text stringlengths 237 126k | date_download stringdate 2022-01-01 00:32:20 2023-01-01 00:02:37 ⌀ | source_domain stringclasses 60 values | title stringlengths 4 31.5k ⌀ | url stringlengths 24 617 ⌀ | id stringlengths 24 617 ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
William Edward “Bill” Gaines Sr. departed from this world on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in Paragould, at the age of 90 years, 11 months and 16 days. Born April 27, 1931, on the Townsend farm near Portia, he was the son of the late Edward and Effie Ring Gaines. Bill was a U.S. Army veteran stationed in Germany and France from 1955-1957. After living and working in St. Louis, Bill moved his family back to Portia. He worked as a salesman for Smith Implement of Walnut Ridge for 10 years and retired from Skil-Bosch in 1996 after 12 years. Bill was of the Baptist faith.
In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Laverne; one sister, Kitty Logan; and two brothers-in-law, Bly Logan and Jerry Gill.
Bill is survived by four children, Peggy (Eddie) Chadwick of Black Rock, Bill Gaines (Paula Weaver) of Paragould, Sandy (Danny) Bristow of Redwood, Miss., and Michael (Karen) Gaines of Pea Ridge; a brother and sister-in-law, Harry and Brenda Gaines of Arnold, Mo.; a sister, Shirley Gill of Walnut Ridge; and a sister-in-law, Babs and husband Jerry King of Jonesboro. Also surviving are nine grandchildren, Sharonda (Victor) Medina, Chad (Cindy) Chadwick, Jason (Whitney) Gaines, Jenny (Scott) Gilbert, Stefanie (Nick) Hatcher, Matthew (Catelyn) Chadwick, Jamie Gaines and Brandie Gaines. He was also blessed to have 12 great-grandchildren as survivors.
Graveside services were Thursday, April 14, at 11:30 a.m. at Lawrence Memorial Park in Walnut Ridge. Arrangements were under the direction of Cox Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge.
Grandsons served as pallbearers.
An online guestbook is available at coxfhwalnutridge.com. | 2022-04-20T15:29:50Z | www.jonesborosun.com | William Edward Gaines | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/william-edward-gaines/article_ffeb243d-11a4-5296-9264-07aff117bf5f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/william-edward-gaines/article_ffeb243d-11a4-5296-9264-07aff117bf5f.html |
The Lawrence County Quorum Court met on April 11 and reviewed a proclamation from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson that proclaimed April 10-16 as Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week.
The proclamation stated, “In an emergency, most Arkansans depend on calling the emergency phone number 911. Each day, public safety telecommunicators answer desperate calls for help, responding with services that save the lives and property of Arkansas citizens in need of assistance. Arkansans place their trust in these individuals, not just this week, but every day of the year. This is an excellent opportunity to show our appreciation and to recognize that our health, safety and well-being are often dependent on the commitment and steadfast devotion of public safety telecommunicators.”
The proclamation continued, “Public safety telecommunicators in Arkansas are a vital link for ensuring the safety of law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics while also contributing to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of firearms, and response to medical emergencies. These dispatchers have exhibited compassion, understanding and professionalism during the performance of their jobs.”
Board members also discussed several ordinances, including the Clean-Up Ordinance, which is to pay county obligations that were paid in 2022 for the year of 2021. Only $9,963.27 had to be appropriated from the County General Fund to cover the expenditures. Board members voted to pass the ordinance with no objection.
An ordinance transferring funds from the County General Fund to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department budget was also approved, as was an ordinance approving the payment for a roof project on the Lawrence County Courthouse from ARPA Revenue Replacement Funds to Quality Roofing in the amount of $6,763.
Quorum court members also approved an ordinance authorizing the payment for 2020 Federal Audit from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which goes to Certified Public Accountant Thomas, Speight and Noble in the amount of $10,000. Also, an ordinance was read authorizing the purchase of a new server for the county clerk and treasurer. The ordinance is for no more than $45,000 to be spent from the ARPA Revenue Replacement Funds.
Burt Newell, the attorney representing Lawrence County in the Cache River lawsuit, provided an update on the lawsuit but couldn’t tell board members when the lawsuit would be settled.
Justice Lloyd Clark provided an update on the Quorum Court Association meeting he attended on April 9, and board members approved previous minutes, as well as the treasurer’s report and budget report. | 2022-04-20T15:30:02Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Quorum Court recognizes Public Safety Telecommunicators' Week | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/quorum-court-recognizes-public-safety-telecommunicators-week/article_c75198fd-0cb8-5ffd-ab3d-6905b1e04b49.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/quorum-court-recognizes-public-safety-telecommunicators-week/article_c75198fd-0cb8-5ffd-ab3d-6905b1e04b49.html |
Williams Baptist University officially broke ground Friday, April 8, on a 4,200-square-foot meat processing facility that is scheduled to open by the end of 2022.
The facility, which will be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), will help address the shortage of meat processors in the state of Arkansas and help train and educate new workers within the field. The facility will also provide jobs to students in WBU’s Williams Works initiative, which gives them the opportunity to work through college to receive a debt-free degree.
Among those in attendance for the ground-breaking ceremony with Dr. Norman were WBU Board of Trustees Chairman Jody Smotherman, Vice Chair JR Cox, Board Secretary Jamar Andrews, Walnut Ridge Mayor Charles Snapp, Lawrence County Judge John Thomison, Executive Director of the Arkansas State Baptist Convention Sonny Tucker, Eagle Farms Manager Brad Flippo and other members of the WBU Board of Trustees.
In addition to the economic benefits of the processing plant, it will also serve as an education facility to train others in meat processing who can create additional facilities throughout the state. The certification program will be open to any interested individuals, including those not enrolled in degree programs at WBU. | 2022-04-20T15:30:21Z | www.jonesborosun.com | WBU breaks ground on meat processing facility | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/wbu-breaks-ground-on-meat-processing-facility/article_ca0b4a08-e63e-51f5-894f-947bc69254a1.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/wbu-breaks-ground-on-meat-processing-facility/article_ca0b4a08-e63e-51f5-894f-947bc69254a1.html |
Arvest among ‘World’s Best’
Arvest Bank was once again recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the “World’s Best Banks,” ranking 20th among U.S. banks.
Arvest has received this distinction for four years in a row, including three years in a row as part of the top 20.
All financial institutions, both brick-and-mortar and online-only, offering a checking and/or savings account were considered.
Customers surveyed had to name and rate every bank at which they have or have had a checking or savings account on overall recommendation and satisfaction, trust, terms and conditions, customer services, digital services and financial advice.
A full list and the accompanying article can be found at www.forbes.com.
WBU starts meat processing plant
Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge officially broke ground April 8 on a 4,200 square-foot meat processing facility that is scheduled to open by the end of 2022.
The facility, which will be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture, will help address the shortage of meat processors in the state of Arkansas and help train and educate new workers within the field.
The operation plans to harvest 20-25 animals per week when fully operational.
King part of APEX Producers Club
Joel King, with Peoples Co. of Jonesboro, has been recognized as a part of the 2021 APEX Producers Club by the Realtors Land Institute as a part of the RLI APEX Production Awards Program, sponsored by The Land Report.
King was recognized by RLI CEO Aubrie Kobernus, MBA, RCE, and The Land Report Co-founder Eric O’Keefe on March 24, during RLI’s 2022 National Land Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Top awards winners will receive national recognition in The Land Report magazine, in RLI’s Terra Firma magazine, and in additional promotions throughout the year.
Tosh moves to new location
Jennifer Tosh, a family medicine provider, has relocated her practice to the Midway Medical Clinic inside the White River Medical Center Medical Complex, 195 Hospital Drive, in Cherokee Village.
As a family nurse practitioner, Tosh provides healthcare to patients of all ages.
The clinic is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Appointments can be made by calling 870-257-6060.
Patients at the Drasco Medical Clinic will now be seen by Micah Moody, a board-certified family nurse practitioner.
Chamber to host business workshop
The Piggott Chamber of Commerce will host a free workshop, “Financing Your Business,” from 10 a.m. to noon May 12 at its office, 100 W. Main St.
Robert Bahn with the Arkansas State University Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center will lead the workshop.
After, from 1 to 3 p.m., he will conduct one-on-one counseling sessions, which also require appointments. | 2022-04-22T00:40:15Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Business briefs | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/business-briefs/article_5b3dba67-c402-503a-8926-2850e24d2419.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/business-briefs/article_5b3dba67-c402-503a-8926-2850e24d2419.html |
Chateau on the Ridge adds board member
PARAGOULD — Sue McGowan has joined the Chateau on the Ridge Board of Directors. She will work with the board and Chateau on the Ridge Director Deborah Farrell, in making decisions and policies that will benefit the assisted living facility and its 62 residents.
McGowan brings over 20 years of experience to the board by serving as the director of economic development/CEO of the Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce. She also has a background in real estate and banking.
McGowan has been involved in the Paragould community for many years and serves on numerous boards. She has been named Citizen of the Year by the Paragould Rotary Club and Paragould Kiwanis Club. She was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Paragould Chamber Banquet.
McGowan is a past board member of Williams Baptist University. She serves as chairperson of the Arkansas Economic Development Chamber Executives and currently serves on the Black River Technical College Board of Directors. | 2022-04-22T00:40:21Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Chateau on the Ridge adds board member | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/chateau-on-the-ridge-adds-board-member/article_2bb39e02-99c3-55fb-95cc-5ecb52253a2f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/chateau-on-the-ridge-adds-board-member/article_2bb39e02-99c3-55fb-95cc-5ecb52253a2f.html |
NYITCOM welcomes new assistant dean
JONESBORO — New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine has announced that Evette L. Allen Moore, Ph.D., has been hired as assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion. Allen Moore will be based at NYITCOM’s Jonesboro location.
“Dr. Allen Moore comes to us with leadership, experience, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and a strong commitment to student support,” Dr. Brian Harper, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief medical officer at New York Tech said in the announcement.
“After more than a decade in higher education, Dr. Allen Moore has a proven track record of working with various stakeholders to achieve results. Our entire university will benefit from her expertise and we’re extremely excited to add her to our team.”
Allen Moore joins NYITCOM after spending four years at Arkansas State University, where she most recently served as assistant vice chancellor for diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. Prior to that, she was the university’s executive director of inclusive excellence and director of its Multicultural Center. Her previous higher education experience also includes roles as director of student life at Utah State University and program advisor at the University of Denver.
She holds a doctorate with an emphasis in diversity and higher learning from the University of Denver, a Master of Science in Family Studies from Texas Woman’s University, and a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas.
A native of Arkadelphia, Allen Moore earned her undergraduate degree at Arkansas State University. | 2022-04-22T00:40:33Z | www.jonesborosun.com | NYITCOM welcomes new assistant dean | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/nyitcom-welcomes-new-assistant-dean/article_f48eb01f-7d9d-53f0-8f52-ed5f97485d64.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/nyitcom-welcomes-new-assistant-dean/article_f48eb01f-7d9d-53f0-8f52-ed5f97485d64.html |
The Jackson County Extension Office is seeking local consumers to taste-test varieties of strawberries.
Submitted photo / Fred Miller
By MARY HIGHTOWER U of A System Division of Agriculture
Have a favorite strawberry variety? That’s what the Jackson County Extension Office wants to know through a six-variety consumer preference survey it’s conducting this spring.
Matthew Davis, Jackson County Extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is initiating the survey. The strawberries are being grown as part of a variety trial to see which ones fare best under local conditions in Arkansas. The plots are located at Bill’s Berries in Newport.
“While we test to see if these varieties are adaptable to Arkansas conditions, I’ll be picking berries all season,” Davis said. “I thought it would be good information to see which ones our local consumers prefer.”
Although anyone can participate, because of the delicate nature of the berries, Davis said it would be best if the testers are within a 30-minute drive of Newport. Davis is looking for between 100 and 500 participants.
To participate, complete the form found online at https://bit.ly/396MMij to register by April 22, or until all the slots are filled.
Davis said he could arrange for pickup and delivery, within limits. For those who live outside of the 30-minute drive radius, Davis said he could arrange with that person to have the berries ready for them to pick up, or possibly ship.
“Each person who signs up will get six clamshells, each with a different variety,” he said. “They will have a QR code. Testers will be asked to scan the code and answer questions online.”
Two of the varieties being tested are so new, they don’t yet have a name. One of the varieties is a standby that has proven itself suited to Arkansas’ growing conditions and consumer tastes.
Davis said strawberry picking is expected to begin the last week of April and run to the first week of June.
Taste test requirements
Participants must: Be willing to take a short survey, less than 10 minutes. All information is anonymous. Be willing to coordinate pick-up of strawberries within an eight-hour or better notice. Sample all six varieties within a 72-hour period to ensure consistency of product. Provide a controlled environment for storage, such as a refrigerator. Not use additional sweetener in the initial taste test.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. | 2022-04-22T00:40:39Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A berry nice opportunity | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/a-berry-nice-opportunity/article_c43620b8-fc1b-5a39-9640-db2ab1de9343.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/a-berry-nice-opportunity/article_c43620b8-fc1b-5a39-9640-db2ab1de9343.html |
White County Central
On April 12, the Tuckerman Bulldogs traveled to White County Central for varsity baseball action.
The Bulldogs gave up runs in the first three innings to find themselves down 6-0. The Bulldogs were only able to get four hits on the day from D.T. King, Will King, Destyn Drake, and Timothy Ward but they weren’t able to score any runs. David Platt (2-4) was the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs and took the loss. He pitched two innings and struck out three. Owen Keller pitched in relief and pitched four innings and struck out five.
On April 14, Cedar Ridge came to Morgan Gilbert Field at Tuckerman for varsity baseball action.
The first two innings remained scoreless and in the third inning, the Bulldogs broke the game open by scoring five runs in the bottom of the third. The Bulldogs would add additional runs in the fourth and fifth innings while keeping Cedar Ridge off the scoreboard to take a 7-0 lead after five innings of play. In the top of the sixth, Cedar Ridge would score two runs to cut the Bulldog lead to 7-2. In the bottom of the six, the Bulldogs would add an additional five runs to invoke the run rule and take the 12-2 win. In the game, Will King went 3 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI, Aaron Hurst went 2 for 3 with a run, Timothy Ward went 2 for 5 with a run and 2 RBIs, and David Platt went 1 for 2 with a run and an RBI. Aaron Hurst (4-2) was the starting pitcher and picked up the win. He pitched 6 innings and struck out 15.
On April 15, Salem came to Morgan Gilbert Field at Tuckerman for varsity baseball action.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when the Bulldogs scored five runs in the bottom of the third to take a 5-0 lead. In the top of the fourth, Salem was able to get on the scoreboard with a run to cut the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs would add another run to make the score 6-1. In the top of the sixth, Salem was able to add another run to cut the Bulldogs lead to 6-2 but couldn’t score any more in their half of the seventh to give the Bulldogs the win. In the game, Will King was 1 for 2 with 2 runs, Timothy Ward was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI, and Aaron Hurst was 1 for 3 with a run and 2 RBIs. Owen Keller (3-1) was the starting pitcher and picked up the win. He pitched four innings and struck out eight. Timothy Ward (2) pitched in relief and picked up the save. He pitched three innings and struck out four. With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 12-12 overall and 4-6 in conference play. | 2022-04-22T00:40:45Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Bulldogs win two out of three | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/bulldogs-win-two-out-of-three/article_28139846-1709-5a18-bfb4-fd0e0687f265.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/bulldogs-win-two-out-of-three/article_28139846-1709-5a18-bfb4-fd0e0687f265.html |
A crash Monday claimed the life of a Paragould man in Pemiscot County, Missouri.
Derek Waddell, 31, of Paragould, was traveling on Interstate I55, one mile south of Caruthersville, Missouri, when the 2015 Nissan Sentra he was driving crossed the median and struck a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox head-on, according to Missouri State Police.
The crash happened at 8:55 a.m. The driver of the Equinox was listed with minor injuries and was transported to West Tennessee Healthcare in Dyersburg.
A crash on April 12, in Pocahontas, claimed the lives of two Illinois residents.
Janet Shaffner, 75, and Eldon Schaffner, 73, both of Makanda, Illinois, were traveling north on U.S. Highway 67 near Broadway Street in a 2018 Ford.
Janet Shaffner was driving, according to Arkansas State Police, when the vehicle crossed into the center turn lane striking a 2007 Peterbilt head-on.
The crash occurred at 2:18 p.m. Weather conditions were clear and road conditions were dry.
A crash on April 8 claimed the life of a Batesville woman in Independence County.
Mary Poole, 78, of Batesville, was stopped in the 2006 GMC Envoy she was driving, headed north on Highway 69, as she attempted to turn left onto North Central Avenue, according to state police.
A 2011 Chevrolet was headed southbound, however, when the Envoy failed to yield, and was struck by the Silverado, according to state police.
The crash occurred at 3:21 p.m. Police report that the driver of the Silverado was not injured.
And a single vehicle crash claimed the life of a Batesville woman on April 2.
Ellen Adrianna Lindsey, 26, of Batesville, was driving a 2016 Toyota northbound on North Old Missouri Road at East Frazier Terrace in Fayetteville, at 8:38 p.m., when the vehicle left the road, went through a vacant parking lot, and overturned several times before going airborne and then hitting a tree, according to state police.
Weather conditions were clear and road conditions were dry at the time of the crash according to the police report. | 2022-04-22T00:40:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Four area crashes claim 5 lives this month | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/four-area-crashes-claim-5-lives-this-month/article_7e7d17d8-8692-5c57-9154-9e13721e7fc2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/four-area-crashes-claim-5-lives-this-month/article_7e7d17d8-8692-5c57-9154-9e13721e7fc2.html |
JONESBORO — Hundreds of drug-related cases were either not filed or dismissed due to not meeting the state’s speedy-trial law under then-Deputy Prosecutor Corey Seats, Keith Chrestman, prosecuting attorney for the 2nd Judicial District, wrote in court documents.
Seats was the prosecutor for the Drug Task Force for Craighead County.
Chrestman wrote responses for 11 cases that were dismissed, placing the blame for being dismissed on Seats, who is running for Chrestman’s office in the May 24 election.
Also running are Martin Lilly, currently one of Chrestman’s deputy prosecuting attorneys, and attorney Sonia Fonticielli, a former public defender.
Seats resigned as a deputy prosecuting attorney in May 2021.
On Tuesday, Seats defended his record, saying his office received between 100 and 125 drug cases a month with only him and one secretary to file the court documents.
He said it takes between one to two hours of work per case to file the paperwork.
“There was not enough people to handle the caseload,” Seats said
In one case, on May 31, 2020, police arrested Raricus Brown on charges of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana with the purpose to deliver, possession of a Schedule I or II drug not meth or cocaine with the purpose to deliver and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.
In response to a motion to dismiss charges against Brown, Chrestman wrote in a 2021 motion to Circuit Judge Chris Thyer, who dismissed the charges:
“It’s arguable that the COVID-19 pandemic, DTF’s unmanageable caseload (which included at least 470 unfiled cases), or both are good causes. But the facts belie these arguments. First, our supreme court, through a series of per curiam orders, outlined how a continuance could constitute good cause and be excluded from speedy-trial calculations. Nothing indicates that Seats or any other attorney tried to use this good-cause option. And second, since the first of this year, the Craighead County DTF docket has become markedly more manageable.”
