been wonderful to work with “and have helped us a lot as this is the first time we’ve brought in such a big name, although Candy is getting more and more popular too,” Mitchell said.
The Marshall Tucker Band formed in the early 1970s in South Carolina.
Many members of the original group have died. But founding member and lead singer Doug Gray continues the tradition. Even though some of the band members are new, the sound is pure Marshall Tucker.
By the way, the group picked up its name from a key chain they found during a rehearsal that belonged to a piano tuner.
Gray’s group includes slide guitarist Stuart Swanlund, who joined the band in 1989; drummer B.B. Borden, a former member of both Mother’s Finest and the Outlaws; Marcus Henderson of Macon, Ga., who plays flute, saxophone and keyboards in addition to lead and background vocals; Pat Elwood on bass guitar, and Rick Willis on lead guitar and vocals, both of Spartanburg S.C., who are disciples of the Caldwell brothers, original members of the band.
In 1972, the Marshall Tucker Band signed with Capricorn Records, the same label that guided the Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie and others to national fame.
Tucker opened shows for the Allman Brothers in 1973, and the following year, they began to headline their own shows across America. They toured constantly playing arenas, stadiums, theaters, fairs and festivals.
The group has gone on to record hit singles like “Heard It in a Love Song,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Can’t You See” and “Take the Highway.”
The band earned seven gold and three platinum albums while they were on the Capricorn Records label.
During the 90s, Marshall Tucker scored four hit singles on Billboard’s country chart and one on Billboard’s gospel chart. Their music has also been featured in numerous movies and television shows.
The band, with its blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country and gospel, has influenced major country acts like Alabama, the Kentucky Headhunters, Confederate Railroad and Travis Tritt.
The Gloryland Pastors Choir of North Little Rock will open the Patriotic Spectacular by performing the national anthem.
Country singer Coburn will perform at 7 p.m. The concert will be followed by an appreciation ceremony for military men and women.
At 8:15 p.m., the Marshall Tucker Band will take the stage. Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
The high school football field, known as Jan Crow Stadium, is at 2400 Linda Lane. Those attending may bring lawn chairs or blankets.
In case of rain, the event, minus the Marshall Tucker Band performance, will be held at First Baptist Church, 401 N. First St.
The fireworks show will still be held at the JHS football field, rain or shine.
The school’s booster club will sell concessions.
So, can’t you see yourself at this once-a-year celebration saluting family, fun, faith and heroes?
TOP STORY >> North Belt looks to sales tax, tolls
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The state Highway Department wants the Metroplan board to support a regional transportation authority that would push for local sales taxes to support the North Belt Freeway.
Tolls would also help pay for the $600 million freeway.
Formation of such an authority has been on the Metroplan radar for several years.
The highway department also wants the board to approve a resolution in support of the proposed temporary 1/2-cent state sales tax, estimated to raise $1.8 billion for roads and highways over its 10-year life. Proposed by the state General Assembly, it will be before voters in the November election.
Metroplan staff analysis finds that about 31 percent of the new 1/2 cent tax money is to be spent in Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner and Lonoke counties, which has about 23 percent of the state’s population. Central Arkansas officials have long groused that the region contributes more taxes to the state than it gets back in revenues.
The Metroplan board is to consider the highway commission proposal at today’s monthly meeting, and its staff will prepare resolutions as directed by the board for action at the July board meeting.
COMMISSION TOLL PROPOSAL
The highway commission’s offer includes $6 million for right of way after design survey and other project development activities, with purchase as early as 2016.
Under development pressure by Sherwood developers, Metroplan had sought that right of way money by 2013. A judge ordered the city to allow the developers to begin building in that right of way if the state isn’t buying the right of way.
Currently, the land is mostly undeveloped. Once there are expensive home on it, the price is likely to skyrocket.
Other parts of the state’s proposal to finish the North Belt:
The highway department wants the Metroplan board to commit to half of the funding for project development and the remainder of the right of way costs.
That would require $6 million to be provided in the local 2013-2016 Surface Transportation Improvement Project period, and $18 million in the 2016-2019 STIP.