Chrestman’s office on Tuesday issued the following statement, “Mr. Chrestman’s comment on the number of unfiled cases: ‘Unacceptable.’”
Thyer in June 2021 dismissed charges against David L. Burgess, who was charged in March 2019 with simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana with the purpose to deliver and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.
In dismissing the case against Burgess, who was serving time in prison on another matter, Thyer wrote:
“... Under either finding, the State, in this matter, may no longer rely on the presumption and has not met its burden to show good cause for the delay. As such, the speedy trial clock was ticking against the State during those 143 days in 2020. As mentioned above, adding those 143 days to the 171 days between Defendant’s arrest and his initial motion for continuance, the 24 days when the case was continued on the State’s motion and the 43 days between May 1, 2021, and June 14, 2021, there are a total of 381 days that are not excluded by Rule 28.3 and count against the State. As such, this Court is compelled to dismiss the pending charges against Defendant as Defendant has not been brought to trial within twelve months as required by Rule 28.1 (state Supreme Court’s COVID-19 rules.)”
Seats said Burgess is spending considerable time in state prison on other convictions.
On Monday, Chrestman’s office said in an email, “Multiple Craighead County drug task force cases were lost to speedy trial. On the more serious offenses – Class A and Class Y felonies – I filed a response that outlined the case’s procedural facts.
“There were additional Craighead County DTF cases that were lost on speedy trial. But these were less serious offenses. And I don’t have the exact number of cases.
“The Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District and over 20 hardworking deputy prosecutors represent the State in nine circuit courts and more than a dozen district courts. Fortunately, this speedy-trial problem was limited to the Craighead County DTF felony docket. And measures have been put in place to minimize the likelihood that this will happen again.”
Craighead County Managing Public Defender Brian Miles said he filed at least 68 motions to dismiss charges due to violation of the Arkansas Speedy Trial Rule.
“A lot of these cases were closed with an order of nolle prosequi (unwilling to pursue) at the discretion of the prosecuting attorney, but the basis was due to a speedy trial violation,” he said. “I believe when it is all said and done we will have had over 200 cases either dismissed, or nolle prossed, due to speedy trial issues not including the number of cases that were never filed and are time-barred from filing at this point.” | 2022-04-22T00:41:15Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Chrestman: Hundreds of cases not filed or dismissed | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/chrestman-hundreds-of-cases-not-filed-or-dismissed/article_e089a5ca-b2e2-5df1-b6fe-43a37a408a54.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/chrestman-hundreds-of-cases-not-filed-or-dismissed/article_e089a5ca-b2e2-5df1-b6fe-43a37a408a54.html |
Inflation: What we can and can’t do
At the end of an article I wrote in November I said, “inflationary pressures are not serious and most likely temporary in nature.” In the intervening five months inflation has done exactly what I said it would not do, it has accelerated and seems anything but temporary. Simply put, I got it wrong. In my defense, I was not the only one who got it wrong, the Fed’s Board of Governors, and their staff of economists made the same claim.
In November inflation was 6.5 percent, today it is 8.5 percent. In November, food and autos, new and used were the inflation drivers, today half of our inflation is driven by fuel, with food being the second most important factor. Cars both new and used are still expensive, but the trend in auto prices is downward so this is no longer a factor in our rising inflation rates.
What we underestimated, and could not foresee, were the surprising growth in wages and the war in Ukraine. In December of 2021, wages were 9 percent higher than the same time in 2020. A wage increase is good for worker incomes and for the growth it provides to product demand, but to the extent that a 9 percent wage growth exceeded labor productivity growth, the difference pushed up unit labor costs and contributed to inflation.
What no one saw coming was the war in Ukraine. Ukraine has been called the “bread basket” of Europe, with Russia being the major supplier of oil to Europe. Since mid 2020, wheat prices have increased 95 percent, and oil prices have increased an astronomical 374 percent. Absent food (of which wheat is only one part) and fuel, inflation was only 6.5 percent in March of this year, smaller than the overall rate but still a problem.
Given that inflation is becoming a problem, and absent the labor supply elements of the build back better plan, the policy options for the government and the Fed are actually few in number. The federal government has only two tools. A hike in income taxes, or a significant cut is social welfare spending (health care and Social Security).
But to be effective the tax hike must be permanent and must impact those families whose incomes are small enough such that a tax hike would cause them to significantly reduce their purchases. To say it more bluntly, the government would have to tax those who are not wealthy, and social welfare spending cuts, which would impact Medicare and Medicaid, and possibly Social Security, will harm the most financially vulnerable families.
For the Fed, their sole tool to fight inflation is a hike in interest rates. But rate hikes only affect products that are interest-rate sensitive, such as auto loans, home mortgages and business investments. In short, contractionary policies of the federal government and the Fed can lower demand and prices of some products, thus offsetting the higher prices currently causing inflation, but these policies carry the risk of creating a recession and causing a spike in unemployment.
Recent data (9 percent wage growth and 8.5 percent inflation) suggests that, on average, consumers are still ahead of the game in terms of real income growth, but not by much. Given these realities, what can consumers do to protect themselves from inflation? The answers to this question lies in what consumer’s already practice, product and place substitution.
Within product categories, product substitution is the name of the game. Depending on relative price changes, we see consumers substituting one product for another, for example, pork instead of beef. Substitution exists in the service sector as well, DYI repairs instead of repairs that are contracted out. In other cases contract repairs may be more cost effective than product replacement, for example vehicle repair versus the purchase of a used vehicle.
In addition to product substitution, consumers can engage in venue substitution. Some retail outlets are less expensive than others. For example, in many cases, Walmart is less expensive than the local convenience store, and the Dollar Tree in many cases less expensive than even Walmart, and for the internet savvy, online purchasing, at times, is cheaper than buying in brick and mortar stores.
The bottom line to the inflation problem is that, in the long-run, it will subside. Inflation can only exist, in the long-run, with a continuous rise in wages to match any rise in prices, absent that inflation will die. In today’s economy, what we’re seeing is not a continuous wage price spiral, but external events that are affecting prices worldwide. Those political actors who blame the government are being disingenuous, and if elected, will pursue policies that are destructive to public welfare and the economy.
Gary Latanich, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of economics at Arkansas State University. He can be contacted by email at garylatanich@gmail.com. | 2022-04-22T00:42:27Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Inflation: What we can and can’t do | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/inflation-what-we-can-and-can-t-do/article_9e5e7639-e120-5915-b627-06b77a008b05.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/inflation-what-we-can-and-can-t-do/article_9e5e7639-e120-5915-b627-06b77a008b05.html |
Jonesboro wins 25 events in home meet
JONESBORO — Jonesboro dominated both divisions of the Paul Hoffman Hurricane Relays, producing 25 combined first-place finishes to prevail in the team standings Tuesday night at Cooksey-Johns Field.
The Hurricane won 14 of 18 events to win the boys’ team title with 256.5 points. Marion was second with 120.5 points, followed by Valley View (93), Nettleton (87), Marianna Lee (25.5), Paragould (25), Earle (15.5) and KIPP Blytheville (3).
The Lady Hurricane won 11 of 18 events in claiming the girls’ team title with 217 points. Marion placed second with 102 points, followed by Nettleton (93), Valley View (76), Paragould (38), Brookland (20), Armorel (18), Earle (15) and Marianna Lee (5).
Jonesboro’s Erik Wilson won three events, placing first in the 100-meter dash (11.00 seconds), the high jump (6-5) and the long jump (21-7 1/2). Wilson also ran the anchor leg on Jonesboro’s winning 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams.
Matt Cooper won both weight events for the Hurricane, placing first in the shot put (47-7 3/4) and the discus (125-5). Other individual champions for Jonesboro included Kavon Pointer in the triple jump (43-6 1/2), Murray Cooper in the pole vault (13-0), Jordan Hicks in the 200 (22.87), John Paul Pickens in the 400 (51.64) and Ben Wewers in the 3200 (11:04.58).
The Hurricane won all four relay races. Hicks, Tyrin Ruffin, Brock McCoy and Wilson won the 4x100; Jamarion Brownlee, Ruffin, McCoy and Wilson won the 4x200; Owen Church, Jerry Gonzalez, Pointer and Pickens teamed up to win the 4x400; and Jackson Hall, Gonzalez, Wewers and Church were the winning 4x800 quartet.
Nettleton’s KJ Word won two events, placing first in the 110 hurdles in 16.68 seconds and in the 300 hurdles (42.31). Valley View’s Hayden Oholendt won the 1600 in 4:59.57, while Marion’s Julian Carter II won the 800 (2:01.62).
Kalaiya Dixon was a two-event winner for the Lady Hurricane, placing first in the triple jump (34-11) and the 300 hurdles (53.30). Jonesboro’s individual event winners in the girls’ division also included Jimaria Jackson in the long jump (15-7), Destiny Thomas in the shot put (40-2 3/4), Peyton Church in the discus (97-2), Ty Hourd in the 100 hurdles (18.21), Takiria Brown in the 100 (12.70), D’Arriya Powell in the 200 (26.59) and Audrey White in the 3200 (13.57.38).
White, Aniyah Dinwiddie, Henley Rogers and Savannah Byrd comprised Jonesboro’s winning 4x800 relay team. Hourd, Jackson, Jyanna Woods and Powell combined to win the 4x100 relay.
Brookland’s Rylee Walker won both the 800 (2:26.84) and the 1600 (5:43.96) in the girls’ division. Paragould’s Carson DeFries won the high jump (5-5); Valley View’s Kendal Minton won the 400 (1:03.89); Nettleton’s winning 4x200 relay team included Adrianna Dent, Aubrey Butler, Destiny Rogers and Makila Hill; Marion’s Ella Kennedy won the pole vault (9-0); and Marion won the 4x400 relay. | 2022-04-22T00:42:35Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Jonesboro wins 25 events in home meet | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/jonesboro-wins-25-events-in-home-meet/article_7f1a8d20-da90-5133-95aa-5af63c4e2d32.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/jonesboro-wins-25-events-in-home-meet/article_7f1a8d20-da90-5133-95aa-5af63c4e2d32.html |
Brookland Public Library plans grand opening
BROOKLAND — The Crowley Ridge Regional Library is preparing for the grand opening of the Brookland Public Library, its 8th library branch. The event is set for 1 to 3 p.m. April 30, at 401 S. Holman St.
The Brookland branch opened mid-pandemic in 2020. For much of that time, the l ibrary was only available to access by appointment. Now that CRRL branches are fully open to the public, the Brookland staff is ready to welcome the community to their new facility and show it off for the first time.
“I am very grateful to the mayor and city of Brookland for all of their help providing their community with a new library. We are excited for the grand opening,” Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library Director Vanessa Adams said in a press release.
The library building is owned by the city of Brookland.
“The Craighead County Library Brookland branch offers an opportunity that citizens of Brookland have not had. An opportunity to visit places without leaving the city,” Brookland Mayor Kenneth Jones stated.
“It offers citizens and area citizens a tranquil place to relax, read, study and receive help if needed on the computer. Citizens and students have books to read; books to do research. Computers for those that do not have computers are available; a librarian that may help someone with (the) computers if needed. Look for the library to grow in the future,” Jones added.
The city has plans to open a museum in the future, right next door to the library.
The grand opening will offer fun for the entire family including tours of the facility, cupcakes, goodie bags, the opportunity to sign up for a library card, and a drawing for a Kindle Fire. For children, there will be face painting, balloon animals, characters in costume, and a craft. | 2022-04-24T02:06:52Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Brookland Public Library plans grand opening | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/brookland-public-library-plans-grand-opening/article_e3d91b9c-990c-50d0-b81e-187c7ab87cc2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/brookland-public-library-plans-grand-opening/article_e3d91b9c-990c-50d0-b81e-187c7ab87cc2.html |
Mobile veterans' exhibit to visit Jonesboro
JONESBORO — The Mobile Education Exhibit for Wreaths Across America will be making a stop in Jonesboro on May 3. Free public tours of the mobile museum will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Tomlinson Stadium Parking Lot, 208 Olympic Drive, at Arkansas State University.
The goal of the museum is to teach patriotism while remembering the service and sacrifice of the nation’s veterans by bringing the local community, veterans, active-duty military and their families together through interactive exhibits, short films and shared stories.
Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization best known for placing wreaths on veterans’ headstones at Arlington National Cemetery and participating locations nationwide.
The Jonesboro Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is hosting the exhibit. Current COVID-19 guidelines will be in place. | 2022-04-24T02:07:17Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Mobile veterans' exhibit to visit Jonesboro | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/mobile-veterans-exhibit-to-visit-jonesboro/article_672ad7ae-3741-566a-8413-88a87114f160.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/mobile-veterans-exhibit-to-visit-jonesboro/article_672ad7ae-3741-566a-8413-88a87114f160.html |
Business robbed of tools
JONESBORO — A Jonesboro business reported Thursday morning that suspects broke into its building and stole tools and tool storage boxes.
RGB Mechanical, 4221 E. Johnson Ave., reported that the items stolen are valued at a total of $14,085.32.
There are currently no suspects in the case.
In a separate case, a 50-year-old Kingsport, Tenn., man told sheriff’s deputies Thursday afternoon that someone stole a welding trailer from the 3900 block of Craighead Road 532 in Monette.
The trailer and welding equipment is valued at a total of $27,000. | 2022-04-24T02:07:29Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Business robbed of tools | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/business-robbed-of-tools/article_2a3791c8-7612-5f4e-9853-ed01e6dbcbe5.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/business-robbed-of-tools/article_2a3791c8-7612-5f4e-9853-ed01e6dbcbe5.html |
Committee to consider mayor's salary plan
JONESBORO — Mayor Harold Copenhaver’s proposed new pay package for police and firefighters will go to the Jonesboro City Council’s Finance and Administration Committee.
The mayor has announced plans to raise the starting salaries of beginning officers and firefighters from $35,190 to $42,000 per year in order to recruit more applicants. That’s a 19.2 percent increase in starting pay.
While new recruits are the targets for the higher salaries, current officers whose wages are below the $42,000 minimum would also have their pay increased to the new minimum, Bill Campbell, the city’s communications director, said Friday. A headline in Friday’s edition of The Sun may have given the erroneous impression that Copenhaver was seeking 19 percent raises for all employees, Campbell said.
Campbell said city officials expect to make further revisions to the pay plan for police and firefighters for the 2023 budget.
The Arkansas Legislature provided police officers across the state with one-time stipends of $5,000.
Both Police Chief Rick Elliott and Fire Chief Kevin Miller have said it has been difficult of late to fill vacant positions.
The higher salaries are also intended to keep Jonesboro competitive with other law enforcement and fire service entities, Copenhaver said.
According to the salary resolution, the increased pay will add $485,769 to the city’s 2022 operating budget.
If the committee endorses the resolution Tuesday, it’s expected to go to the full council on May 3.
The committee will meet at 4 p.m. in Municipal Center, 300 S. Church St. | 2022-04-24T02:07:35Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Committee to consider mayor's salary plan | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/committee-to-consider-mayors-salary-plan/article_2ff83d1a-bb52-51be-9305-66116ec294ab.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/committee-to-consider-mayors-salary-plan/article_2ff83d1a-bb52-51be-9305-66116ec294ab.html |
Sisters Abby Byington and Callie Byington pick up litter with their church youth group, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, off Highland Drive, along Harrisburg Road in Jonesboro.
Local youth fight litter near their church
JONESBORO — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ youth group started a project to pick up litter around their church’s neighborhood a couple years ago and now that project has sparked a change in their youth’s way of thinking about trash.
Trish Rawlings, young women’s president for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said on Tuesday that the church’s youth, which range from ages 11 through 18 years old, will walk from their church on Highland Drive and along Harrisburg Road half way to Windover Road near East Stroud.
“They really enjoy it and it has become important to them. They will remind us when it is time,” Rawlings said, noting that they pick up trash once every quarter.
“For these kids,” she said, “once they have picked trash up and really get into it, it has become very educational for them and they notice when someone tosses out more litter.”
“I wish every church could have a program like this,” Rawlings said, “just for the educational factor alone and to teach our youth.”
Rawlings said that she was grateful to the city for their support and how much it has taught their youth.
“The Keep Jonesboro Beautiful committee and the city have been really supportive and have given us things to keep our youth safe,” she said noting they have provided safety items such as orange vests and gloves.
Rawlings said that the adult leaders pick up the dangerous things that the children find such as glass and syringes. She said that they have picked up thousands of cigarette butts.
“We believe that if people would keep their own area clean, that it would go a long way to keeping Jonesboro clean,” Rawling said.
Beverly Parker, Keep Jonesboro Beautiful committee chair, said that she commends the efforts of the church, starting with the youth group, which she said has has been helping keep this area clean for about two years.
“This is a good example of dedication to keep a specific area of town clean by taking ownership,” Parker said. “We are asking more people or groups to take ownership. If everyone does their part our town can be cleaner.” | 2022-04-24T02:07:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Local youth fight litter near their church | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/local-youth-fight-litter-near-their-church/article_523bc79a-0449-57cc-aa61-957572a9b93b.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/local-youth-fight-litter-near-their-church/article_523bc79a-0449-57cc-aa61-957572a9b93b.html |
The Democratic candidate for governor released his first primary campaign ad, which depicts his boyhood self growing up in Pine Bluff and pretending to be Luke Skywaker as he dreamed of going to space. It’s cute.
Jones didn’t go to space, but he did attend college on a NASA scholarship and became a nuclear engineer before earning a Ph.D. in urban planning. He ran the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, which supports small businesses. He’s married, a father of three girls, and a minister. | 2022-04-24T02:08:54Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Jones not a Jedi, but hopes to be governor | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/jones-not-a-jedi-but-hopes-to-be-governor/article_6d011681-b10e-5c20-bf36-d8d16b287aff.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/jones-not-a-jedi-but-hopes-to-be-governor/article_6d011681-b10e-5c20-bf36-d8d16b287aff.html |
JONESBORO — Arkansas State men’s basketball coach Mike Balado announced Friday that John A. Logan College product and former Marion High School standout Detrick Reeves has signed a letter of intent to join the Red Wolves for the 2022-23 season.
“We are excited to have Detrick join our program,” Balado said. “This is a young man I have had my eye on for a long time. His versatility, toughness and skill level as a basketball player make him a huge addition to our program. He also possesses a very high IQ on the floor and we can’t wait to have him on campus.”
Reeves appeared in 27 total games over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons at John A. Logan while battling injuries. This past season, Reeves played in 22 games for a 29-4 team and made seven starts, posting 6.8 points per game on 44.5 percent (49-110) shooting and 35.2 percent (19-54) shooting beyond the arc. He also averaged 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists. As a freshman in 2020-21, Reeves played in five games and averaged 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
A two-time all-state selection, Reeves averaged 24 points as a senior and totaled over 2,500 points for Marion High School. He was a two-time Arkansas Sports Media Super Team selection and the 5A Player of the Year for the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association. He helped the Patriots to the 2019 Class 5A state title with a 57-54 win over Little Rock Hall while the 2020 squad advanced to the state semifinals.
Reeves joins Victory Rock Prep guard Terrance Ford Jr. and Marietta (Ga.) High School forward Izaiyah Nelson as signees ahead of the 2022-23 season. | 2022-04-24T02:09:00Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State basketball signs former Marion star | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-basketball-signs-former-marion-star/article_9aa6a7c2-fb20-5358-b85e-c5f835f42207.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-basketball-signs-former-marion-star/article_9aa6a7c2-fb20-5358-b85e-c5f835f42207.html |
Freshman tight end Miller McCrumby (right) tries to elude sophomore safety Justin Parks during Arkansas State’s scrimmage last Saturday. The Red Wolves hold their spring game this afternoon.
JONESBORO — Butch Jones wants to see Arkansas State compete one more time on the final day of spring football.
Jones, ASU’s second-year head coach, praised the Red Wolves’ competitive character after each of their first two scrimmages this month. He wasn’t pleased in that regard last fall at the end of a 2-10 season.
“We talked about when the season ended, our team needed to learn how to compete,” Jones said earlier this week. “We’ve tried to do that and when you look at a lot of programs, for their spring game, they have just a regular practice. We’ve done it all at all the different places we’ve been.
“We’ve done competitiveness, one on one-type drills, we’ve done it all. I think for us to continue to push the needle and move this football team forward, we need to compete every single time out, so that’s why we’ll play it in a game format.”
ASU’s Pack Day spring game starts this afternoon at 2:15 in Centennial Bank Stadium.
The first-team offense and second-team defense will don black jerseys, while the first-team defense and second-team offense will wear red. Coaches and support personnel have been placed on teams through an “organizational draft.”
Jones said he learned a lot about the 2021 team in the spring game, seeing issues that came back to haunt the Red Wolves in the fall.
“I knew we had to learn how to compete, the mental effort, the intensity that it takes any time you go out and you compete,” Jones said. “We kind of exposed ourselves last spring when it came to the spring game. A year forward now, how far have we come from our energy, our mental effort, our mental intensity, our competitiveness, our competitive character?
“A lot will be displayed (today) and I’m looking forward to it. As of today, our team has displayed competitive character every single Saturday with the two scrimmages. Now I’m excited to see what we can do when there are people in the stands and a competitive game.”
Jones said ASU coaches ranked a top 22 on offense and defense going into spring practice, plus a top 40 overall on the roster. The staff is in the process of revising those rankings, he said, and will finish after the spring game.
Asked about players who have made a huge jump this spring, Jones pointed to sophomore offensive lineman Mekhi Butler, who did not see game action last fall after transferring from Iowa Western Community College. Butler has been working with the No. 1 offense at left guard this spring.
“He’s had arguably a top-five (camp) on our football team in terms of spring,” Jones said. “Coming off an injury coming in (last fall), he still has a long way to go, but he comes every day with a mentality, a mindset, and the want to be a really good football player. I think he’s one of our most improved football players.”
Butler is part of an offensive line that has drawn praise for its improvement this spring. The Red Wolves struggled up front offensively last fall as they yielded 48 sacks and rushed for less than 82 yards per game.
Offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf said he’s proud of the line’s growth and maturity, pointing to influence of sophomore center Ethan Miner.
“I’ve been really pleased with the leadership role Ethan Miner has taken on in the O-line,” Heckendorf said. “The command presence he has up front and what he’s been able to do there with that group, that’s been really encouraging.”
Heckendorf said freshman tight end Miller McCrumby, one of the early enrollees from the 2022 recruiting class, has shown growth every day. Freshman quarterback Jaxon Dailey, another early enrollee, has been working as the No. 2 quarterback recently with sophomore Wyatt Begeal shifting to receiver to conclude spring drills.
Dailey chose meticulous when asked on signing day for a word to describe himself, and his poise, composure and work ethic have impressed Heckendorf.
“He’s a tireless worker. He spends hours in the film room studying it, goes back to his dorm and continues to study it,” Heckendorf said. “He’s helping coach his roommate up, Miller McCrumby at tight end. He’s helping teach him the offense and as he teaches it, it helps him grow.
“Those are the things that give him a chance, the character and the work ethic he brings to the table, and then the kid’s got some talent. He’s got a lot of talent.”
Five of the six Football Bowl Subdivision transfers who joined the Red Wolves in the 2022 recruiting class are lining up on defense. The group includes linebacker Jordan Carmouche (Houston), end King Mwikuta (Alabama), safety Eddie Smith (Illinois) and linemen Terion Sugick (Vanderbilt) and Blayne Toll (Colorado).
Defensive coordinator Rob Harley said ASU’s transfers came in with nothing guaranteed.
“I think they came in hungry and that’s what you want out of anybody who comes into the program, a new coach, a new player, our freshmen who will join us at the end of May,” Harley said. “You want those guys to come in hungry. That raises the level no matter the age group, you’re talking offense and defense. No matter who touches the program, our job is to raise the level of it.”
ASU made a position change this spring with senior Kivon Bennett, moving him from defensive end to inside linebacker.
Bennett was second-team All-Sun Belt last season with eight quarterback sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Now he’s playing a role that is different from last season and also his time at Tennessee.
“Whatever you’re playing when he was at his other place, coming off the edge as a standup linebacker, that’s not the same as being back five yards, reading, diagnosing, instinctively seeing stuff, taking proper footwork, different footwork and different keys,” Harley said. “I think he’s had a really good work mentality. I’m sure there have been days he’s been frustrated, but he hasn’t let it be known and he just comes out and keeps trying to learn, keeps trying to work at it and that’s all you can ask for.”
Harley said several players have made progress this spring, a group that includes linebacker Jaden Harris, cornerback Leon Jones, end Thurman Geathers and linebacker Cam Jeffery, among others.
Like Jones, Harley is looking for effort today.
“Our level is determined every day. I hate to be coach-speak, but our level is determined by the last practice we had,” Harley said. “Where we’re at is determined by when we watch the tape because no matter what someone’s reputation is, it doesn’t matter. What we do on the field is who we are. That’s what we’re trying to stress to these guys.” | 2022-04-24T02:09:07Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State's Jones looking for competitive spring game | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-states-jones-looking-for-competitive-spring-game/article_ccc90b5e-e604-552c-b470-3deea16b9592.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-states-jones-looking-for-competitive-spring-game/article_ccc90b5e-e604-552c-b470-3deea16b9592.html |
Handloser
St. Pierre
Students honored for distinguished service
JONESBORO — Seven Arkansas State University students have been selected as Distinguished Service Award winners for 2021-22 based on their record of leadership, scholarship and citizenship.
DSA recipients are nominated by faculty, staff and advisers and recognized during the Convocation of Scholars.
One of them will be announced Thursday as the 2022 recipient of the university’s highest honor, the R.E. Lee Wilson Award.
This year’s DSA recipients are Keyon Atkins of Mineral Springs, Anna Handloser of Sheridan, Reed Middleton of Marianna, Blake Moore and Jackson St. Pierre, both of Jonesboro, Molly Williams of Piggott and Sydney Wofford of Rector.
Atkins is a psychology major in the College of Education and Behavioral Science graduating in May.
A leader with the Student Activities Board, Atkins served as campus entertainment director before serving as SAB president last year. He also served as president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council this year.
Atkins’ academic achievements include the Thompson Minority and Arkansas Challenge scholarships.
Handloser is a strategic communication major in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, graduating in May.
She has held leadership positions including diversity equity and inclusion chairperson and campus activities chairperson in her sorority, Chi Omega, as well as marketing chairperson for Volunteer A-State.
An Honors College student, she received the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship, was named outstanding strategic communication student in 2021, and was a top scholar in the Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honor society.
Middleton was the student speaker at fall commencement, where he received his degree in finance, with a financial management emphasis, through the Neil Griffin College of Business. He completed a triple minor, in business management, history and political science.
As president of the Student Conduct Board, he also served on the A-State Leadership Council. Additional campus activities include Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society, the Honors College Association, and senator and action fund commissioner for the Student Government Association
A Chancellor’s List student every semester, Middleton was an Honors College student. His academic achievements were highlighted by several scholarships, including the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship, the A-State Alumni Association License2Howl Scholarship, and Farm Credit Midsouth Scholarship.
Moore will graduate in May with a degree in communication disorders through the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
As a campus leader, he served in the Student Government Association for four years, including a term as vice president. He rose to chief of staff of the Black Student Association, of which he was a four-year member. He also served as first vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Academically, Moore’s achievements include the Thompson Minority Scholarship, the Anderson and Marietta Neal Scholarship and the NPHC Outstanding Fraternity Man Award.
St. Pierre, who is completing his degree in biological sciences through the College of Sciences and Mathematics, will graduate in May. He has been accepted into the next class at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at A-State.
His campus service activities include senator in the Student Government Association and a Chancellor’s Ambassador for the Recruitment Office.
An Honors College student, St. Pierre’s academic achievements include the Dr. W.W. and Lou Nedrow Scholarship for four years, along with the Dalton and Alec Farmer Scholarship and the Tim O. Brown Scholarship.
Williams, a communication disorders major in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, will graduate at Spring Commencement. A Chancellor’s List student, she received the Pride Scholarship.
Williams has been involved on campus as an SGA senator and parliamentarian, the National Panhellenic Council, and vice president of the A-State chapter of the Arkansas Speech and Hearing Association.
Wofford, who is completing her degree in communication studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, also will graduate in May.
Her campus service includes volunteer work for the NEA Food Bank and participating in multiple hunger-relief initiatives. In 2021 she also served as president of the National Panhellenic Conference.
Wofford was named outstanding communication studies student in 2021. | 2022-04-26T10:55:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Students honored for distinguished service | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/students-honored-for-distinguished-service/article_beaa0084-47bf-5880-8030-7221a881e6c6.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/students-honored-for-distinguished-service/article_beaa0084-47bf-5880-8030-7221a881e6c6.html |
JONESBORO — Three teens committed to Consolidated Youth Services, 4220 Stadium Blvd., left the facility without authorization at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
Local law enforcement have been notified and are looking for the youths.
Arkansas law requires DYS to provide the public identifying information about youth who leave DYS custody without authorization if the youth “is committed to the Division of Youth Services for an offense that would be a felony if the offense were committed by an adult.”
Gary Fields, 16, has brown hair and hazel eyes, weighs 120 pounds, and stands 5-foot, 1-inch tall. He has been in DYS custody on charges of rape and theft of property.
James Williams, 16, has brown hair and hazel eyes, weighs 174 pounds, and stands 6-feet tall. He has been in DYS custody on charges including second-degree sexual assault, aggravated assault on a family or household member and breaking or entering.
Williams, Fields and an unidentified 13-year-old boy were reported missing from Consolidated Youth Services in Jonesboro around 10:30 p.m. The center provides services for youth committed to DYS custody.
Consolidated Youth Services is part of the state Department of Human Services Division of Youth Services. | 2022-04-26T10:56:17Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Police search for 3 teens | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/police-search-for-3-teens/article_cd3934b9-3398-5007-90ff-e66c8a28817f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/police-search-for-3-teens/article_cd3934b9-3398-5007-90ff-e66c8a28817f.html |
St. Bernards Physical Therapist and Geriatric Certified Specialist Jason Edwards demonstrates the new Neuro Rehab VR at the St. Bernards Villa in Jonesboro.
JONESBORO — Senior residents at the St. Bernards Villa have started participating in a pilot physical therapy program which uses a special virtual reality (VR) system built, in part, with senior care facilities in mind, by Neuro Rehab VR.
According to a press release, St. Bernards has begun using a platform called Neuro Rehab VR, which was formatted to help patients who have experienced strokes, partial paralysis, muscle weakness, Parkinson’s Disease and sports injuries.
Director of Business Development for Rehabilitation Services for St. Bernards Andy Shatley, who is the mastermind behind bringing this new program and is a St. Bernards physical therapist himself, said on Thursday that the Villa is just their Beta site at the moment and they hope to incorporate the program into more sites in the upcoming months.
“VR is part of the future,” Shatley said, “The application of VR, although new to the medical world will be able to provide us with opportunities that we have never had in the realm of traditional therapy. It is going to be a game changer.”
“It is a thing that we have only dreamed about,” he said, noting conversations between himself and St. Bernards Physical Therapist and Geriatric Certified Specialist Jason Edwards, who is heading the new program at the Villa.
He said that Neuro Rehab VR has taken a huge step into bringing this technology to the world and making it a reality, plus it is safe and effective.
“We are very excited to have this available to us,” he said.
Shatley also said that to his understanding Edwards and his assistant are the first FDA-certified virtual-reality certified physical therapists in Arkansas and in the country.
Media Relations Manager Mitchell Nail said on Thursday that the program has already been FDA approved and could be covered by insurance, which makes its availability easier for patients.
Nail said that he believes that St. Bernards is on the cutting-edge of physical therapy with innovative programs like the new VR program and programs like the Rock Steady Boxing.
“VR is growing, and the sky is the limit,” Nail said.
Edwards said on Thursday that they have been using this new program for about eight weeks and that one of the reasons they have enjoyed it so much is because it is very engaging for the patients.
“The patients really enjoy the VR experience,” Edwards said, noting that it helps with a variety of issues including balance, coordination and over all mobility.
He said that they are using it to treat several disorders from inner-ear and balance disorders to muscle weakness and mobility.
“It helps to get a lot of our patients to be able to get into positions that they are not used to being in anymore,” he said.
Edwards recalled two success stories from patients in just the last two weeks, one of which was a woman with Parkinson’s, who had a problem with getting down on the floor and then back up again.
“She said that she felt like the reason that she was able to do it was because she really didn’t have to think about it,” he said, noting that the program has been well received by the Villa residents and is safe when used under the guidance of trained therapists.
“VR technology has advanced rapidly within the last five to 10 years, and research indicates its use improves therapy outcomes for seniors,” Edwards said. “We’ve also seen an improvement in patient compliance because they get a better therapy experience.”
“It’s very stimulating and very safe, so it allows the patients to reach their goals, which allows us to reach our goals for them as well,” he said.
He said that he believes that there is so much more that can be achieved in areas such as chronic pain because it creates a simulated, real world environment that tricks the brain into eliciting natural physical movement with proper control and cadence, which essentially allows the patient to do things that they did not believe they could do before.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Edwards said. “We can utilize VR in the future of hospital care.”
Edwards said that he and his colleagues are planning to expand VR physical therapy services to more populations in the weeks ahead.
“This new service holds great promise for rehabilitating injured athletes or any person recovering from joint injuries or surgeries, too,” he said. “No matter a person’s age or background, physical therapy will always challenge patients. We hope to empower them to meet those challenges.”
St. Bernards Director of Senior Services Brian Rega said in the press release that the program provides residents with an opportunity to experience rehabilitation services without traveling to a provider.
“We’re always looking to improve what we offer in our assisted living facilities,” Rega said. “It’s not enough that we provide residents with a place to stay. We want to keep them living healthy and active lives.”
“As background, the FDA-registered Neuro Rehab VR helps patients with their physical and occupational therapies, using a turn-key, immersive VR therapy solution and data analytics to track progress,” according to the release and customers include large hospitals such as Cedars Sinai, Children’s Health and the VA.
The XR Therapy System is the company’s flagship product, consisting of a VR headset with controllers and a tablet for clinician control and patient management.
Shatley said that he had seen the technology at a conference in San Antonio, Texas, noting the reason they chose Neuro Rehab VR was because they were a gaming company that had partnered with a rehabilitation company to create the innovative software. He pointed out that there is lot of innovation happening in the South right now and St. Bernards is proud to be part of that.
For more information, visit www.stbernards.info, or call the St. Bernards Healthline at (870) 207-7300. For more information about Neuro Rehab VR visit their website at www.neurorehabvr.com. | 2022-04-26T10:56:36Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Virtual reality now being used in physical therapy at St. Bernards | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/virtual-reality-now-being-used-in-physical-therapy-at-st-bernards/article_07fec610-62dd-5939-bce1-e1e7b477c55d.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/virtual-reality-now-being-used-in-physical-therapy-at-st-bernards/article_07fec610-62dd-5939-bce1-e1e7b477c55d.html |
By Keith Inman Sun Staf Writerf
JONESBORO — Greene County had the second-most new virus cases in the state last week, according to a Sun review of daily reports from the Arkansas Department of Health. But Pulaski County had nearly 59 percent of all the state’s new infections, 433 of 739, from April 18 through Sunday. The statewide total was up by 37.4 percent from the previous seven-day total of 538.
Greene County recorded 69, or 9.33 percent of the state’s total, during that seven-day period. Of those, 44 were reported on Wednesday and another 15 were reported the following day.
Craighead County, which ranked fifth statewide, had 40 new infections.
Active cases rose statewide by 26.7 percent to 1,268. Active cases in Greene and Craighead counties skyrocketed, from 8 to 74 in Greene and from 20 to 48 in Craighead.
Clay, Craighead, Cross, Jackson and Mississippi counties added one person each to the state’s death toll, which rose by 17 statewide. Since the pandemic began, Arkansas officials have blamed the deaths of 11,371 on COVID-19, at least as a contributing factor.
While new cases are rising in many places across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday listed only 40 counties nationwide with high levels of community spread. Those counties were primarily in western New York state, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. All of Arkansas is classified low level of community spread.
On Monday, the health department reported 40 new cases, including four in Craighead County; two each in Mississippi and Poinsett counties; and one each in Greene and Lawrence counties.
As of Monday, COVID-related hospitalizations totaled 47 statewide, including three in Northeast Arkansas.
Craighead – 40 new cases, (decrease of 35 from last week); 48 active cases (increase of 25); 329 total virus related deaths (increase of 1).
Greene – 69 new cases (increase of 62); 74 active (increase of 64); 172 deaths (unchanged).
Jackson – 7 new cases (decrease of 3); 17 active cases (decrease of 5); 63 deaths (increase of 1).
Lawrence – 5 new cases (increase of 3); 9 active (increase of 2); 77 deaths (unchanged).
Poinsett – 5 new case (increase of 4); 7 active (increase of 2); 126 deaths (unchanged).
Mississippi – 8 new cases (increase of 3); 17 active cases (increase of 8); 210 deaths (increase of 1).
Randolph – 3 new cases (decrease of 3); 8 active cases (unchanged); 88 deaths (unchanged).
Cross – 1 new case (decrease of 1); 3 active cases (decrease of 1); 83 deaths (increase of 1).
Clay – 11 new cases (increase of 11); 12 active cases (increase of 8); 93 deaths (unchanged). | 2022-04-26T10:56:42Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Weekly COVID cases rise | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/weekly-covid-cases-rise/article_0d85c128-5db7-5dbe-9879-a921b3e07623.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/weekly-covid-cases-rise/article_0d85c128-5db7-5dbe-9879-a921b3e07623.html |
A swimming hole
There is an enormous hole in the sports programs in the public schools of Craighead County, and that hole is a swimming hole. Fortunately, that failing can be corrected soon upon the completion of the new sports center in Jonesboro, which according to all reports will include a sizable swimming pool.
Every able-bodied child that passes through our schools should be required to have a course in swimming, and the earlier the better. Swimming is the best sport of all sports for a child to acquire, for not only is the child drown-proofed, but the child learns a sport that can be enjoyed their whole life.
Furthermore, unlike football, basketball, soccer, rugby, etc. swimming does no harm to your body, instead it is good for the whole body, keeping the joints and muscles limber and strong.
When I was a student at Hendrix College in the 60’s, a one-semester course in swimming was required of every student. Having enjoyed that one semester, I went on to take two further courses, Life Saving and Life Saving Instructorship. As part of these two courses, the students took part in the Conway Learn to Swim Program, which was initiated by Bob Courtway, the instructor at Hendrix for swimming and other sports.