The department wants the Metroplan board to pass a resolution supporting the “tolling” of the North Belt and to partner in funding a $500,000 toll feasibility study and a $1.5 million “investment grade” toll feasibility study, including hiring an adviser, bond council and financial adviser.
The department further wants the board to agree to partner with the department to cover any shortfall between construction costs and toll revenues, perhaps by committing existing and special turnback funds.
Metroplan director Jim McKenzie has estimated this commitment could total approximately $205 million, about one-third of the projected $632 million construction cost.
POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
McKenzie notes that there are several policy issues Metroplan board members need to consider when evaluating the department proposal.
First, since Metroplan’s long-range transportation plan has spending limits and the highway commission has said the freeway will not be constructed within the plan-period with federal aid and state match, then it must be removed from the long-range transportation plan if there’s not enough funding.
Consequently, federal funds cannot be used on any aspect of the North Belt until it is reinstated with an adequate funding plan.
No local government has ever been asked to partner in the construction of an interstate, according to McKenzie. He called it unprecedented and said it seemed to apply only to the North Belt but not to other unbuilt but long planned interstates such as I-49 and I-69.
The scale of the investment would overwhelm federal transportation funds for the regional arterial network, the Arkansas River Trail and intra-regional bikeway connectors and rail transit.
Neither Metroplan nor a regional planning authority could commit funds to the project that are controlled by the jurisdictions it comprises. Rather, each local legislative body would have to make that choice.
CONSPIRACY THEORY
As the highway commission sees it, Metroplan made commissioners an offer they had to refuse so that blame for scuttling North Belt could be pinned on highway officials.
That’s according to a letter this month from highway director Scott Bennett to other members of the Metroplan board, upon which he also sits.
Metroplan had asked the commission to commit $6 million later this year to buy those parts of North Belt right of way under immediate development pressure in Sherwood, another $36.3 million for right of way acquisition by 2019 and to agree to complete the decades-in-the-making $632 million freeway by 2025 instead of 2030.
“The proposal you have made appears to have been structured so that the only reasonable answer could be “no,” and the blame for not continuing with the development of the corridor could squarely be laid on the commission and the department,” Bennett wrote.
“We expect — and we believe we deserve — better cooperation from the area on this project.”
“The region must step up to the plate and join the game,” said Bennett, a former Razorback baseball player.
TOLLS PAVE WAY
In Bennett’s letter, the commission made a counterproposal that included paying for it by making it a toll road and shifting much of the other funding responsibility to Metroplan and the central Arkansas cities, towns and counties that comprise it its membership.
The commission’s proposal would also require the Metroplan board members to form a regional mobility authority with some taxing authority of its own.
“If the North Belt freeway is to move forward, the finger-pointing must stop and the central Arkansas region must work together with the commission and the department,” Bennett wrote to the Metroplan board June 15.
The commission’s counter proposal not only would make the North Belt the state’s first toll road, but it would require formation a regional taxing authority and for central Arkansas governments and Metroplan to commit to paying about $206 million of the cost.
NEVER ENOUGH MONEY
While Metroplan has been calling the North Belt construction a “committed project,” Bennett said there was never enough money committed to build the entire thing.
The 1991 Highway Improvement Act included $50 million which was never adequate to fund the entire corridor, he said, further noting that $70 million was spent building just the east half of the project.
When Gov. Jim Guy Tucker proposed $136 million to complete the North Belt in 1995, according to Bennett, it was the Metroplan that delayed the project because it would “encourage sprawl.”
Bennett cites several other delays — in 1997 Metroplan didn’t approve moving forward because the proposed route was not consistent with the Sherwood master street plan — and concludes: “any blame for the North Belt Freeway not being completed to date simply cannot rest solely on the commission and the department.”
McKenzie says that on short notice, the commission gave a serious ear to the Metroplan request and calls the counter offer “a good-faith effort.”
Leader senior staff writer
The state Highway Department wants the Metroplan board to support a regional transportation authority that would push for local sales taxes to support the North Belt Freeway.
Tolls would also help pay for the $600 million freeway.
Formation of such an authority has been on the Metroplan radar for several years.
The highway department also wants the board to approve a resolution in support of the proposed temporary 1/2-cent state sales tax, estimated to raise $1.8 billion for roads and highways over its 10-year life. Proposed by the state General Assembly, it will be before voters in the November election.
Metroplan staff analysis finds that about 31 percent of the new 1/2 cent tax money is to be spent in Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner and Lonoke counties, which has about 23 percent of the state’s population. Central Arkansas officials have long groused that the region contributes more taxes to the state than it gets back in revenues.
The Metroplan board is to consider the highway commission proposal at today’s monthly meeting, and its staff will prepare resolutions as directed by the board for action at the July board meeting.
COMMISSION TOLL PROPOSAL
The highway commission’s offer includes $6 million for right of way after design survey and other project development activities, with purchase as early as 2016.
Under development pressure by Sherwood developers, Metroplan had sought that right of way money by 2013. A judge ordered the city to allow the developers to begin building in that right of way if the state isn’t buying the right of way.
Currently, the land is mostly undeveloped. Once there are expensive home on it, the price is likely to skyrocket.
Other parts of the state’s proposal to finish the North Belt:
The highway department wants the Metroplan board to commit to half of the funding for project development and the remainder of the right of way costs.
That would require $6 million to be provided in the local 2013-2016 Surface Transportation Improvement Project period, and $18 million in the 2016-2019 STIP.
The department wants the Metroplan board to pass a resolution supporting the “tolling” of the North Belt and to partner in funding a $500,000 toll feasibility study and a $1.5 million “investment grade” toll feasibility study, including hiring an adviser, bond council and financial adviser.
The department further wants the board to agree to partner with the department to cover any shortfall between construction costs and toll revenues, perhaps by committing existing and special turnback funds.
Metroplan director Jim McKenzie has estimated this commitment could total approximately $205 million, about one-third of the projected $632 million construction cost.
POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
McKenzie notes that there are several policy issues Metroplan board members need to consider when evaluating the department proposal.
First, since Metroplan’s long-range transportation plan has spending limits and the highway commission has said the freeway will not be constructed within the plan-period with federal aid and state match, then it must be removed from the long-range transportation plan if there’s not enough funding.
Consequently, federal funds cannot be used on any aspect of the North Belt until it is reinstated with an adequate funding plan.
No local government has ever been asked to partner in the construction of an interstate, according to McKenzie. He called it unprecedented and said it seemed to apply only to the North Belt but not to other unbuilt but long planned interstates such as I-49 and I-69.
The scale of the investment would overwhelm federal transportation funds for the regional arterial network, the Arkansas River Trail and intra-regional bikeway connectors and rail transit.
Neither Metroplan nor a regional planning authority could commit funds to the project that are controlled by the jurisdictions it comprises. Rather, each local legislative body would have to make that choice.
CONSPIRACY THEORY
As the highway commission sees it, Metroplan made commissioners an offer they had to refuse so that blame for scuttling North Belt could be pinned on highway officials.
That’s according to a letter this month from highway director Scott Bennett to other members of the Metroplan board, upon which he also sits.
Metroplan had asked the commission to commit $6 million later this year to buy those parts of North Belt right of way under immediate development pressure in Sherwood, another $36.3 million for right of way acquisition by 2019 and to agree to complete the decades-in-the-making $632 million freeway by 2025 instead of 2030.
“The proposal you have made appears to have been structured so that the only reasonable answer could be “no,” and the blame for not continuing with the development of the corridor could squarely be laid on the commission and the department,” Bennett wrote.
“We expect — and we believe we deserve — better cooperation from the area on this project.”
“The region must step up to the plate and join the game,” said Bennett, a former Razorback baseball player.
TOLLS PAVE WAY
In Bennett’s letter, the commission made a counterproposal that included paying for it by making it a toll road and shifting much of the other funding responsibility to Metroplan and the central Arkansas cities, towns and counties that comprise it its membership.