The two-month-long program was for all children in the third grade, who were taught the basics of swimming by the students in the above-mentioned classes. What a gift that was for these kids!
They learned to swim at an early age.
I am proposing that such a program be required for children in the third grade in the Craighead County Public Schools. The instructors could be members of the Jonesboro swim teams, who could fulfill their civic contributions to the county through such volunteerism.
We all know that we forget much of the content of our formal education, but swimming gives you pleasure and health your entire life. I am now 76 years old and swim for an hour twice a week at the St. Bernard’s Health Center. I have now swum laps for more than 50 years, and, unlike my compatriots who played competitive sports and came away with bum shoulders and knees, I have absolutely no problems with any of my muscles and joints.
So, let’s give our children the gift of a life time. Let’s teach them to swim.
J. Scott Darwin | 2022-04-26T10:57:30Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A swimming hole | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/a-swimming-hole/article_ae28c492-6945-5d53-b911-b750c18a923a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/a-swimming-hole/article_ae28c492-6945-5d53-b911-b750c18a923a.html |
Do we have a president?
After the British prime minister went to Ukraine and Joe Biden was asked whether he was going he said, “They won’t let me go.” During a press conference, when asked about this statement, his press secretary said, “We are not sending the president to Ukraine.”
I do not know if he should go to Ukraine or not, but I am gravely concerned about these statements. He needs to have advisors on such matters, but while he should listen to them, I thought he was elected to make the decision. If he has higher-ups telling him where he is not allowed to go and sending him on missions, we need to drop the “in-chief” from the designation given in the Constitution.
If he is not commander-in-chief, I wonder what other constitutional duties he is not the one performing. Do we really even have a president?
James Elwyn Hinds | 2022-04-26T10:57:37Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Do we have a president? | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/do-we-have-a-president/article_f6376d2a-d6fb-5c1e-8f69-6323f9692cfd.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/do-we-have-a-president/article_f6376d2a-d6fb-5c1e-8f69-6323f9692cfd.html |
Wide receiver Jeff Foreman hauls in James Blackman’s 40-yard touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of Arkansas State’s spring football game Saturday at Centennial Bank Stadium.
JONESBORO — Overtime was needed to decide a pass-heavy spring game Saturday afternoon at Arkansas State.
Senior quarterback James Blackman rallied the Black team, which included the No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense, for a 30-28 victory at Centennial Bank Stadium.
The Red team, led by freshman quarterback Jaxon Dailey, led 28-20 after scoring with 2:59 remaining in the game. Blackman threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Foreman with 1:01 to go, then ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 28.
A holding penalty and a dropped pass kept Dailey from leading the Red team into field goal range in the final minute, so head coach Butch Jones sent the teams into a two-point overtime shootout.
Sophomore running back Lincoln Pare took Blackman’s two-point pass into the end zone to give the Black team a 30-28 lead. Dailey’s two-point pass fell incomplete, deflected by sophomore defensive back KaRon Coleman to end the final practice of spring football.
“When you look at the game, very competitive. It was like it was scripted, it comes down to overtime and two-point plays,” Jones said. “But when you look at it, we had a holding penalty that took us out of field goal range to win it at the expiration of the time clock. You look at those things, those are things we need to correct. The offense didn’t turn the ball over, which is great, but from a defensive standpoint, we need to generate turnovers.”
Passes were thrown on just over two-thirds of the 112 total plays as Blackman and Dailey took aim at a shorthanded secondary.
Blackman, who started five of the first six games last fall before suffering a season-ending injury, was 26-of-39 passing for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
Foreman caught six of Blackman’s passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns, including passes of 48 and 40 yards. Sophomore tight end Seydou Traore had six catches for 75 yards.
Blackman, who joined the Red Wolves last season as a transfer from Florida State, said he’s made progress this spring in not being as emotional on the field. He used the first play of Saturday’s scrimmage, which resulted in a missed connection with Foreman on a deep pass, as an example.
“I can’t let that distract me from the next play. We have a next play we’ve got to run,” Blackman said. “We were able to move on to the next play, we didn’t turn over the ball. I feel like it’s just being able to control my emotions.”
Foreman gave credit to Blackman for a well-placed deep ball on the touchdown near the end of the game.
“That’s all him, J-Black. I have to give that man the praise right there,” Foreman said. “We work on that all spring, all offseason, just working consistently on that and other things on the field.”
Dailey, who received more repetitions over the final five practices of the spring with redshirt freshman Wyatt Begeal moving to receiver, was 23-of-35 passing for 185 yards.
“It’s really been remarkable, the progress Jaxon has made from first when he got here, through the winter months, to practice one all the way to practice 15, but it doesn’t surprise us,” Jones said of Dailey, a freshman signee who enrolled early to go through spring practice. “That’s the way he is. He works the game, he’s a student of the game. He’s very instinctive.”
Running back Ja’Quez Cross, a redshirt freshman transfer from Purdue, was the Red team’s leading receiver with six receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jaden Milliner caught four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown, while freshman tight end Miller McCrumby had four catches for 15 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman running back Mike Sharpe II finished with 27 yards on six carries and the lone rushing touchdown of the scrimmage for the Red team. Tristan Mattson kicked field goals of 39 and 26 yards for the Black team.
ASU’s offense was without a couple of key receivers, Te’Vailance Hunt and Reagan Ealy, as well as tackle Robert Holmes and tight end Emmanual Stevenson, among others. The defense was without safeties Eddie Smith and Taylon Doss and cornerback Kenneth Harris, among others.
“You look at the number of individuals who did not participate in the spring game and those individuals who played on the back end of our defense, they had to play a lot of reps today,” Jones said. “They had to play with both teams. You have to keep that in perspective with a spring game.”
Sophomore safety Trevian Thomas made a game-high eight tackles for the Red team. Junior end King Mwikuta, redshirt freshman tackle Tim Hardiman and senior end Quinton Lee were credited with one sack each.
Sophomore linebacker Cam Jeffery and junior linebacker Jaden Harris tied for the Black team lead with five tackles each. Harris and redshirt freshman end Dennard Flowers were credited with one sack each.
Jones said the Red Wolves’ defensive front was disruptive at times.
“There’s a number of times when it could have been a sack, it could have been a negative yardage football play, but you want to challenge the back end of your defense, you want to challenge your perimeter to see if we can catch the ball, see if we can catch and advance, see if we can tackle,” Jones said. “There were a number of times when maybe it would have been a sack in a game, but the quarterbacks weren’t live, so you allowed a ball to be thrown down the field.”
ASU announced its team spring awards, starting with Consistency in Performance recognition for center Ethan Miner, running back Johnnie Lang Jr., Ealy, defensive end Thurman Geathers, cornerback Leon Jones and Justin Parks on special teams.
Pack Performer awards for weight room efforts went to offensive guard Ernesto Ramirez and Begeal. Offensive guard Mekhi Butler and Harris received most improved awards; Pare won the 4-6/A-B Award for demonstrating the program’s core values; and Blackman and Smith received the Program Leadership Award.
Joe Ozougwu, a senior defensive end last season, was honored as the winner of ASU’s 2021 Larry Lacewell MVP Award.
Jones said the Red Wolves, who finished 2-10 last fall, made the most progress in their mindset and ability to compete this spring.
“I thought it was a really productive spring. A lot of individuals really, really improved and it’s been great to see from practice one all the way now to practice 15,” Jones said. “Again, I think we’ve improved our leadership and obviously our culture is completely different, but I think as we watch the game, I think we know we need to continue to improve the lines of scrimmage and we’ll continue to improve in every possible way from development to recruiting.
“We need to make sure now that we have our football identity on video, that we have a clean, clear and precise summer plan moving forward, individual prescription plans for our players to get better. When individuals get better, collectively the team gets better.”
ASU opens the season at home Sept. 3 against Grambling State.
A-State football
Two days after the conclusion of spring football, Arkansas State sophomore running back Lincoln Pare announced his intention on social media to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Pare was ASU's leading rusher last season with 455 yards on 107 carries. He also caught 27 passes for 283 yards. | 2022-04-26T10:57:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Black team wins A-State spring game in overtime | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/black-team-wins-a-state-spring-game-in-overtime/article_2bf1464f-91c2-5f6a-a8e1-e93d3a610684.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/black-team-wins-a-state-spring-game-in-overtime/article_2bf1464f-91c2-5f6a-a8e1-e93d3a610684.html |
Hoxie's Cabello signs to play soccer
By Gretchen Hunt The Sun
Coming to the United States to study at Hoxie High School for his senior year gave Guillermo Cabello many new experiences, including playing football for the first time.
On Thursday, he used the experiences he had as a Mustang, as well as his soccer background from his home in Madrid, Spain, to sign a letter of intent to play soccer at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was five years old, especially in the Getafe Academy where the soccer training is a little higher because it is a first division team in Spain,” he said. “During this period of time in America, football, basketball, baseball and personal training have helped me stay in shape to be ready to start the soccer season.”
He said he is grateful for the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level and that attending college in the United State is something he and his family have considered for a long time.
“The scholarship has made it possible for me to go,” he said.
Hoxie head football coach Tom Sears said Cabello had offers for both football and soccer, but he and his family thought soccer was the best path for him.
“G had never really kicked an American football,” Sears said. “It was unbelievably natural for him. Once he got used to kicking on a tee, it just took off. He got better by the day.”
Cabello, who had an offer from Lyon College to kick and the opportunity to be a preferred walk-on at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, was 32 of 32 on extra points for the season. He also had one field goal of 31 yards and eight touchbacks.
He said his time at Hoxie has been unforgettable.
“It helped me understand the competitiveness, effort and dedication it takes to succeed in a sport like football, soccer or any other sport,” he said. “Also, it opened many doors for me to meet amazing coaches like Coach Sears and the other coaches at Hoxie who have helped me during my time in Arkansas.”
Sears said Cabello fit nicely into the program at Hoxie.
“Guillermo is a fantastic young man – always has a smile on his face,” he said. “He turned out to be a great kicker for us, but he was an even better teammate and person.” | 2022-04-26T10:57:55Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Hoxie's Cabello signs to play soccer | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/hoxies-cabello-signs-to-play-soccer/article_b463278f-5e85-5aa2-83fd-0345285ef886.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/hoxies-cabello-signs-to-play-soccer/article_b463278f-5e85-5aa2-83fd-0345285ef886.html |
Arvest receives national recognition
BENTONVILLE — The Arvest Wealth Management retirement plan consulting group has been named to the National Association of Plan Advisors’ list of the nation’s top defined contribution advisor teams with assets under advisement of more than $100 million.
The list focuses on individual firms or broker-dealer teams and the assets under advisement related to their defined contribution practice, specifically in a single physical location.
Arvest Wealth Management is the only Arkansas firm listed and one of only six within the Arvest footprint. It delivers full-service consulting on all types of employer-sponsored retirement plans.
This year’s list, which is featured in print and online versions of NAPA Net the Magazine, features a record number of teams, which oversee nearly $2 trillion in DC plan assets belonging to more than 56,000 plans covering nearly 28 million participants.
The Arvest Wealth Management group consists of 10 associates and services approximately 225 plans which have more than 14,000 participants with about $730 million in assets.
Arvest Bank has also been ranked 400 out of 500 on Forbes magazine’s list of “Best Employers for Diversity 2022.”
The full list and an accompanying article can be found on the Forbes website, www.forbes.com. | 2022-04-28T12:52:26Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Arvest receives national recognition | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/arvest-receives-national-recognition/article_fdc082ab-7f74-5008-a1ac-a3fafc7ea1e9.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/arvest-receives-national-recognition/article_fdc082ab-7f74-5008-a1ac-a3fafc7ea1e9.html |
Harrell joins Stephens Inc.
LITTLE ROCK — Stephens Inc., an independent financial services firm, with offices worldwide, including Jonesboro, has hired Heide Harrell as vice president and communications director of its Private Wealth Management division.
Harrell, accredited in public relations, brings to the firm nearly 20 years of communications, marketing and business development experience.
She will oversee the strategies and implementation of communications for the Private Wealth Management division as well as assist in relationship-building opportunities for its financial consultants across the U.S.
“Heide is a proven communications professional in both the financial and legal industries, which makes her a great addition to our team,” Kevin Scanlon, executive vice president and head of Stephens Private Wealth Management division said in the press release. “Her ability to deliver results through her varied experiences will be an asset as we continue to focus on growth throughout the department and firm.”
Harrell is currently serving her second two-year term on the National Public Relations Society of America Board of Directors.
Prior to joining Stephens, she was director of marketing and business development at Rose Law Firm. She has degrees from the University of Central Arkansas and UALR. | 2022-04-28T12:52:38Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Harrell joins Stephens Inc. | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/harrell-joins-stephens-inc/article_bcac4f66-b818-52b2-8c3e-becb68be95bc.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/harrell-joins-stephens-inc/article_bcac4f66-b818-52b2-8c3e-becb68be95bc.html |
UAMS tests new noninvasive fetal health device
LITTLE ROCK — Three grants in six months from the National Institutes of Health are helping University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researcher Hari Eswaran explore promising noninvasive methods for diagnosing serious fetal health conditions.
The grants total $4.4 million and support his pioneering work with sensor arrays that can reveal important functional details of fetal development in the later stages of pregnancy.
The NIH grants are just part of Eswaran’s externally supported research, which totals $12.8 million in active funding.
Eswaran is a professor and vice chair for research in the College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of research at the UAMS Institute for Digital Health and Innovation.
His use of innovative, noninvasive imaging technology known as magnetoencephalography allows clinicians to visualize changes in the functional activities of developing organs of the fetus and the stress imposed on the mother’s tissues and organs during pregnancy and childbirth.
Called an optically-pumped magnetometer, the device initially will be tested for its effectiveness in detecting fetal heart conditions.
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects, affecting nearly 1 percent or about 40,000 births each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eswaran’s preliminary data from earlier OPM testing was used to secure the NIH grant.
“We found that the OPM device performed just as well as the existing technology,” Eswaran noted. Ultimately, he hopes that hospitals around the globe will soon be able to purchase the more affordable fetal testing machine.
“It has always been my dream to have a device that is much smaller and much less expensive than our current system,” he added. “The upfront cost and cost of operation right now are such drawbacks that today only a few hospitals in the world have one.”
Currently, a mammoth cryogenic liquid helium-cooled machine that requires a magnetically shielded room, the superconducting quantum interference device array for reproductive assessment, is the world’s gold standard for noninvasive assessments of fetal development, but the new OPM system may be a potential low-cost alternative.
The older system costs about $2 million compared with $200,000 for a new OPM system, Eswaran said.
The cost of the liquid helium to cool the current system’s sensors is about $6,000 a month.
The OPM system’s sensors can be placed closest to where the fetus is positioned in the womb.
This means fewer sensors are needed. The current device has 151 sensors while the OPM device has just 24. | 2022-04-28T12:52:44Z | www.jonesborosun.com | UAMS tests new noninvasive fetal health device | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/uams-tests-new-noninvasive-fetal-health-device/article_d277ae88-03be-5ed4-814b-1b226fb7c3fd.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/uams-tests-new-noninvasive-fetal-health-device/article_d277ae88-03be-5ed4-814b-1b226fb7c3fd.html |
Katherine H. Gatlin, 94, of Newport, departed this life on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at Searcy.
She was born June 28, 1927, in Paris, Texas, the daughter of Earl Herndon and Lillian (Logsdon) Herndon. She was member of the United Methodist Church in Newport and enjoyed sewing, crafts making dolls, reading and working in her flower garden, but above all she loved spending time with her grandchildren.
Ms. Gatlin was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Frank Gatlin; and brother, George Herndon.
She leaves behind her daughter, Carolynn Vaughan of Hawaii; grandchildren, John Vaughan and Amber Vaughan-Sarandi, both of Hawaii; great-grandchild, Amanda Mojica of Oklahoma, Syd Sarandi of Hawaii and Brandon Syrandi of Hawaii; great-great-grandchild, Emery Mojica of Oklahoma.
A memorial service was held on Thursday, April 21, at 3 p.m. at Walnut Grove Cemetery. Arrangements were by Dillinger Funeral Home.
An online guestbook is available at www. dillingerfuneralhome.com. | 2022-04-28T12:52:50Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Katherine H. Gatlin | | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/katherine-h-gatlin/article_8f7dcef2-64f3-53d4-87dd-8de667ccbdd2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/katherine-h-gatlin/article_8f7dcef2-64f3-53d4-87dd-8de667ccbdd2.html |
Doolin continued his string of armed robberies. He eventually made his way to Arkansas. In January 1896, he was captured in a bathhouse in Eureka Springs. He had come to the northwest Arkansas community in hopes that the mineral baths would help the injuries from his gunfights and flights from the law. However, he escaped from a prison in the Oklahoma Territory six months later. Doolin hid out on his father-in-law’s farm in Oklahoma for several weeks afterward until U.S. Marshals were tipped off to his location. In August 1896, 12 U.S. Marshals had surrounded the farmhouse and prepared to arrest him. Spying the officers, Doolin quickly reached for his gun but was shot dead on the spot.
Dr. Ken Bridges is a Professor of History at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado. He has written seven books and his columns appear in more than 85 papers in two states. Dr. Bridges can be contacted by email at kbridges@southark.edu. | 2022-04-28T12:52:56Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Bill Doolin and the Dalton Gang | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/bill-doolin-and-the-dalton-gang/article_395e6de3-8758-59fd-92af-b0b61391cd36.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/bill-doolin-and-the-dalton-gang/article_395e6de3-8758-59fd-92af-b0b61391cd36.html |
Two crashes in Northeast Arkansas over the past week have claimed the lives of two area residents.
A crash Tuesday claimed the life of Elijah Dunigan, 22, of Paragould,
Arkansas State Police report that Dunigan was operating a 2022 Kawasaki on U.S. Highway 49 at Pruetts Chapel Road in Paragould when he collided with a 2013 Mack at the intersection.
The crash happened at 5:12 p.m.
A Friday evening crash claimed the life of a Lepanto woman and injured several others in rural Poinsett County.
Aleshia D. Guerra, 39, of Lepanto, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred at 6:50 p.m., on State Highway 140.
Guerra was driving a Polaris Ranger utility vehicle westbound on the highway, according to Arkansas State Police. As she turned to go into a private driveway, impact was made by a Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorcycle that had been behind the utility vehicle, and had passed several other vehicles, according to the state police report.
The Suzuki was driven by Xzavier D. Reed, 23, of Jonesboro, who was listed as injured in the crash, as well as three minor children from Lepanto, all passengers on the utility vehicle.
The injured were transferred to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee, according to state police. | 2022-04-28T12:53:09Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Crashes claim lives in Greene, Poinsett counties | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/crashes-claim-lives-in-greene-poinsett-counties/article_7051089b-7084-5c12-9040-ca771a7040fc.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/crashes-claim-lives-in-greene-poinsett-counties/article_7051089b-7084-5c12-9040-ca771a7040fc.html |
A commodity distribution is being held for the residents of Jackson County on Wednesday, May 4, at the Jackson County Senior Center, located at 400 North Pecan St. in Newport.
The distribution will be a drive-through event, and will begin at 9 a.m. and last until noon, or until supplies run out.