The commission’s proposal would also require the Metroplan board members to form a regional mobility authority with some taxing authority of its own.
“If the North Belt freeway is to move forward, the finger-pointing must stop and the central Arkansas region must work together with the commission and the department,” Bennett wrote to the Metroplan board June 15.
The commission’s counter proposal not only would make the North Belt the state’s first toll road, but it would require formation a regional taxing authority and for central Arkansas governments and Metroplan to commit to paying about $206 million of the cost.
NEVER ENOUGH MONEY
While Metroplan has been calling the North Belt construction a “committed project,” Bennett said there was never enough money committed to build the entire thing.
The 1991 Highway Improvement Act included $50 million which was never adequate to fund the entire corridor, he said, further noting that $70 million was spent building just the east half of the project.
When Gov. Jim Guy Tucker proposed $136 million to complete the North Belt in 1995, according to Bennett, it was the Metroplan that delayed the project because it would “encourage sprawl.”
Bennett cites several other delays — in 1997 Metroplan didn’t approve moving forward because the proposed route was not consistent with the Sherwood master street plan — and concludes: “any blame for the North Belt Freeway not being completed to date simply cannot rest solely on the commission and the department.”
McKenzie says that on short notice, the commission gave a serious ear to the Metroplan request and calls the counter offer “a good-faith effort.”
TOP STORY >> No relief in sight for heat wave
Temperatures are going to be smoldering for the rest of this week with weather forecasters predicting triple-digit highs.
Temperatures will range from 99 today up to 105 through the weekend.
How important is it to stay cool? Seventeen Arkansans died from heat-related illness in 2011 and there is an average of 400 heat-related deaths a year nationwide, according to a release from the state Health Department. One person died Tuesday in Fayeteville from heat exhaustion.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer.
Spokeswoman Amya Arnone of North Metro Medical Center said four people have been to the emergency room for heat-related illnesses and a fifth person visited a doctor for heat syncope, which is when a person faints from being too hot.
Seniors who may not have an air-conditioned home are welcome to come into the Jacksonville Senior Activity and Wellness Center and the Jack Evans Senior Citizen Center in Sherwood to cool off.
The cooling center in the American Legion Post at 208 N. First St. in Cabot opened on Monday. It will be available for anyone without access to air-conditioning when temperatures reach 100 or the heat index reaches 105, as determined by the National Weather Service.
Hours for the center are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.
An Ozone Action Advisory, which means there are higher levels of air pollution, has been issued for the past several days in Pulaski and Lonoke counties.
According to the health department’s news release, excessive heat can cause the following disorders, which are progressive and should be treated immediately:
Heat cramps, prolonged muscle pain caused by heavy sweating that depletes salt and magnesium in the body. Treatment is salt replacement, cooling down and gentle massage.
Heat exhaustion, the most common heat-related illness. It happens while someone is working outside or attending outdoor events in hot weather.
The symptoms include weakness, feeling faint, dizziness, nausea, headache and confusion. Those suffering from heat exhaustion should be moved to a cooler place and wet cloths should be used on them. Fluid and salt should be replaced.
Depending on the severity, the person may need to go to the hospital for intravenous fluid replacement. Heat exhaustion is usually a precursor to heat stroke.
Heat stroke (also called sunstroke), a life-threatening condition. A person’s temperature control system stops working. Sweating doesn’t help the body cool down or it stops altogether.
The body gets so hot that the nervous system, the brain and other organs can be permanently damaged. The symptoms are sudden high fever, dry skin, delirium, convulsions and seizures.
Someone should call 911 immediately and get the patient cooled off as quickly as possible with ice, a cold bath and wet sheets.
As for the high levels of air pollution — children, the elderly and people with breathing problem such as asthma are most at risk, according to a release from Ozone Action Days, a public awareness program of Metroplan in partnership with the state health department and the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Symptoms of exposure may include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea, and eye and throat irritation, according to the release. Steps people can take to avoid those symptoms include limiting prolonged exposure to the outdoors.
People can decrease pollution, according to the release, by:
Riding a bus or carpooling to work;
Riding a bike instead of driving;
Postponing or consolidating errands;
Bringing a sack lunch or walking to lunch;
Going with an alternative work schedule and telecommuting opportunities;
Driving a little slower and accelerating gradually;
And delaying refueling, yard mowing or barbecuing until after 6 p.m.
Another result of higher temperatures could be shortages due to higher demand for water.
According to a release from Central Arkansas Water, some customers may see slightly discolored water caused by the increased amount of water flowing through water mains.
A release from the health department suggests people:
Water their lawn only when it needs it.
Deep soak the lawn rather than sprinkling lightly, which tends to evaporate quickly.
Water during the cool part of the day, such as early morning.
Don’t waste water on gutters, driveways and sidewalks.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants because mulch will hold moisture longer and it will evaporate more slowly.
Temperatures will range from 99 today up to 105 through the weekend.
How important is it to stay cool? Seventeen Arkansans died from heat-related illness in 2011 and there is an average of 400 heat-related deaths a year nationwide, according to a release from the state Health Department. One person died Tuesday in Fayeteville from heat exhaustion.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer.
Spokeswoman Amya Arnone of North Metro Medical Center said four people have been to the emergency room for heat-related illnesses and a fifth person visited a doctor for heat syncope, which is when a person faints from being too hot.
Seniors who may not have an air-conditioned home are welcome to come into the Jacksonville Senior Activity and Wellness Center and the Jack Evans Senior Citizen Center in Sherwood to cool off.
The cooling center in the American Legion Post at 208 N. First St. in Cabot opened on Monday. It will be available for anyone without access to air-conditioning when temperatures reach 100 or the heat index reaches 105, as determined by the National Weather Service.
Hours for the center are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.
An Ozone Action Advisory, which means there are higher levels of air pollution, has been issued for the past several days in Pulaski and Lonoke counties.
According to the health department’s news release, excessive heat can cause the following disorders, which are progressive and should be treated immediately:
Heat cramps, prolonged muscle pain caused by heavy sweating that depletes salt and magnesium in the body. Treatment is salt replacement, cooling down and gentle massage.
Heat exhaustion, the most common heat-related illness. It happens while someone is working outside or attending outdoor events in hot weather.
The symptoms include weakness, feeling faint, dizziness, nausea, headache and confusion. Those suffering from heat exhaustion should be moved to a cooler place and wet cloths should be used on them. Fluid and salt should be replaced.
Depending on the severity, the person may need to go to the hospital for intravenous fluid replacement. Heat exhaustion is usually a precursor to heat stroke.
Heat stroke (also called sunstroke), a life-threatening condition. A person’s temperature control system stops working. Sweating doesn’t help the body cool down or it stops altogether.
The body gets so hot that the nervous system, the brain and other organs can be permanently damaged. The symptoms are sudden high fever, dry skin, delirium, convulsions and seizures.
Someone should call 911 immediately and get the patient cooled off as quickly as possible with ice, a cold bath and wet sheets.
As for the high levels of air pollution — children, the elderly and people with breathing problem such as asthma are most at risk, according to a release from Ozone Action Days, a public awareness program of Metroplan in partnership with the state health department and the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Symptoms of exposure may include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea, and eye and throat irritation, according to the release. Steps people can take to avoid those symptoms include limiting prolonged exposure to the outdoors.
People can decrease pollution, according to the release, by:
Riding a bus or carpooling to work;
Riding a bike instead of driving;
Postponing or consolidating errands;
Bringing a sack lunch or walking to lunch;
Going with an alternative work schedule and telecommuting opportunities;
Driving a little slower and accelerating gradually;
And delaying refueling, yard mowing or barbecuing until after 6 p.m.
Another result of higher temperatures could be shortages due to higher demand for water.
According to a release from Central Arkansas Water, some customers may see slightly discolored water caused by the increased amount of water flowing through water mains.
A release from the health department suggests people:
Water their lawn only when it needs it.