Food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are asked to bring a photo ID. For more information, contact the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas at 870-932-3663. | 2022-04-28T12:53:15Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Food bank to be held for county | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/food-bank-to-be-held-for-county/article_b4472000-9530-5539-b02e-f6a1e7489c1c.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/food-bank-to-be-held-for-county/article_b4472000-9530-5539-b02e-f6a1e7489c1c.html |
Brianna Larson, choreographer for the Elevate program, discusses staging with students on Wednesday afternoon at The Glass Factory in downtown Jonesboro. Larson’s assistant choreographer is Kori Dinison (not pictured).
Jenny Powers (from right), director of Elevate, discusses music with Emily Trapp Jenkins, music director for the program, and Paula Fulkerson, assistant music director. Other staff members include (not pictured) Maddie Bowdon, associate director, and Amy Tate, assistant music director.
Photos by Gretchen Hunt / The Sun
Students in the Link Theatre Company’s Elevate program rehearse for their upcoming showcase at The Glass Factory in downtown Jonesboro on Wednesday afternoon.
Link Theatre program to 'Elevate' youth
JONESBORO — Several area young people are getting the chance to hone their theatrical talents and have a blast at the same time thanks to a unique program by the Link Theatre Company in Jonesboro called Elevate.
Jenny Powers, who heads up Elevate, said that The Link Theatre Company was the first professional theatre company in Northeast Arkansas.
“The Link’s mission is to combine professional Broadway, University, local and regional talents to further enrich an already vibrant local arts community,” Powers said, “by creating compelling musicals, plays, concerts and other cultural experiences through innovative design and imaginative storytelling.”
The Link’s musical theater youth training program, Elevate, actually launched last spring, said Powers, noting that it was for ages eight through 12 and was on Mondays and Wednesdays for an hour and a half over 6 weeks.
“This is our second year for our program,” she said, noting that it is for second through sixth-graders and is on Mondays and Wednesdays for two hours over seven weeks.
Both the training and performance are held outdoors at The Glass Factory on the outside platform in Downtown Jonesboro, she said.
“We noticed last year that something about the outdoors enhanced the whole experience and enthusiasm for the kids,” she said. “They grew tremendously, so we are back at The Glass Factory again this year.”
“Elevate is a wonderful opportunity for students to receive individualized training that provides young artists a creative outlet and safe haven to express themselves freely,” Powers said.
She said that the students learn musical and theatrical concepts.
“They will be given new tools to nurture their growth in music and theatre,” Powers said. “Above all, Elevate aims to instill self-confidence, improve self-esteem and cultivate valuable leadership skills in a nurturing and safe environment.”
She said that she enjoys watching how the kids connect and encourage each other.
“We have a great mix this year,” Powers said, noting that there are 23 students this year out of the 24 spots that were open. This year’s students include four boys and 19 girls, with 11 attending the Monday evening classes and 12 taking the Tuesday evening classes. She noted this year’s enrollment total is the same as last year’s.
She said they have kids from from many of the different area schools this year including Jonesboro, Brookland, Valley View and more.
It is the hope to do an Elevate Intensive for older kids and graduates of the Elevate program sometime in the future, said Powers.
Powers said that one of the best parts about the program and its showcase is that each kid gets to be a star. The showcase highlights each student’s specific talents through a sequence of skits, which will include skits from works such as “Encanto,” “Tangled,” “Into the Woods,” “Enchanted” and more.
She said they start with a warm-up dance, which will become the opening sequence, followed by vocal exercises.
Last year the showcase was just for the families, but Powers said that this year’s program will be open to the public. It will be held May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at The Glass Factory. Seating is limited, and tickets can be purchased online.
“The kids have worked so hard,” she bragged, noting that they have staffed up so they can provide more one-on-one coaching stations.
“Kids walk out feeling incredibility empowered,” Powers said. “They are building skills and confidence and everyone is featured. it is just unique, unique, unique.”
She said that the Link Theatre, which was founded by Powers and her husband, Matt Cavenaugh, has an audience that comes from all over the U.S. to see their shows now.
The husband and wife team, who met on Broadway, now dream of sharing their passion for theater with others, said Powers, noting that they bring Broadway productions to Jonesboro such as the “Ragtime” production back in the fall, which had New York City veterans as the leads, and the upcoming comedy “All In The Timing,” which will star three New York City actors and will run April 28 through May 1 at 524 South Church Street in Jonesboro.
For more information about The Link Theatre Company or to purchase tickets for the Elevate showcase or “All in The Timing” visit www. thelinktheatre.org. | 2022-04-28T12:53:45Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Link Theatre program to 'Elevate' youth | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/link-theatre-program-to-elevate-youth/article_9ec08cb6-3c94-50bd-af19-ef82c29da7d8.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/link-theatre-program-to-elevate-youth/article_9ec08cb6-3c94-50bd-af19-ef82c29da7d8.html |
Three plead guilty to 2019 death
JONESBORO — Three men have pleaded guilty in the shooting death of Andrew Powell in November 2019.
Powell, 24, was found shot to death at a vacant house at 3105 Parkwood Road.
JaColby “Jack” Haggard, 29, of West Memphis, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and criminal mischief. He was sentenced by Circuit Judge Randy Philhours to 15 years in prison with 10 years of suspended imposition of sentence.
Kyron Stegall also pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter and first-degree forgery and was sentenced to eight years in prison with two years of suspended sentence.
Wesley James Neal was sentenced to six years in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty in March to manslaughter. He also received five years of suspended sentence.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the killing occurred during a drug transaction at the house.
The three were originally charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors reduced the charges in negotiated plea deals.
“During this transaction, JaColby Haggard and Wesley Neal were in the residence making the transaction with the victim,” Jonesboro Police Detective Keri Varner wrote in the brief affidavit. “There was a discrepancy in the transaction that led to gunfire and altercation and the victim was struck multiple times resulting in his death.”
Varner said Neal and Haggard took the drugs and fled the scene in an “awaiting vehicle.”
In an affidavit of probable cause for charges against Neal, Detective Chris Poe wrote that “Neal admitted to providing phone information of the victim for a meeting which ultimately led to his death. Neal admitted to being inside the home where Powell’s body was found.” | 2022-04-28T12:54:05Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Three plead guilty to 2019 death | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/three-plead-guilty-to-2019-death/article_d912a839-148b-55a0-adcb-0006a8ab08af.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/three-plead-guilty-to-2019-death/article_d912a839-148b-55a0-adcb-0006a8ab08af.html |
Church to host memorial blood drive
PARAGOULD — The American Red Cross, is partnering with the family of Rick McEuen and the congregation of Hillcrest Church of Christ, 7208 W. Kingshighway, to host a blood drive in his memory. The event is set for 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the church.
McEuen was a deacon for many years at the church as well as an instructor at Crowley’s Ridge College and York College.
He was also a frequent blood donor.
“Our Church family could not think of a better way to remember Rick than by hosting this blood drive,” James Barnett, Hillcrest Church of Christ member said in an announcement. “He loved helping his community, especially through blood donation. We hope the community will come out to support this drive and help patients who need blood.”
Every two seconds in the United States blood is needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.
The Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood and more than 2,600 platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,500 hospitals nationwide. | 2022-04-29T13:23:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Church to host memorial blood drive | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/church-to-host-memorial-blood-drive/article_0a332cb2-6e73-578d-b0a4-d1c9390546a1.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/church-to-host-memorial-blood-drive/article_0a332cb2-6e73-578d-b0a4-d1c9390546a1.html |
Abby Henson waves to vehicles during a drive-by parade held in Abby’s honor on Sunday. More than 100 vehicles, including emergency personnel such as fire trucks, participated in the parade.
Submitted photo / Val Orrick
HOXIE — In honor of just being her, 11-year-old Abby Henson of Hoxie was treated to a drive-by vehicle parade to make her day a little brighter.
More than 100 vehicles participated in the drive-by parade on Harding Street, including her friends, fellow classmates and teachers, local emergency personnel and members of United Free Will Baptist Church.
Abby was born on June 7, 2010, and was diagnosed with a rare skin condition, epidermolysis bullsoa (EB), which is a group of rare diseases that cause the skin to blister easily.
Just this year, Abby has been admitted to the hospital four times, with the shortest stay being a week long. She was recently released from the hospital on April 15, and is having complications with her body’s albumin. Albumin is the most common protein found in blood plasma. It helps ensure blood stays in arteries and veins and helps carry hormones, vitamins and enzymes throughout the body. Issues with the body’s albumin levels indicate a possible kidney issue.
“She is also suffering from a fractured spine that is collapsing like an elderly person,” said Abby’s grandmother and guardian, Peggy Henson.
Despite Abby’s health issues, the little girl remains a delight for all who encounter her.
“That girl keeps me on my toes,” said Susan Doyle, middle school secretary. “No matter what, even if she’s feeling bad, she’s always smiling. She’s a friend to everyone, always. She make’s everyone smile.”
Abby is the daughter of Brittany Henson, the granddaughter of Peggy Henson, the great-granddaughter of Liz Jones, and the niece of Stanley and Stephanie Jones, all of Hoxie; and Dana Jones Nash of Lebanon, Mo. She also has a little sister, Avery. | 2022-04-29T13:24:11Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Community supports Hoxie girl | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/community-supports-hoxie-girl/article_2126a8d7-6443-527c-96fc-54bec1de2bc3.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/community-supports-hoxie-girl/article_2126a8d7-6443-527c-96fc-54bec1de2bc3.html |
JONESBORO — Tony Joe Stevens has been ducking the criminal justice systems for more than a year now.
On Wednesday, District Judge Tommy Fowler set Stevens’ bond at $75,000, citing Stevens’ being charged several times for failing to register as a sex offender.
The landlord of the property where Stevens was arrested on Sunday asked Fowler to criminally ban Stevens from the address. Fowler said he didn’t have the authority to do so.
He was also charged with possession of meth or cocaine less than 2 grams and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.
On Monday, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Katherine Calaway filed a motion to revoke Stevens’ probation and send him to prison.
Stevens has failed to register as required by law several times since his conviction in 2017.
On Aug. 1, 2017, Stevens pleaded guilty to sexually grooming of a child and sexual indecency with a child. He was sentenced to 42 months in prison with five years suspended.
The victim in the case was a 9-year-old female who said Stevens showed her pornographic cartoon videos at a hotel room where they were staying.
The victim told Jonesboro police and investigators with the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division that the videos were of characters from Scooby Doo and Mulan having sex. She also described a cartoon of an alien and a girl having sex.
She said while watching the videos Stevens was rubbing his “bad spot.” She later identified it as his penis.
In that case, Stevens also pleaded guilty to possession of meth or cocaine less than 2 grams.
On Nov. 23, 2021, he received a three-year suspended sentence for failing to register by Judge Cindy Thyer. A petition by prosecutors to revoke probation or suspended sentence was dismissed.
On Dec. 21, 2021, after a negotiated guilty plea for failure to register as a sex offender, Stevens was given 30 months suspended sentence.
In May 2016, Stevens was charged with possession of meth or cocaine.
In March 2014, he pleaded guilty to second-degree battery. He received four years of probation. | 2022-04-29T13:24:23Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Sex offender fails to register, again | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/sex-offender-fails-to-register-again/article_9e0e938c-8135-51c9-8686-894261875f81.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/sex-offender-fails-to-register-again/article_9e0e938c-8135-51c9-8686-894261875f81.html |
Watkins served in his final moments
In June 1950, the peace was shattered when North Korea launched a massive, unprovoked attack on South Korea. Watkins was called back into action with the Ninth Infantry and sent to shore up their failing defenses. By the end of August, American, South Korean and United Nations forces had been pushed into a small pocket of the southeastern corner of South Korea that came to be called the Pusan Perimeter. Allied forces were facing total defeat.
Watkins died two days before his thirtieth birthday. He was later buried in Gladewater.
A few months after his death, the army awarded Watkins the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service above and beyond the call of duty. President Harry Truman gave Watkins’s posthumous award to his widow in a ceremony at the White House. Watkins would be one of 33,000 Americans to lose their lives in the Korean War and one of 146 men to receive the Medal of Honor during the conflict. His sacrifice was not forgotten.
In 1961, a housing complex at Fort Sam Houston was named for him. In June 2000, the navy launched the USNS Watkins, a 950-foot cargo ship named in honor of Watkins, which has been in service ever since.
Dr. Ken Bridges is a Professor of History at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado. He is the proud father of six children. He has written seven books and his columns appear in more than 85 papers in two states. Dr. Bridges can be contacted by email at kbridges@southark.edu. | 2022-04-29T13:24:53Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Watkins served in his final moments | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/watkins-served-in-his-final-moments/article_bde40d11-f9aa-57a9-8aa7-9e66863f7a77.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/watkins-served-in-his-final-moments/article_bde40d11-f9aa-57a9-8aa7-9e66863f7a77.html |
Hutchinson announces appointments
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced that Anna Smith of Jonesboro has been appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging replacing Bruce Short.
James Floyd of Horseshoe Bend and Cassandra Hill of Osceola were reappointed to this council. All three terms will expire Jan. 14, 2024.
Two other Jonesboro residents were reappointed to positions, Jeffrey Scott Baxter to the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System Board of Trustees with a term expiring Jan. 1, 2026, and Rebecca Pieroni to the Governor’s Commission on People with Disabilities with a term expiring June 1, 2025.
Michael McDermott of Weiner was reappointed to the Commission on Waterwell Construction with a term expiring on Jan. 14, 2025. | 2022-04-30T06:09:07Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Hutchinson announces appointments | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/hutchinson-announces-appointments/article_62f519c7-ab57-5be2-b0ac-b551a544dfcc.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/hutchinson-announces-appointments/article_62f519c7-ab57-5be2-b0ac-b551a544dfcc.html |
Mostly cloudy and windy during the morning. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 78F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Old Crow Medicine Show will kick off the outdoor concert season for The Momentary, 507 S.E. E St., in Bentonville at 7:30 p.m. May 12. They will be joined by country star Brittney Spencer. Tickets are available online at themomentary.org.
Courtesy of The Momentary
Outdoor music returns to The Momentary
BENTONVILLE — The Momentary, a satellite of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, at 507 S.E. E St., will bring together a variety of musical acts of the past several decades on its outdoor green space, the Momentary Green.
Rising country star Brittney Spencer and two-time Grammy award-winning group Old Crow Medicine Show will kick off the season with a concert at 7:30 p.m. May 12, co-presented with the Heartland Summit.
The FreshGrass | Bentonville festival is set for May 20-21.
Headliners for the festival of bluegrass and progressive roots music will include Emmylou Harris and the Red Dirt Boys, the indie-roots five-piece acoustic Dispatch and singer-songwriter Amos Lee.
A full lineup is available at www.themomentary.org.
Having debuted in October of 2021, FreshGrass | Bentonville is a family-friendly festival featuring two stages and platforms throughout the Momentary’s campus. Festival programming also includes FreshScores, a silent film with original live music by Alison Brown, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and Mamie Minch; special performances by The House of Songs and The Black Legacy Project; local Bentonville food and spirits vendors; and pop-up performances and retail.
FreshGrass | Bentonville is presented by the Momentary in collaboration with the FreshGrass Foundation and No Depression.
Additional shows are scheduled this summer.
General admission tickets for Brittney Spencer and Old Crow Medicine Show and Kraftwerk are $48, or $20 for students, or $150 for premium tickets, featuring reserved standing and/or seating zones.
FreshGrass | Bentonville 2-day tickets are $135 for adults and $40 for children ages 7-16. Admission is free for children 6 and younger. A $500 VIP Freshpass is also available and includes entrance to both days of the festival, access to FreshPass VIP Lounge with complimentary food and non-alcoholic beverages, expedited entrance to the festival, reserved viewing area near the main stage, a swag bag of commemorative merchandise and more. Single-day tickets are also available.
Tickets can be purchased online on The Momentary website or by calling guest services at 479-657-2335. All outdoor festivals and concerts are held rain or shine. | 2022-04-30T06:09:13Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Outdoor music returns to The Momentary | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/outdoor-music-returns-to-the-momentary/article_3c55a31e-afc7-52ee-a0fe-b5fd5a3df52f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/outdoor-music-returns-to-the-momentary/article_3c55a31e-afc7-52ee-a0fe-b5fd5a3df52f.html |
Red Cross offers drawing to encourage donors
JONESBORO — The American Red Cross and Suburban Propane are offering potential donors who come in by May 19 a chance to win a travel trailer camper that sleeps eight plus they will also receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice.
Appointments for blood drives can be made by using the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org, calling 1-800-733-2767.
Monday – 1:30-5:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 404 W. Main St., Paragould.
Tuesday – 1:30-5:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 310 N. Second St., Paragould.
Wednesday – 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Buffalo Island Central High School, 803 Drew Ave., Monette; and 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., CrossRidge Community Hospital, 310 S. Falls Blvd., Wynne.
Thursday – 12:30-5:30 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 7208 W. Kingshighway, Paragould.
Friday – 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., Armorel High School, 7 S. Main St.; 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Greene County Tech Junior High, 5201 W. Kingshighway, Paragould; and 1-5 p.m., Hardy Civic Center, 301 E. Main St.
May 9 – 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Arkansas State University, 2105 Aggie Road, Jonesboro; and 1:30-5:30 p.m., Rector Community Center, 740 E. Ninth St.
May 10 – 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Blytheville High School, 600 N. 10th St.; and 1:30-5:30 p.m., Church of God of Prophecy, 3128Arkansas 115 North, Pocahontas.
May 18 – 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Riverside High School, 2007 Arkansas 18, Lake City; and 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Earl Bell Community Center, 1212 S. Church St., Jonesboro.
May 19 – 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Wynne High School, 800 E. Jackson Ave.; and 1-5 p.m., A.L. Huston Memorial Center, 1765 U.S. 62/412, Hardy. | 2022-04-30T06:09:19Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Red Cross offers drawing to encourage donors | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/red-cross-offers-drawing-to-encourage-donors/article_568d4d1a-7fd4-5b43-b207-da490958a206.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/red-cross-offers-drawing-to-encourage-donors/article_568d4d1a-7fd4-5b43-b207-da490958a206.html |
Reed Middleton (left), this year’s winner of the Wilson Award at Arkansas State University visits with Shane Broadway, a former state legislator and vice president for university relations at A-State, after Middleton was announced as the 2022 recipient. Broadway received the award in 1994. Middleton and other Distinguished Service Award recipients were honored during a dinner at the Cooper Alumni Center on Thursday night.
In recognition of his exemplary service and student performance at Arkansas State University, Reed Middleton was announced Thursday evening as recipient of the R.E. Lee Wilson Award for 2022 during a special ceremony at Cooper Alumni Center. The Wilson Award is the highest honor an A-State student can receive.
Perry Wilson of Little Rock, the award namesake’s great-great-grandson, was present to announce Middleton, a native of Marianna, as this year’s winner.
“Throughout my time at Arkansas State, I have been amazed by the family atmosphere, the countless opportunities to get involved, to serve others, to learn and to grow,” Middleton said in his nomination. “I have also been amazed by the unwavering commitment of the educators who have led by example and selflessly combined their knowledge and wisdom to make an impact in my life.”
Middleton was one of seven students selected as Distinguished Service Award (DSA) winners. All of the DSA winners were introduced and recognized during the student honors awards ceremony.