Deep soak the lawn rather than sprinkling lightly, which tends to evaporate quickly.
Water during the cool part of the day, such as early morning.
Don’t waste water on gutters, driveways and sidewalks.
Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants because mulch will hold moisture longer and it will evaporate more slowly.
Use automatic dishwashers and washing machines only on full loads.
Don’t let the faucet run when cleaning vegetables or washing dishes. Rinse them in a stoppered sink or pan of clean water.
Don’t let water run when brushing teeth or shaving.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator.
Check faucets, pipes and toilets for drips or leaks.
and Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors.
Don’t let the faucet run when cleaning vegetables or washing dishes. Rinse them in a stoppered sink or pan of clean water.
Don’t let water run when brushing teeth or shaving.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator.
Check faucets, pipes and toilets for drips or leaks.
and Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors.
EDITORIAL >> A good deal? Don’t bet on it
Nancy Todd, an avid poker player and gambling and political consultant, wants to get rich. Nothing wrong with that, we all do.
But she wants to get rich with help from Arkansas taxpayers. Still nothing wrong there, provided we get something in return for making her rich, and in the words of Shakespeare, “There’s the rub.”
Todd’s plans for casinos in the state give her a lot, a whole heck of a lot, but gives the taxpayers not much more than window dressing.
Putting the issue of gambling aside, residents need to reject her petition to put her plans on the November ballot as an amendment to the state constitution.
She needs more than 78,000 signatures by July 6 to get her proposal on the ballot. But residents shouldn’t sign it because it is a bad deal for Arkansas taxpayers.
If Arkansas is going to allow gambling — forever changing its landscape, philosophy and outlook — it needs to get the best deal possible, and Todd’s proposal is not it.
Take a look at what she’s asking for. Todd wants to own, operate and control four casinos in the state — one in the Texarkana area and one near Fort Smith, which she argues will stop the flow of Arkansas money to Indian casinos in Oklahoma.
She’d like to build a casino around Harrison to stop families and seniors from spending their money in Branson, Mo., which has said it is doing just fine without casino help.
A fourth casino would be in the Little Rock area. Why? Simply to grease the palms of those overseeing casinos in the state. Now this isn’t suggesting anything illegal, but it would be interesting to see how many legislative in-laws and outlaws end up with casino-related jobs. It’s just their way of doing business.
Todd believes that casinos will be good for the state because they will create jobs, but most of the high-paying executive casino jobs will be for people moving here, not Arkansans.
But here’s our big concern: If casinos are a cure all, why does she not want to build a casino in the Delta, the part of the state that needs the most help? It’s simple, that would take money out of the Mississippi casinos that she is connected to.
Furthermore, recent financial reports from Mississippi show casino revenues have been falling since 2007.
We’ve seen the same with the lottery here. Mississippi officials conveniently blame the recession. But when customers see that they seldom win, they stop buying. Arkansas’ lottery isn’t producing the winners, nor the scholarships that were touted.
Back to Todd though.
As an incentive for the state to give her casino rights, she says that she will let the state tax her casinos an extra 12.5 percent and that extra money will be spread out among the state because of her goodwill.
It all sounds good, but how much is that, really?
Let’s do a little math. The nine casinos in Tunica, Miss., bring in about $1 billion a year. Arkansas would have four casinos, so let’s cut that $1 billion in half — remember people only have so much money for entertainment — so Arkansas casinos may bring in $500 million.
Todd’s extra tax would mean $63 million is deposited in the state’s coffers, not even enough to make a dent in the looming Medicaid deficit. But the state won’t be able to do just anything with the money. Todd’s proposal specifically splits it up so everyone gets some — very nice of her.
Every county that doesn’t have a casino will get 18 percent of that 12.5 percent or slightly more than $11 million. But wait, that’s not $11 million per county, that’s $11 million divided by the 71 counties she didn’t think were in need of a casino. They would get only $159,000.
Is that enough for Phillips County or Desha County or for you to sell out the state?
As tempting as it might be, the answer should be no, the Natural State is worth more than that to its residents.
But she wants to get rich with help from Arkansas taxpayers. Still nothing wrong there, provided we get something in return for making her rich, and in the words of Shakespeare, “There’s the rub.”
Todd’s plans for casinos in the state give her a lot, a whole heck of a lot, but gives the taxpayers not much more than window dressing.
Putting the issue of gambling aside, residents need to reject her petition to put her plans on the November ballot as an amendment to the state constitution.
She needs more than 78,000 signatures by July 6 to get her proposal on the ballot. But residents shouldn’t sign it because it is a bad deal for Arkansas taxpayers.
If Arkansas is going to allow gambling — forever changing its landscape, philosophy and outlook — it needs to get the best deal possible, and Todd’s proposal is not it.
Take a look at what she’s asking for. Todd wants to own, operate and control four casinos in the state — one in the Texarkana area and one near Fort Smith, which she argues will stop the flow of Arkansas money to Indian casinos in Oklahoma.
She’d like to build a casino around Harrison to stop families and seniors from spending their money in Branson, Mo., which has said it is doing just fine without casino help.
A fourth casino would be in the Little Rock area. Why? Simply to grease the palms of those overseeing casinos in the state. Now this isn’t suggesting anything illegal, but it would be interesting to see how many legislative in-laws and outlaws end up with casino-related jobs. It’s just their way of doing business.
Todd believes that casinos will be good for the state because they will create jobs, but most of the high-paying executive casino jobs will be for people moving here, not Arkansans.
But here’s our big concern: If casinos are a cure all, why does she not want to build a casino in the Delta, the part of the state that needs the most help? It’s simple, that would take money out of the Mississippi casinos that she is connected to.
Furthermore, recent financial reports from Mississippi show casino revenues have been falling since 2007.
We’ve seen the same with the lottery here. Mississippi officials conveniently blame the recession. But when customers see that they seldom win, they stop buying. Arkansas’ lottery isn’t producing the winners, nor the scholarships that were touted.
Back to Todd though.
As an incentive for the state to give her casino rights, she says that she will let the state tax her casinos an extra 12.5 percent and that extra money will be spread out among the state because of her goodwill.
It all sounds good, but how much is that, really?
Let’s do a little math. The nine casinos in Tunica, Miss., bring in about $1 billion a year. Arkansas would have four casinos, so let’s cut that $1 billion in half — remember people only have so much money for entertainment — so Arkansas casinos may bring in $500 million.
Todd’s extra tax would mean $63 million is deposited in the state’s coffers, not even enough to make a dent in the looming Medicaid deficit. But the state won’t be able to do just anything with the money. Todd’s proposal specifically splits it up so everyone gets some — very nice of her.
Every county that doesn’t have a casino will get 18 percent of that 12.5 percent or slightly more than $11 million. But wait, that’s not $11 million per county, that’s $11 million divided by the 71 counties she didn’t think were in need of a casino. They would get only $159,000.
Is that enough for Phillips County or Desha County or for you to sell out the state?
As tempting as it might be, the answer should be no, the Natural State is worth more than that to its residents.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot One earns win after tough two games
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Cabot Junior Team 1 got back on the winning track Monday after suffering two losses over the weekend. Team Goss, coached by Chris Goss, beat Cabot Team 2 at Cabot City Park 9-1. That followed a weekend of action that started with a perfect game by pitcher Gavin Tillery in an 11-0 win over Benton, but ended with losses to Texarkana and Bryant on Saturday and Sunday.
Neither of those losses were zone games and won’t count against the team’s standings when zone tournaments begin July 5.
In Friday’s win over Benton, Tillery faced 12 batters in four innings of work, retiring them all in order and striking out five.
Tristan Bulice highlighted a nice offensive game with a spectacular day at the plate. He went 2 for 3with both base hits going for extra bases. He had one double and one triple, walked once and drove in three runs.
Pique and Adam Hick each drove in two runs as well.