“Reed was a model student during his time at Arkansas State University. His focus was learning and high performance in the classroom, and at the same time, he was very active and generous, giving his time to his fellow students, the university and the community,” one of his nominators wrote. “I know he was the kind of student the founders of the Wilson Award had in mind when they created this award in 1934.”
This was the culminating event of the 44th annual Convocation of Scholars at A-State, an annual campus celebration.
Middleton was student speaker at Fall Commencement, where he received his degree in finance, financial management emphasis, through the Neil Griffin College of Business. He completed a triple minor, in business management, history and political science.
R.E. Lee Wilson, a Mississippi County planter and businessman, served on the institution’s Board of Trustees from 1917 until his death in 1933. The annual Wilson Award presentation began the following year, more than eight decades ago.
In addition to Middleton, the six other DSA winners, recognized for leadership, scholarship and citizenship, include Keyon Atkins of Mineral Springs; Anna Handloser of Sheridan; Blake Alexander Moore of Jonesboro; Jackson St. Pierre of Jonesboro; Molly Grace Williams of Piggott; and Sydney Wofford of Rector.
Faculty, staff and advisers nominate top students for the prestigious annual awards.
A committee comprised of students, faculty, staff and previous Wilson Award recipients makes the final selection.
The names of Wilson Award winners are permanently listed in a prominent display outside Centennial Hall in the Carl R. Reng Student Union. Previous winners of the award joined to form the Wilson Fellows, a chapter within the A-State Alumni Association. | 2022-04-30T06:09:25Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State announces Wilson Award winner | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/a-state-announces-wilson-award-winner/article_f9211daf-1723-5cdb-b7e4-63dd570e67e4.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/a-state-announces-wilson-award-winner/article_f9211daf-1723-5cdb-b7e4-63dd570e67e4.html |
Dawn Holmes sports number 14,900 as she prepares to run the 126th Annual Boston Marathon on April 18.
Dawn Holmes stands proudly with her husband, Bryce Holmes, and daughter, Claire Holmes, as she shows-off her unicorn medal for completing the Boston Marathon.
Dawn Holmes runs the track during her college years as an athlete at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
Dawn Holmes and seven-month-old-daughter Claire Holmes point to her name among listed of 24,822 contestants at the 126th Annual Boston Marathon.
Local woman completes life goal to run in Boston Marathon
Former Arkansas State University athlete Dawn Holmes completed one of her lifelong goals on April 18, when she completed the 126th Boston Marathon.
Holmes, who is an occupational therapist in pediatrics at The Learning Center in Jonesboro, said on Wednesday, April 20, that while this was her first time running in the marathon it has been something she has always wanted to do. An added bonus was learning she would be running during the 50th anniversary of women’s official participation in the marathon.
“The 50th anniversary of women in the marathon was a big deal at the race,” Holmes said, pointing out that she ran with one of the first women to be allowed to run in the marathon.
“I was surprised when my husband told me,” she said.
According to the marathon’s website, www.baa.org, the 126th Boston Marathon marked 50 years since women were first allowed to officially run the race and Val Rogosheske, who was one of the original eight women back in 1972, was back on the course.
Rogosheske, who placed sixth at the 1972 Boston Marathon was joined on the course by her daughters, Abigail and Allie, according to the website. She would finish in a time of 6:38:57 this year sporting bib number 1972.
Holmes said that she trained for 18 weeks before the race, although she actually qualified in 2019 after running with a friend.
“My friend was running it that year and she talked me into trying out for the 2020 marathon,” she said, noting that she qualified in 2019 but due to COVID-19 the marathon was canceled for 2020 and then was postponed yet again in 2021.
Holmes would finally get her run earlier this month, only seven months after giving birth to their daughter, Claire Holmes.
Although Holmes is now 33, she recalled running track, long-distance and cross-country at A-State.
“The half-mile and mile races were always my favorite, but I have always loved to exercise,” she said, noting that she would get her undergraduate degree in exercise science from A-State before getting her master’s in occupational therapy from the University of Central Arkansas.
She and her husband actually met during their last semester at A-State, Holmes smiled, noting that they got married in 2013 and have now been married for nine years.
“He was a communications major,” she said, “and we just happened to have a class together and have been together ever since.”
Holmes said that though her family has always been active, she was the first in her family to run marathons.
In fact, this was her third marathon. Holmes has also run in the Little Rock Marathon and the St. Jude’s Marathon, during which she qualified for Boston.
Holmes completed the 26.2-mile race in three hours and 49 minutes, noting that she came in at 2,960 out of the 4,717 in the female 18 to 39 division, 5,359 out of the 10,564 in the overall female division and 15,463 out of the 24,822 overall competitors.
“That is an average of eight minutes and 45 seconds,” her husband, Bryce, noted proudly.
The couple said that this was their first time to visit the northeastern United States and that they, along with some of his family who came to show their support, enjoyed their time in Boston.
“We got to visit the Red Sox Stadium, downtown Boston, historic Boston and of course ate lots of food,” Holmes laughed, though admitting that she was still sore even at the time of the interview.
“It was so funny, when we headed home,” she said, “we could spot others at the airport who were in the race too, because they were all sore and walking the same way as me.”
Holmes said that Marathon Monday in Boston on that third week in April was also Patriots Day, noting that the athletes started in Hopkinton bound for Boston, with participants from 120 countries and all 50 U.S. states, who were also aiming to earn their coveted unicorn medals, which is the Boston Marathon’s participation medal.
“I have never seen so many crowds along a marathon,” Holmes said, “but it was amazing, and the crowds just cheered us on the whole way.”
She said that after four days in Boston, she came home with a race T-shirt and a unicorn medal, and she had an unforgettable experience.
“What can I say,” she smiled humbly. “I am just a girl who likes to run.” | 2022-04-30T06:09:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Local woman completes life goal to run in Boston Marathon | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/local-woman-completes-life-goal-to-run-in-boston-marathon/article_842e4f1b-f096-5267-8b82-94d4a417c19b.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/local-woman-completes-life-goal-to-run-in-boston-marathon/article_842e4f1b-f096-5267-8b82-94d4a417c19b.html |
JONESBORO — Better pay for frontline police and firefighters and decisions on alcohol proposals are on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Jonesboro City Council.
Mayor Harold Copenhaver proposes raising the minimum of the officers’ salaries from $35,190 per year to $42,000. If approved, 72 of 172 police officers and 34 of 125 firefighters would see their pay rise to the new minimum.
For the rest of this year, the cost of salaries and benefits will add $485,769 to the city’s 2022 operating budget. For a full year, it will cost $850,000.
It would be the first increase in beginning police and firefighter pay since 2016.
“We strive to recruit the highest quality of personnel, but we can’t do that without competitive salaries,” Copenhaver told the council’s finance and administration committee on Tuesday.
In other business, the council will hear the final reading and vote on a proposal by Classic Hospitality, doing business as Don Jose, 2200 Wilkins Ave., for a restaurant private club permit.
On another alcohol matter, the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3354 seeks transfer its business location from 2912 Gilmore Drive to 1700 S. Caraway Road. The council will hear the first of three required readings of that proposed ordinance.
Also scheduled for a first reading an ordinance proposed by the Jonesboro Economic Development Corp. to rezone 237.4 acres on the east side of Nestle Road, north of Deer Lake Road, from R-1 single family residential to I-2 general industrial. The intent is to expand the Craighead Technology Park.
Scheduled for a second reading is a proposal to reduce the speed limit on Marjorie Drive to 25 mph.
A resolution to authorize an application for a federally-funded grant for trail construction also appears on the agenda.
The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Municipal Center, 300 S. Church St.
The council’s public works committee will meet at 5 p.m. | 2022-04-30T06:10:02Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Pay raises, alcohol on council agenda | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/pay-raises-alcohol-on-council-agenda/article_69b8c4af-87ef-54d2-a340-1a67159be7f2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/pay-raises-alcohol-on-council-agenda/article_69b8c4af-87ef-54d2-a340-1a67159be7f2.html |
Hawkins leads turnaround at Wynne
JONESBORO — Wynne was a long way from a conference championship or a state tournament berth when Tim Hawkins took over as the school’s girls’ basketball coach before the 2019-20 season.
The Lady Yellowjackets had a 92-game losing streak when Hawkins was hired. They ditched the losing streak in his first game on the bench, beating neighboring Cross County, and made the regional tournament in 2020.
A conference tournament loss cut Wynne’s season short in 2021, but the Lady Yellowjackets were ready for greater success this year with seven seniors. It was a year to remember as Wynne tied Pulaski Academy for the 4A-5 conference crown, earned a state tournament berth and reached the Class 4A state quarterfinals before finishing 24-8.
“It’s been about as rewarding a thing as I’ve ever done, to see them get to where they were this year,” said Hawkins, the Best Under The Sun Coach of the Year.
Hawkins recently concluded his 15th season as a high school basketball coach, his second career after nearly 23 years with Southwestern Bell and AT&T. He also spent two seasons at Harrisburg, two seasons at Gosnell and eight seasons at Valley View, where he took the Lady Blazers to the state semifinals twice and the state quarterfinals four times.
Wynne was a long way from those lofty heights in 2019, although Hawkins was sure to let people know that his first team wasn’t part of the program’s 0-92 run.
“They said, ‘Are you going to get a win? You’re 0-92.’ I said, ‘I wasn’t involved in that and neither were these players,’ and they weren’t thinking that way by the time we tipped off that first year,” Hawkins said. “They weren’t think we weren’t going to win some ballgames because that’s what I was telling them, that you have to believe you’re going to win and they got to the point where we were believing that and could see we had a pretty deep team, even though we were young.”
Wynne’s 58-38 victory over Cross County in the 2019-20 opener was the program’s first victory since December 2015. Hawkins still has a photo taken after that game in the locker room.
The sophomores on that team formed the nucleus of this season’s team, which had seven seniors among the top nine in the rotation. Hawkins said the Lady Yellowjackets finished with only 69 3-pointers as a team, but they thrived on getting the ball to the paint and averaged 18 free throw attempts per game.
Senior guard/forward Zahryia Baker averaged a double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds, and led all-state balloting in the 4A-5 before signing with Williams Baptist. The senior class also featured Londyn McDaniel, Shay Lewis, Darienne Carter, Derionna Spencer, Rebekah Perry and Keyana Smith.
“I felt like coming into the year the kids were hungry. They had the confidence,” Hawkins said. “Their goal, when we sat down and talked to the seven seniors on the team, was to win the conference and make a run at state. I didn’t think it was unreasonable to think that we could win the conference, just based on if we would take care of the ball against PA.”
Wynne defeated Tuckerman and Riverside while winning seven of its first eight games, losing only to Marion. The Lady Yellowjackets hit a lull in December during a tough stretch of their schedule as they played without McDaniel, who suffered a knee injury as a junior.
After starting conference play with road wins over Stuttgart and Forrest City, the Lady Yellowjackets faced Pulaski Academy at home and pulled out a 62-60 overtime victory over the Bruins, who eventually reached the state semifinals.
A 12-game winning streak also included a 57-53 victory at Lonoke where Wynne rallied after trailing 17-0.
“That was a big game for us on top of beating PA. We sort of took off, I felt like, at that point,” Hawkins said of the victory over Lonoke. “I knew what we could do after we beat PA, because I knew PA was going to be one of the top four teams in the state and we had the capability of beating them.”
Pulaski Academy won the rematch 55-41 in Little Rock to forge a tie atop the 4A-5. Wynne went to the East Region tournament as the district’s No. 2 seed and earned its state tournament berth with a 51-29 rout of Southside, the 4A-3 regular-season champion.
After losing to Highland on its home floor in the regional semifinals, Wynne defeated Lonoke for the third time in the third-place game. The Lady Yellowjackets eliminated defending state champion Harrison 44-36 in the first round of the state tournament before falling 66-38 to eventual state champion Nashville in the quarterfinals.
“We’re losing 90 percent of our scoring,” Hawkins said, looking ahead to the 2022-23 Lady Yellowjackets, “but that’s what coaching is. You’re going to have cycles. I’d like to get it there where we just reload like some people do. We’re not there yet.” | 2022-04-30T06:10:38Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Hawkins leads turnaround at Wynne | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/hawkins-leads-turnaround-at-wynne/article_35560b0b-db36-5efe-a24e-191b6876aa8f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/hawkins-leads-turnaround-at-wynne/article_35560b0b-db36-5efe-a24e-191b6876aa8f.html |
Jonesboro sweeps 5A-East team track titles
BATESVILLE — Jonesboro won both team titles Thursday in the 5A-East conference track and field meet at Pioneer Stadium.
The Jonesboro boys won 12 of 18 events while piling up 271.5 points to finish with more points than their next three closest competitors combined. West Memphis was second in the team standings with 110 points, followed by Marion (79), Batesville (69.5), Nettleton (59.5), Searcy (53), Greene County Tech (40) and Paragould (8.5).
Jonesboro also won the girls’ team title handily, finishing first in nine of 18 events while scoring 223 points. Nettleton was second with 98.5 points, followed by West Memphis (85.5), Batesville (79), Paragould (60), Marion (50), Searcy (43) and Greene County Tech (41).
Erik Wilson won three individual events and ran the anchor leg on two winning relays to lead the Hurricane. Wilson won the 200-meter dash (22.02 seconds), the long jump (22-4 1/2) and the high jump (6-1).
Other individual event winners for Jonesboro included Brock McCoy in the 100 (11.27), John Paul Pickens in the 400 (51.39), Murray Cooper in the pole vault (13-3), Matt Cooper in the shot put (48-10) and Kavon Pointer in the triple jump (44-10 1/4).
Jonesboro swept all four relays. Jordan Hicks, Tyrin Ruffin, McCoy and Wilson won the 4x100 (43.94) and the 4x200 (1:29.80); Owen Church, Pointer, Pickens and McCoy won the 4x400 (3:32.56); and Church, Ben Wewers, Jackson Hall and Adam Rutherford won the 4x800 (9:00.95).
Nettleton’s KJ Word swept the hurdle races, winning the 110 (16.39) and the 300 (42.24).
The Lady Hurricane had five individual event winners and also swept the relays on the way to the girls’ team title. Carmen Payne won the 400 (1:03.20); Savannah Byrd won the 1600 (5:55.96); Lydia McCullough won the long jump (16-0 3/4); Destiny Thomas won the shot put (42-10); and Peyton Church won the discus (102-11).
Jonesboro’s Jyanna Woods, D’Arryia Powell, Alexandria Washington and Takiria Brown won the 4x100 relay (50.18); Powell, Kalaiya Dixon, China Young and Payne won the 4x200 (1:49.26); Keissy Lopez-Hopes, Young, Byrd and Powell won the 4x200 (4:19.09); and Nina Henkelmann, Audrey White, Henley Rogers and Byrd won the 4x800 (11:14.18).
Paragould’s Starlyn Edwards won two events, the 800 (2:36.64) and the 3200 (13:27.61). The Lady Rams’ Carson DeFries won the high jump (5-3).
Nettleton’s second-place finish in the team standings included five second-place event finishes. Makila Hill placed second in the 100, while Donna Douglas was the runner-up in the shot put and discus. The Lady Raiders were second in the 4x200 and 4x800 relays. | 2022-04-30T06:10:44Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Jonesboro sweeps 5A-East team track titles | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/jonesboro-sweeps-5a-east-team-track-titles/article_424361b7-e8e3-57a9-970c-a2bd9e1a5c9e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/jonesboro-sweeps-5a-east-team-track-titles/article_424361b7-e8e3-57a9-970c-a2bd9e1a5c9e.html |
Jonesboro senior point guard Ereauna Hardaway is the player of the year on the Best Under The Sun girls’ basketball team for the second consecutive season.
Jonesboro's Hardaway adapts to 'muddled' role
JONESBORO — Ereauna Hardaway’s role on the basketball court changed in subtle ways during her senior season at Jonesboro.
Hardaway, the state tournament MVP as a junior when the Lady Hurricane captured the Class 5A state championship, remained the team leader at point guard and classmate Destiny Thomas returned in the post. The players around them had different abilities, though, and Hardaway had to adapt.
“This year was a little tricky. My junior year, I knew my role, I knew what I was stepping into,” Hardaway said. “Then my senior year, at the beginning it wasn’t going how I expected it to, but toward the end of the year, it was what I was expecting.”
With Hardaway leading the charge, the Lady Hurricane hit its stride after Christmas on the way to a 13-1 record in 5A-East conference play. Jonesboro (22-7) rolled through the first three rounds of the state tournament, too, before falling 60-49 to Greenwood in the 5A state final. Hardaway, the Best Under The Sun Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, averaged 14.9 points in 5A-East play as the Lady Hurricane stormed to the league title. She averaged 15.5 points in the state tournament, closing with a 22-point effort against Greenwood as she sank 5-of-7 attempts from the 3-point line.
A statewide media panel voted Hardaway as a first-team selection on the Arkansas Sports Media Super Team. She was also chosen No. 1 in the Class 5A top five by the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association.
“We had to have her play well because we go as she goes,” Jonesboro coach Jodi Christenberry said. “Even though her role was able to be distributed as far as scoring, we still went as she went. If she came out nervous, if she came out turning the ball over, then we kind of went that direction.
“If she came out really confident and pushing hard and doing the thing she’s capable of doing, we followed that same path. In order for us to win for the last two, three years, it rested on her to set the tone for how we were going to go.”
Hardaway, who signed with North Texas in November, averaged 13.4 points per game for the season while shooting 41 percent from the 3-point line and 79 percent from the free throw line. She also contributed five assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
With her focus on running the team, Hardaway admits there are times when she doesn’t think about scoring. “I don’t pay attention to it as much,” she said, “because I just try to make sure we’re winning.”
Christenberry said Hardaway’s role was “a little more muddled” this season, with more complex decisions to make and more scoring options around her.
“She had a really good junior year and it seemed like the role that she had, the definition of that role, was a little bit more clear cut than it was this year,” Christenberry said. “I don’t really know how to explain that other than that’s the way it felt.” Christenberry said Hardaway was so good as a junior, it would be hard to find drastic improvement anywhere in her game this season, but she made the most progress on defense as a senior.
The state final offered an example of Hardaway’s defensive work. State tournament MVP Mady Cartwright finished 0-for-9 from the field and scored just two points while being shadowed by Hardaway.
Other opponents found Hardaway’s one-on-one defense hard to shake, too.
“She had to play a bigger role in that than what she had to her junior year, because I think the role players her junior year were more defensive oriented than they were this year,” Christenberry said. “She’s really good about understanding when she needs to lock somebody down and when she just needs to be there on the catch and force them to do what she wants them to do.”Playing its typical tough early schedule, Jonesboro was 6-5 in late December after losing twice in three games at the Sandra Meadows Classic in Duncanville, Texas.
The Lady Hurricane slipped again in its second conference game, falling 50-43 at Paragould.
“I think the Paragould game woke us up most definitely,” said Hardaway, who scored in double figures in 13 of Jonesboro’s 14 conference games. “We wanted to win the conference championship and we knew if we won the conference, we were definitely going to state.”
Jonesboro reeled off 15 consecutive victories before its next loss to Greenwood in the state final. Hardaway sank six 3s while scoring 32 points in a home victory over West Memphis, the game where she reached 1,000 points for her career, and scored 21 points against Nettleton in her final home game.
As the state tournament progressed, Hardaway’s point total went up each game. She scored 11 points against Sheridan, 12 against Vilonia, 17 against Little Rock Christian and 22 against Greenwood to finish her career with 1,124 points.
“She had a great state tournament. The state final probably wasn’t exactly what she wanted it to be, but I think a lot of that had to do with just the overall team,” Christenberry said. “We just didn’t hit shots that we had hit just the week before. We were getting the same shots, they just weren’t falling. I think we kind of got a little shook up with that, but you notice at the end, when it looked like things weren’t going to go well, she was like, ‘Give me the ball.’ All of a sudden we’re pressing, she’s trapping, we’re going everywhere.”
Hardaway will leave for North Texas in early June. She hopes to earn early playing time with the Mean Green, which lost to Tulsa in the first round of the Women’s NIT to finish with a 17-13 record.
While her last game as a Lady Hurricane didn’t end as hoped, Hardaway is pleased with her accomplishments at Jonesboro.
“Overall I’m satisfied,” Hardaway said. “There’s always points in your career where you think you could have done better, or as a team we could have done better, but I’m definitely satisfied.” | 2022-04-30T06:10:50Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Jonesboro's Hardaway adapts to 'muddled' role | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/jonesboros-hardaway-adapts-to-muddled-role/article_c1da2983-fb6e-5f3d-a0df-b53758d73960.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/jonesboros-hardaway-adapts-to-muddled-role/article_c1da2983-fb6e-5f3d-a0df-b53758d73960.html |
The Blazers totaled 164 points to finish first in the boys' team standings. Southside was second with 113 points, followed by Pocahontas (110), Blytheville (96), Highland (85), Westside (54), Trumann (46) and Brookland (22).
Valley View won the girls' team championship with 211 points. Brookland came in second with 151 points, followed by Pocahontas (140), Westside (51), Southside (47), Trumann (32), Blytheville (26) and Highland (25).
In the boys' division, Valley View finished with four event winners and five second-place finishes on its way to the team title. The Blazers had two individual champions, Brit Hawkins in the 3200-meter run (10:55.21) and Jay Morman in the high jump (6-5).
Blytheville's Omarrion Russell won the long jump (20-11) and the triple jump (43-0 1/2) in addition to joining Levin Reed, Ingram Battles and Tyrin Walker on the Chickasaws' winning 4x200 relay (1:34.74).
Trumann's Maddox Dycus, Tyler Robb, Rian King and Trenton Creekmore won the 4x400 relay (3:44.17). Westside's Slade Smith won the pole vault (12-8).
Valley View athletes won nine events in the girls' division, including all four relays.
Valley View's relay champions included Anna Winkfield, Olivia Caplinger, Emma-Claire King and Madison Fisher in the 4x100 (54.08); Fisher, Emma Finley, Caplinger and Ayla Bigham in the 4x200 (1:53.48); Knight, Emma Jarrett, Bigham and Kendal Minton in the 4x400 (4:22.51); and Pope, Morghan Rothwell, Callie Byington and Lauren Box in the 4x800 (11:18.45).
Brookland's Charley Stallings won two events, the 300 hurdles (50.77) and the pole vault (10-7). The Lady Bearcats also had first-place finishes from Rylee Walker in the 800 (2:31.47) and Lia Hendrix in the discus (101-9).
Trumann's Nyesha Woods won the 100 (13.19) and the 200 (27.96). Pocahontas had two event winners, Cameron Owens in the 100 hurdles (17.64) and Breonna Carpenter in the triple jump (33-2 1/2). | 2022-04-30T06:10:56Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Valley View sweeps 4A-3 conference track titles | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/valley-view-sweeps-4a-3-conference-track-titles/article_a4373dc1-5288-549e-90b1-e44c869fcae1.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/valley-view-sweeps-4a-3-conference-track-titles/article_a4373dc1-5288-549e-90b1-e44c869fcae1.html |
The Blazers totaled 164 points to finish first in the boys’ team standings. Southside was second with 113 points, followed by Pocahontas (110), Blytheville (96), Highland (85), Westside (54), Trumann (46) and Brookland (22).
Valley View won the girls’ team championship with 211 points. Brookland came in second with 151 points, followed by Pocahontas (140), Westside (51), Southside (47), Trumann (32), Blytheville (26) and Highland (25).
In the boys’ division, Valley View finished with four event winners and five second-place finishes on its way to the team title. The Blazers had two individual champions, Brit Hawkins in the 3200-meter run (10:55.21) and Jay Morman in the high jump (6-5).
Blytheville’s Omarrion Russell won the long jump (20-11) and the triple jump (43-0 1/2) in addition to joining Levin Reed, Ingram Battles and Tyrin Walker on the Chickasaws’ winning 4x200 relay (1:34.74).
Trumann’s Maddox Dycus, Tyler Robb, Rian King and Trenton Creekmore won the 4x400 relay (3:44.17). Westside’s Slade Smith won the pole vault (12-8).
Valley View athletes won nine events in the girls’ division, including all four relays.
Valley View’s relay champions included Anna Winkfield, Olivia Caplinger, Emma-Claire King and Madison Fisher in the 4x100 (54.08); Fisher, Emma Finley, Caplinger and Ayla Bigham in the 4x200 (1:53.48); Knight, Emma Jarrett, Bigham and Kendal Minton in the 4x400 (4:22.51); and Pope, Morghan Rothwell, Callie Byington and Lauren Box in the 4x800 (11:18.45).
Brookland’s Charley Stallings won two events, the 300 hurdles (50.77) and the pole vault (10-7). The Lady Bearcats also had first-place finishes from Rylee Walker in the 800 (2:31.47) and Lia Hendrix in the discus (101-9).
Trumann’s Nyesha Woods won the 100 (13.19) and the 200 (27.96). Pocahontas had two event winners, Cameron Owens in the 100 hurdles (17.64) and Breonna Carpenter in the triple jump (33-2 1/2). | 2022-04-30T06:11:02Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Valley View sweeps 4A-3 conference track titles | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/valley-view-sweeps-4a-3-conference-track-titles/article_b1ff242d-7acb-5997-b907-9a0e71ce77f6.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/valley-view-sweeps-4a-3-conference-track-titles/article_b1ff242d-7acb-5997-b907-9a0e71ce77f6.html |
Nettleton sophomore forward McKenzie Williams is the Newcomer of the Year on the Best Under The Sun girls’ basketball team.
Williams fills vital role for Lady Raiders
JONESBORO — Statistics aren’t enough to measure the impact McKenzie Williams made in her first full season of high school basketball, Nettleton coach Jason Smith said.
The stat sheet shows the 5-foot-9 sophomore forward finished as the Lady Raiders’ No. 2 scorer and also grabbed the most rebounds on the team. What it doesn’t reflect is her importance on the defensive end for a team that finished 18-12, Smith said.
“With McKenzie, I don’t think that stats tell the tale of just how valuable a player that she is,” Smith said. “Without her, we don’t win 18 ballgames for sure. She was an anchor for us.
“She gave us a lot offensively, but I thought defensively that’s where we saw her biggest improvement from freshman to sophomore year. She moved so much better, she understood coverages, she understood how we were guarding ball screens and different things.”
Williams, the Best Under The Sun Newcomer of the Year, also had several nights when she put up solid numbers in points and rebounds while earning all-conference honors in the 5A-East.
In 30 games, Williams scored in double figures 12 times as she averaged 8.2 points on the season. She also grabbed eight or more rebounds in at least 10 games while putting up 6.8 rebounds per game.
A 16-point, 10-rebound effort against Greene County Tech is one that stands out to Williams when she looks back on her season. There were also impressive showings against Melbourne (14 points, nine rebounds), North Little Rock (10 points, 11 rebounds), Pulaski Academy (12 points, nine rebounds) and Lake Hamilton (13 points, seven rebounds), among others.
Smith said Williams, who scored 19 points against Batesville and grabbed 12 rebounds against Cabot, knew to capitalize when she had an advantage.
“Those games where we had the advantage inside, she was aggressive and really put up good numbers, and then the ones where we may not be looking inside as much, she was OK with that too,” Smith said. “I think that goes back to her just being a team-first kid and a kid who wanted to win no matter what it took.”
Williams said her greatest progress this season was in leadership.
“This year I felt like I became a better leader, working with Briley (Pena) and all the other seniors,” Williams said. “I felt like I had a better connection with them and with my other teammates, I felt like we worked well with each other. The chemistry got a lot better.”
Williams gained some high school experience in 2021 after moving up from the junior high team in the latter part of the season.
The move went well after some initial uneasiness.
“I was afraid at first because I was with older girls and I didn’t know what they would think of me,” Williams said. “After I came to the first practice, I felt real comfortable with the girls. They made sure I was OK.”
Smith said the Lady Raiders needed help in the post after an injury, but the move had more to do with Williams being ready to go.
“To be honest, it wasn’t so much what we needed, it was what she was ready for. We had wrapped up our junior high conference championship, or right at, and felt like as far as her development and her growth, she was ready,” Smith said. “She addressed a need. We had that district tournament and she scored 16 points in the first half as freshman against Marion. She did a really nice job.”
The Lady Raiders’ offense ran through Pena, a Murray State signee who scored more than 2,000 points in her high school career. Smith said Williams never pouted on the nights when she didn’t reach double digits.
“She’s a willing worker and then just a great kid as far as being coachable, always being pleasant, a good teammate,” Smith said. “I don’t know if there’s a kid on our team, I don’t know if there’s a kid in the league, and I know for a fact because I had an official tell me, there’s not an official who doesn’t like Juice Williams.”
A three-sport athlete, Williams also competes for Nettleton’s volleyball and track and field teams. She will pick up basketball again this summer, competing for the Lady Diamonds of North Little Rock when not going to camps with the Lady Raiders.
Smith hopes to see Williams develop a 3-point shot from the top of the key to go with her post game. Williams also expects to expand her game before her junior season.
“I’m trying to do more. I’m not trying to just stay in the paint. I want to be able to dribble more in order to shoot,” she said. “This year it’s going to be more out of my comfort zone, but it’s for me to be better for my next season so I’ll be able to do a lot more than what I do now.” | 2022-04-30T06:11:09Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Williams fills vital role for Lady Raiders | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/williams-fills-vital-role-for-lady-raiders/article_a7a5b91c-8f81-5dfc-9265-1b003b680c42.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/williams-fills-vital-role-for-lady-raiders/article_a7a5b91c-8f81-5dfc-9265-1b003b680c42.html |
College of Sciences and Mathematics awards outstanding students
JONESBORO — The College of Sciences and Mathematics at Arkansas State University has recognized 20 outstanding students who graduated or are graduating in 2021-22.
The Chancellor’s Scholar award, presented to the graduating student with the highest overall grade point average in their academic college, went to Alexandra Guelos Gibson of Jonesboro.
Departmental awards are presented in each degree program to the graduate who has most excelled in scholarship, leadership and service to the department.
Receiving awards in the Biological Sciences Department were Grant Dawson of East End, Bachelor of Science in biological sciences; Erina Miyajima of Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, BS in zoology; Mauro Godoy Sanchez of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, BS in environmental science; Johnathon Mullins of Paragould, Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies; Paige Brewer of Walnut Ridge, BS in wildlife, fisheries and conservation; and Laura Cerquera Hernandez of Mexico City, Mexico, BS in biotechnology.
Awards in the Chemistry and Physics Department went to Jared Hastings of Benton, BA in chemistry, and Erin Nicholas of Birmingham, Ala., BS in chemistry.
Nicholas was also recognized in the Mathematics and Statistics Department earning a BS in mathematics and as a graduating ambassador for the college.
Also recognized in the Mathematics and Statistics Department were Alexis Stone of Brookland, Bachelor of Science in Education in mathematics and Amelia Singh of Jonesboro, BS in mathematics.
Graduate student awards were presented to six master’s degree students and two doctoral degree candidates.
Master’s degree students and their respective programs were Valerie Kearny of Lawrenceville, Ga., Master of Science (MS) in biological sciences; Alyssa Paskel and Joshua Manning, both of Paragould, both MS in mathematics; Yu Zhang of Beijing, China, MS in statistics; Robert Clark of Walhalla, S.C., MS in environmental sciences; and Gaurav Gajurel of Kathmandu of Nepal, MS in molecular biosciences.
Doctoral students were Amelia Atwell of Ringgold, Ga., Ph.D. in environmental sciences and Jonathan Stubblefield of Jonesboro, Ph.D. in molecular biosciences.
Marcela Miranda Garcia of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico was also recognized as a graduating ambassador. | 2022-05-03T21:48:27Z | www.jonesborosun.com | College of Sciences and Mathematics awards outstanding students | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/college-of-sciences-and-mathematics-awards-outstanding-students/article_946be492-9d06-57b2-ab39-aeb29dd4d833.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/college-of-sciences-and-mathematics-awards-outstanding-students/article_946be492-9d06-57b2-ab39-aeb29dd4d833.html |
Golden to attend Naval Academy
JONESBORO — Nettleton senior, Daniel Golden, son of Colby and Rachel Golden of Jonesboro, has accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy class of 2026.
Acceptance of his appointment is the first step toward becoming a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or Marine Corps. He will report to Annapolis this summer to begin his four years at the Academy.
For consideration for appointment, students must apply for and receive a nomination from their U.S. Senator or Representative, complete a medical and fitness exam, and submit transcripts, recommendations and essays.
The candidate focus is on well-rounded individuals who have demonstrated leadership potential through activities, while at the same time excelling in the classroom.
An honor graduate, Golden is a member of the National Honor Society and an Arkansas Boys State representative.
A captain on the Nettleton soccer team, Golden aspires to play soccer for Navy’s club team.
His community involvement includes Eagle Scout, the Mayor’s Youth Advancement Council and Jonesboro Junior Leadership.
Golden also attended Naval Academy summer seminars in 2021 to develop leadership skills. | 2022-05-03T21:48:39Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Golden to attend Naval Academy | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/golden-to-attend-naval-academy/article_81da3deb-90d6-53bb-bf20-73137a3014eb.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/golden-to-attend-naval-academy/article_81da3deb-90d6-53bb-bf20-73137a3014eb.html |
JONESBORO — Craighead County still hasn’t spent any of the $21.4 million it has been allocated under the American Rescue Plan Act, according to a quarterly Project and Expenditure Report to the U.S. Treasury Department filed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the City of Jonesboro reports appropriating almost $1.9 million of its $15.6 million allocation.
County Judge Marvin Day said the county is being very cautious.
“The real downside to all of this; you don’t want to have to pay it back after an audit,” Day said Monday. As a county within a metropolitan statistical area, the county can claim up to $10 million of the allocation as revenue loss in governmental operations.
“We’re in the process of hiring a consultant to help us with the documentation for these funds,” Day explained. “And we thought we would just be patient, because you’re able to do it retroactively … to March of last year, when that bill first passed.”
Day said the county has until the end of 2024 to identify how all the funding will be spent and until the end of 2026 to actually spend the money.
While the county will be able to take up to $10 million for general government purposes, such as payroll or certain capital improvements, Day said there are restrictions on the remainder of the money.
“Water and sewer infrastructure, broadband, pandemic relief efforts, health clinics, all those defined categories that you can use,” Day said. “Heat and air system upgrades to county buildings – that’s one we’re looking at – out of that pocket of money, to make it a healthier workplace.
Regina Burkitt, grants and community development director for Jonesboro, said the city has spent $111,300 for upgrades to audio and visual equipment in the city council meeting room; $644,752 for traffic and safety camera upgrades; $156,040 for improvements to E-911; $61,883 for personal protection equipment for firefighters; $733,865 for a new fire paging system and more than $100,000 for radios for police, animal control and firefighters.
The city has budgeted $1.75 million for renovations to the former YMCA building on West Nettleton Ave.
“We have put this money in a separate account and anything that is spent out of has to be approved by city council,” Burkitt said.
The city also anticipates spending $777,000 on other projects this year, including miscellaneous drainage projects, lighting along walking trails, expanded parking at Parker Park Community Center and added security cameras at a variety of sites. | 2022-05-03T21:48:58Z | www.jonesborosun.com | County holding on to relief funds | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/county-holding-on-to-relief-funds/article_f8221188-84a7-5b67-903b-65d1579997c0.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/county-holding-on-to-relief-funds/article_f8221188-84a7-5b67-903b-65d1579997c0.html |
JONESBORO — Deputy Clerk Kasey Travis is up for the interim circuit clerk position which will be discussed tonight at the special Public Service Committee meeting of the Craighead County Quorum Court at 5:30 p.m. in the basement of the Craighead County Annex at 511 Union in Jonesboro.
The Public Service Committee meeting will discuss a resolution declaring a vacancy in the office of the circuit clerk and then a resolution declaring the appointment of a successor to fill vacancy in the office.
The resolutions, which will be discussed and voted on during tonight’s meeting will go before the full quorum court next Monday.
Craighead County Judge Marvin Day said on Monday evening that though they had a few other applicants, Travis had been the only one qualified to take the position so far.
“The other candidates didn’t meet the criteria needed to qualify for the position,” said Day, noting that the position is only being filled for six or seven months, which might be the reason for the limited number of applicants.
Soon to be former Craighead County Circuit Clerk Candace Edwards announced her resignation at last Monday’s quorum court meeting, which will become effective on Friday.
So it is now the quorum court’s obligation to declare that a vacancy has occurred, as authorized by Amendment 55 of the Constitution of the State of Arkansas and Arkansas Code 14-14-1309.
Then they will declare the successor who fill the vacancy by appointment, as authorized by Amendment 55 of the Constitution of the State of Arkansas and Arkansas Code 14-14-1310.
The interim candidate appointed to succeed Edwards will hold the position of circuit clerk and will be authorized to serve in that capacity until the expiration of the term on December 31, 2022.
The current candidates who are running to fill the position of Circuit Clerk in January are Republican candidates Andrew Stricklin and David Vaughn, who will face-off during the preferential primary election on May 24, and Democrat Deborah S. Johnson, who will face the chosen Republican candidate on Nov. 8 during the general election. | 2022-05-03T21:49:04Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Interim Circuit Clerk position to be filled | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/interim-circuit-clerk-position-to-be-filled/article_b51f339d-72a0-53ca-928b-df0f7f384a78.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/interim-circuit-clerk-position-to-be-filled/article_b51f339d-72a0-53ca-928b-df0f7f384a78.html |
Arkansas State’s Olivia Schmidt will compete in an NCAA regional women’s golf tournament that starts May 9 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Schmidt sets high standard at A-State
JONESBORO — Arkansas State University’s women’s golf records required considerable revision to reflect Olivia Schmidt’s superb 2021-22 season.
Schmidt has broken or tied nine school single-season records in a year where she won two tournaments while placing in the top 10 at eight of 11 events. She will represent ASU again May 9-11 in an NCAA regional tournament at Tallahassee, Fla., becoming just the second women’s golfer from ASU to ever do so.
Each of the six NCAA regional sites will feature 12 teams and six individuals. The top four teams and top two individuals not on advancing teams at each site will qualify for the NCAA Championships May 20-25 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“I’ve grown up watching it and learning about it, but I thought I was always going to have to win conference,” Schmidt said during an interview last week at Sage Meadows Country Club. “The ability to go based on all the hard work I’ve put in this year is exciting. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to compete.”