In Saturday’s loss at the Hot Springs Lakeside tournament, Texarkana jumped on Cabot early with six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Cabot chipped away with two runs in the third and one each in the fifth and sixth to make it 6-4, but gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Errors were the major problem. Starting pitcher Landon James gave up eight hits in going the distance for Cabot. He also walked five while the defense committed seven errors.
Cabot got 10 base hits with Dalten Hurst, Brandon Jones, Jonathan Latture and Tillery picking up two apiece.
In Sunday’s loss at Lakeside, Bryant threatened to end the game early, racing out to a 10-0 lead through three and a half innings, but Cabot scored two in the bottom of the fourth to keep from being mercy ruled.
Tillery was on the mound again to start the game, but the Black Sox chased him off the mound in just one and a third innings. Again Cabot committed seven errors while giving up 10 base hits and three free passes at the plate.
On Monday, a seemingly typical day at the park between the two Cabot junior teams took a strange turn in the fifth inning as Team 1 began to pull away from the ninth-grader laden Team 2.
Leading 9-1 with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Team 1 tried to steal home and was thrown out. Before the same at bat was over, another Cabot runner was picked off at third base by Team 1 catcher Lino Garcia to end the inning. With Team 2 at the plate in the top of the sixth and a 1-2 count on the batter, Goss ordered pitcher Austin Null to intentionally walk the batter.
It all added up to naught, as Team 1 was unable to score and the game ended at 9-1 in seven innings.
Team 1 hosted Beebe on Tuesday while Team 2 hosted North Little Rock immediately afterwards. Both teams will travel to Conway on Thursday with Team 1 (15-13) playing at 6 p.m. and Team 2 (4-17) following.
Leader sports editor
Cabot Junior Team 1 got back on the winning track Monday after suffering two losses over the weekend. Team Goss, coached by Chris Goss, beat Cabot Team 2 at Cabot City Park 9-1. That followed a weekend of action that started with a perfect game by pitcher Gavin Tillery in an 11-0 win over Benton, but ended with losses to Texarkana and Bryant on Saturday and Sunday.
Neither of those losses were zone games and won’t count against the team’s standings when zone tournaments begin July 5.
In Friday’s win over Benton, Tillery faced 12 batters in four innings of work, retiring them all in order and striking out five.
Tristan Bulice highlighted a nice offensive game with a spectacular day at the plate. He went 2 for 3with both base hits going for extra bases. He had one double and one triple, walked once and drove in three runs.
Pique and Adam Hick each drove in two runs as well.
In Saturday’s loss at the Hot Springs Lakeside tournament, Texarkana jumped on Cabot early with six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Cabot chipped away with two runs in the third and one each in the fifth and sixth to make it 6-4, but gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Errors were the major problem. Starting pitcher Landon James gave up eight hits in going the distance for Cabot. He also walked five while the defense committed seven errors.
Cabot got 10 base hits with Dalten Hurst, Brandon Jones, Jonathan Latture and Tillery picking up two apiece.
In Sunday’s loss at Lakeside, Bryant threatened to end the game early, racing out to a 10-0 lead through three and a half innings, but Cabot scored two in the bottom of the fourth to keep from being mercy ruled.
Tillery was on the mound again to start the game, but the Black Sox chased him off the mound in just one and a third innings. Again Cabot committed seven errors while giving up 10 base hits and three free passes at the plate.
On Monday, a seemingly typical day at the park between the two Cabot junior teams took a strange turn in the fifth inning as Team 1 began to pull away from the ninth-grader laden Team 2.
Leading 9-1 with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Team 1 tried to steal home and was thrown out. Before the same at bat was over, another Cabot runner was picked off at third base by Team 1 catcher Lino Garcia to end the inning. With Team 2 at the plate in the top of the sixth and a 1-2 count on the batter, Goss ordered pitcher Austin Null to intentionally walk the batter.
It all added up to naught, as Team 1 was unable to score and the game ended at 9-1 in seven innings.
Team 1 hosted Beebe on Tuesday while Team 2 hosted North Little Rock immediately afterwards. Both teams will travel to Conway on Thursday with Team 1 (15-13) playing at 6 p.m. and Team 2 (4-17) following.
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