Schmidt, who is ranked No. 155 in Division I by Golfstat.com, broke her own ASU record this season with a 72.21 stroke average.
Each year at ASU, the junior from Edmond, Okla., has improved her stroke average. She finished at 73.48 in 2020-21.
“Getting better and better each year is important. I’ve never really stayed the same. Even since junior golf, I’ve always gotten better,” Schmidt said. “It’s kind of crazy, I really don’t think about the score that much. I just try to shoot even or better every time I play. All of it combined and the averages don’t really matter to me. I just try to play the best every time I can play.”
Schmidt has almost compiled an even-par season with the Red Wolves.
Through 594 holes in 33 rounds this season, she is only seven over par.
“That’s unreal,” ASU head coach M.J. Desbiens Shaw said. “I know it’s possible, especially coming from her, but when you start looking at stats even more and details, you realize how good and consistent she’s been. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
Schmidt has six top-five finishes to her credit this season, including championships at the First Coast Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., and the ORU Spring Invite in Tulsa. At the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla., she remained in contention late in the tournament before finishing in a fourth-place tie.
Looking at her improvement in college, Schmidt said she hits more greens and has learned to minimize the numbers. She is No. 15 in Division I this season with 104 birdies, according to Golfstat.
“My freshman year, I’d make a bogey and it would turn into like five bogeys, or a double and a triple,” she said. “Now it’s like I make a bogey and I’ll come back with a birdie. It’s minimizing mistakes where it doesn’t snowball into ruining my round.”
Schmidt has finished under par in 16 of 33 rounds in 2021-22, shooting an even-par score in two more. She has finished five tournaments with a combined score under par, twice finishing eight under.
“When you see that, the average, it’s all tournament rounds. I think a lot of times you have a tendency to think, ‘What are these scores coming from?’” Desbiens Shaw said. “They’re 33 rounds of under-pressure golf, and then also what’s not said under that number is the course conditions, the stress.”
“I think I thrive when it’s harder, I thrive when it’s meant for something,” added Schmidt, who will play in a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier Wednesday at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo. “I can go out and play Sage and just have a good time, and I’ll play fine, but I think I play even better when it really matters.”
Sun Belt team champion Georgia Southern will also be part of the NCAA regional field at Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahassee. Other teams in the field will include South Carolina, UCLA, Florida State, Illinois, Mississippi State, Miami (Fla.), Denver, North Florida, College of Charleston and Quinnipiac.
In addition to Schmidt, the field will include individuals from Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State and Fairleigh Dickinson.
“I don’t even know who is in it. I only know Georgia Southern is playing because they’re in our conference,” Schmidt said. “I haven’t seen any of these other teams, obviously Florida State (is in the field), but it doesn’t really matter to me. In the summer I play with these girls all the time. My summer schedule is tough. I play against some of the best people in the country, people who go to the Augusta Women’s Am, the Western.
“I think it’s no different. I truly believe I’m just as good as them. No matter what school they go to, Arkansas State is just as good as every other school in the country.” | 2022-05-03T21:49:47Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Schmidt sets high standard at A-State | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/schmidt-sets-high-standard-at-a-state/article_773d6e48-fe20-5cc2-95b6-ac28676b12d8.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/schmidt-sets-high-standard-at-a-state/article_773d6e48-fe20-5cc2-95b6-ac28676b12d8.html |
BROOKLAND — Brookland senior soccer standout Ridge Lewis signed a letter of intent Monday to play for Williams Baptist University.
Brookland coach Brandon Parsons said Lewis is the first field player the Bearcats have had who has signed with a college program. As a center back, Lewis plays a vital role in Brookland’s defense.
“Ridge has really helped us. Last year we were kind of struggling early in the season and we put him in as a defensive mid, and then eventually slotted him in as a center back,” Parsons said. “He really settled our defense down a lot, helped us advance to the second round of state last year. He’s a big part of what we’ve been doing this year to have the season we’ve had, the success we’ve had.”
With Lewis helping lead their defense, the Bearcats began the week in second place in the 4A-North conference standings. Brookland was scheduled to host Wynne on Monday night.
Brookland (11-5-1, 5-3 conference) is enjoying the best regular season in program history, Parsons said. The Bearcats began the last week of the regular season with eight shutout victories.
“I just go out there and give it my all, make sure no shots are given,” Lewis said. “I try to deflect passes and my entire goal is to make sure the other team doesn’t score.”
Lewis said he is blessed to have the opportunity to play for WBU, which finished 9-6-2 last fall. The Eagles tied for fourth place in the American Midwest Conference standings.
“I got the offer to Williams, I went to tour it and I just immediately fell in love with the college. It was a small, hometown feel,” Lewis said. “Everyone knew each other, everyone was friends with each other. The small class sizes work better with the way I learn. The campus was just amazing in every way possible.” | 2022-05-03T21:49:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | WBU signs Brookland defensive standout | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/wbu-signs-brookland-defensive-standout/article_ca92ec67-b1ac-5e29-af41-c466127d8797.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/wbu-signs-brookland-defensive-standout/article_ca92ec67-b1ac-5e29-af41-c466127d8797.html |
Man suffers minor injury in stabbing
JONESBORO — A Jonesboro man suffered a minor injury at about 4:45 p.m. Monday when he was stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver, according to Jonesboro police.
Police responding to the scene in the 1900 block of Fox Meadow Lane found Thomas Wewers, 60, of the residence, with a wound made by a Phillips screwdriver. Hunter Ray Allen Smith, 18, of the 2600 block of Travis Lane, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree battery in the stabbing, according to the report.
“The wound was superficial, and the victim refused (medical treatment). This is considered a domestic situation. The suspect was arrested,” said Sally Smith, public information specialist with the Jonesboro Police Department.
Smith is being held at the Craighead County Detention Center awaiting a probable cause hearing.
Police arrested Stephanie Brooks, 28, of the 1800 block of Wall Street, Memphis, on Monday night following a traffic stop in the 3400 block of Arkansas 91. Brooks is being held on suspicion of possession of heroin, felony possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, no proof of insurance and driving on a suspended license.
Police arrested Emanuel Sanders, 39, of the 200 block of West Alpine Street, on Monday night in the 700 block of Craighead Road 724 following a call about a disturbance. Sanders is being held on suspicion of possession of meth or cocaine less than 2 grams and felony tampering with evidence.
Police arrested James Larkins, 46, of the 2200 block of Race Street, on Monday afternoon on Grant Avenue behind Hobby Lobby. Larkins is being held on suspicion of possession of meth or cocaine less than 2 grams and misdemeanor failure to appear and failure to pay fines.
Police arrested Kimberly Dowdy, 42, of the 200 block of East Center Street, on Monday morning at the intersection of East Gordon Street and North Church Street. She is being held on suspicion of possession of meth or cocaine less than 2 grams.
A 28-year-old Jonesboro woman reported Monday night that someone broke into her residence and stole items in the 1600 block of North Culberhouse Street. Taken were tools, clothing and knick-knacks valued at $400.
An 18-year-old Jonesboro woman told police at about midnight Tuesday someone entered her vehicle in the 900 block of Links Circle and took items. A $500 purse and $3,000 in cash were reported stolen.
A 27-year-old Jonesboro man reported that his vehicle was broken into Monday night in the 600 block of Alfred Watkins Street and items were taken. Stolen were debit cards, a $30 wallet and $20 in cash.
A 59-year-old Jonesboro woman told police Monday morning that an 80-year-old woman had 17 forged checks cashed in the 5300 block of Richardson Drive. The total amount of the checks was $8,712.20.
A 43-year-old Jonesboro woman told police Monday afternoon that someone broke into her vehicle in the 1200 block of South Caraway Road and stole her purse and its contents. Taken were credit and debit cards, a $160 gift card and $700 in cash. | 2022-05-04T12:48:51Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Man suffers minor injury in stabbing | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/man-suffers-minor-injury-in-stabbing/article_5a73b94f-2859-5a05-bfee-281f8f8f61ec.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/man-suffers-minor-injury-in-stabbing/article_5a73b94f-2859-5a05-bfee-281f8f8f61ec.html |
Murder trials delayed until summer
JONESBORO — Two men facing first-degree murder charges in separate cases had their trials continued Monday
The first-degree murder trial for Gabriel Walton, 20, of Jonesboro, has been continued until July and August, according to court documents.
The motion and plea dates are set for July 22-26 and a jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 8-18.
The trial was originally set to begin this week in Craighead County Circuit Court with Judge Randy Philhours presiding.
The first-degree murder trial for Noah Nickerson was continued for the same dates, court documents show.
Walton is accused of the August 2020 murder of Ronald Volyes, 57.
Walton was 18 years old at the time of Volyes’ death.
Volyes was found dead and covered in blood by a male family member inside his home in the 3900 block of Kaye Lane, according to a Jonesboro police report.
Details of his injuries were not noted in the report or affidavit, but the department did note that the murder occurred during an argument with a “knife or cutting instrument.”
Police didn’t indicate when Walton was developed as a suspect or when they interviewed him for a probable cause affidavit, as he was in the Craighead County Detention Center awaiting trial for breaking into a local church.
The interview was conducted in January 2021.
“After Miranda warning was given and Walton signing off that he understood, an interview was conducted on Walton and details of the events were given by Walton that were accurate as to what was found at the scene of the crime,” the affidavit read.
“After checking personal information on Walton, a phone number for Walton was developed. This was compared to other evidence that we (JPD) were in possession of and showed that Walton was in contact with our victim,” Detective Keri Varner wrote in the affidavit.
Walton’s attorney, Brian Miles, said in February a mental health evaluation conducted last year on Walton did not show any reason the case could not go to trial.
It wasn’t Walton’s first brush with the law.
Walton and another 17-year-old were accused of setting a fire on Oct. 8, 2018, that ultimately resulted in the death six months later of Marcia Patton, 64, at her mother’s home on Harrisburg Road.
According to a probable cause affidavit in that case, at the fire scene fire marshals recognized one of the suspects as Walton, from a previous arson case at MacArthur Junior High School.
Walton ran away when they attempted to locate them. They were able to locate the second suspect who fled, and he was found to be in possession of two firearms that were confirmed to be stolen from a residence in the 2500 block of Rosewood Circle.
The residence at Rosewood Circle had been broken into through a window on the backside of the residence also, in the wooded area behind the residence several rifles and a shotgun was found hidden under leaves and branches that were confirmed to have been stolen from the residence.
Nickerson case
Nickerson, 24, is accused of shooting his father, David Wayne Nickerson, 54, once in the head early on Nov. 22, according to police accounts.
Police said Noah Nathaniel Nickerson, of 7812 Stanley Road, called police and told them that he had shot his father, according to a police report. | 2022-05-04T12:48:57Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Murder trials delayed until summer | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/murder-trials-delayed-until-summer/article_312afae5-f433-5a5b-aca0-b6a91c28de96.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/murder-trials-delayed-until-summer/article_312afae5-f433-5a5b-aca0-b6a91c28de96.html |
In a tiny corner of a large compound – composed of a greenhouse, architect’s studio, art museum and a few private offices offered to select tenants – is a carefully curated art collection depicting the Black founding families of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The mere existence of the Water’s Edge Museum would surprise most who stumble upon this unusual configuration of special interests. The museum’s rare collection of paintings and lithographs by artist Ruth Starr Rose is the result of years of research and fearless toil by its curator, art historian and landscape architect Barbara Paca.
As a close neighbor during the summer of 2014, I was a constant bystander to Paca’s efforts in this project while recovering – thanks largely to her attention – from a concussion. I happened to be renting a house one door down from her home when my accident – a fall down the steep stairs of NBC’s old Washington headquarters – occurred. She immediately took me under her wing. If I wasn’t at her kitchen table most nights for dinner, she routinely delivered meals to my door. She also ferried me to medical appointments, explaining my condition to doctors as I could not.
Though I was witness to Paca’s passionate pursuit of the stories of Black families, whose descendants still live around Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I didn’t then grasp the depth and breadth of her vision. Not only did she appreciate Ruth Starr Rose’s artistry, but she also aimed to correct history’s oversights through art. (For the record, Paca and Logan are Caucasian; among her ancestors are Eastern Shore slave-owning families.)
I dropped by the museum unannounced last week and recognized familiar faces in the portraits Paca had scoured the Earth to find. Many had been long forgotten in attics and basements. One foraging expedition took Paca to a drug den in a nearby town where she found and purchased a significant document that filled in gaps in the Moaney family lineage. I recall a day when she invited some descendants of the portrait subjects to her house for an unveiling. They had been unaware of the portraits’ existence and gasped in recognition of an aunt, uncle or grandparent.
The artist Rose was unique to her time. A wealthy, White woman born in Wisconsin, she began painting in Maryland in the 1930s, when slavery was still a living memory. She wanted to capture the lives of people who likely would have been ignored by other artists of the day. In so doing, she created a revealing history of the ordinary and the spiritual in colorful oils, as well as in black-and-white etchings. Many paintings and lithographs depict spirituals, such as the 1944 “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and her 1955 “Glory Train,” a.k.a. “This Train Is Bound for Glory.” Paca donated a dozen or so framed reproductions of Rose’s spirituals to the local Black church her family regularly attended and where Tilghman loved to sing along with the choir.
My guide last week, Garnell Henry, a descendant of the families whose pictures were hanging on the walls, explained how the exhibit showcases different aspects of African Americans’ lives of the day, not as maids, gardeners or, for heaven’s sake, pancake-syrup models but as self-employed workers, business owners, musicians and, especially, nurturing families.
I missed seeing Paca this time. She was touring Europe with another exhibit she has curated of Caribbean artist Frank Walter (1926-2009), whose work was not recognized during his lifetime. Her husband, however, showed me around renovations to part of the complex – bedrooms, baths and a kitchen – that will serve as their new dwelling place. He and Paca have sold Tilghman’s childhood home and plan to devote the rest of their lives to mission-driven projects.
Their enduring work is a testament to the power of art, applied and structural, not only to communicate but also to heal. There can be little doubt that Tilghman’s spirit surrounds and guides them. | 2022-05-04T12:49:52Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Will Putin submit to US-imposed 'weakening'? | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/will-putin-submit-to-us-imposed-weakening/article_c786ea45-ff68-5b32-aed2-c2469629c53a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/will-putin-submit-to-us-imposed-weakening/article_c786ea45-ff68-5b32-aed2-c2469629c53a.html |
A-State adds standout guard to recruiting class
JONESBORO — Arkansas State men’s basketball coach Mike Balado announced Tuesday that Henry Ford College guard Mak Manciel has signed his National Letter of Intent to join the Red Wolves for the 2022-23 season.
Manciel was a first-team National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-American this season, averaging 15 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists to lead the Hawks to a 27-9 record.
“I am so excited to have Mak as part of our basketball family,” Balado said in ASU’s announcement. “This a quality young man with great work ethic and character. His ability to score, pass, and defend make him a special addition to our program. He comes with a ton of accolades to his name, but his humility and desire to be great sets him in a class of his own.”
Led by Manciel, Henry Ford College ranked 16th among NJCAA Division II teams in scoring at 88.7 points per game. Manciel shot 47.6 percent (168-353) from the field, 40.8 percent (51-125) beyond the arc and 83.0 percent (122-147) at the free throw line. He wrapped up the season with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio while leading the team with 69 steals.
Manciel, who was also recruited by Wright State and Central Michigan, was named All-Region and earned Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Conference, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team honors at the conference level.
A graduate of Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Mich., Manciel played in six games his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He attended Detroit County Day School his first two years of high school, then transferred to Stevenson for his junior year.
The fourth addition to the 2022-23 A-State men’s basketball roster, Manciel joins guard Detrick Reeves (Marion High School/John A. Logan College), guard Terrance Ford (Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Fla.) and forward Izayiah Nelson (Marietta, Ga., High School). | 2022-05-04T12:49:58Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State adds standout guard to recruiting class | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-adds-standout-guard-to-recruiting-class/article_e966b93d-93ee-581b-837f-7cf27b9eabf4.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-adds-standout-guard-to-recruiting-class/article_e966b93d-93ee-581b-837f-7cf27b9eabf4.html |
Bay's Williams signs with Missouri Valley bowling
BAY — Bay High School bowling standout Lilly Williams signed a letter of intent Monday to play for Missouri Valley College starting next season.
Williams finished second individually in the Class 2A-1A girls’ state tournament earlier this year while leading the Lady Yellowjackets to fifth place in the team standings. She also won conference and district championships as a senior, rolling a two-game score of 352 to win the latter tournament.
As a junior, Williams also earned all-state honors with a sixth-place individual finish while leading Bay to a fourth-place team finish at the state tournament. She won the conference tournament with a 521 series as the Lady Yellowjackets also won the team title. | 2022-05-04T12:50:04Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Bay's Williams signs with Missouri Valley bowling | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/bays-williams-signs-with-missouri-valley-bowling/article_b3dbf2ca-11f8-5749-a14b-bd6a8ffaebc4.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/bays-williams-signs-with-missouri-valley-bowling/article_b3dbf2ca-11f8-5749-a14b-bd6a8ffaebc4.html |
Hoxie High School student Bailey Romine was this year’s chosen recipient of a free vehicle donated by Cook’s Towing and Recovery.
Julie Vance, a senior at Walnut Ridge High School, was chosen to be the recipient of a vehicle giveaway donated by Cook’s Towing and Recovery.
Cook's Towing and Recovery donates vehicles to local students
Affordable, reliable transportation can mean the difference between a student finishing college or not. In a rural area, such as Lawrence County, it can also be a contributing factor to whether or not a student enrolls in college.
Recently, Cook’s Towing and Recovery donated vehicles to two deserving Lawrence County students, Hoxie High School senior Bailey Romine and Walnut Ridge High School senior Julie Vance.
“We are so proud to be able to honor these students each year,” said Lindsay Brooks. “They are so deserving and we want them to know that their hard work, good choices and caring personalities don’t go unnoticed.”
The students were chosen by their respective schools based on their need for a vehicle and their character.
“Bailey has worked hard in all her years here at Hoxie School,” said high school counselor Andrea Vancil about Hoxie’s recipient. “She is such a sweet kid. Her family had a terrible loss a few years ago where her sister-in-law was killed in a car wreck and since the loss, Bailey has stepped up and helped her brother out with his kids. He even told me that if it wasn’t for her, he doesn’t know what he would have done.”
In high school, Romine has been active with organizations such as East, Gifted and Talented, ETS, Art Club and the BETA Club. She has also received several awards, including the Citizenship Award, Journalism Award and East Award, and has been named a high honor grad.
“Bailey always wants to help people,” said Vancil. “I get emotional because she’s just so deserving and has worked hard to get where she is.”
Vance, one of three co-valedictorians this year at Walnut Ridge School, has been active with the Science Club, Book Club and the National Honor Society. She was also presented the Citizenship Award.
“For me, it was a no brainer who should receive a free vehicle,” said high school principal Jacob Kersey. “She’s been an outstanding student throughout school and her hard work has paid off. She has a full scholarship to college, but she didn’t have a vehicle and needed a way to get there.”
According to the College Board, transportation can account of almost 20 percent of the cost of college commuters, and 87 percent of all first-year students live off campus, the nonprofit Higher Learning Advocates estimates. The vehicle giveaway began in 2020 as a way to honor the late Charlie Cook.
“The vehicle giveaway was an idea I had one day when talking about how kids can’t pursue their dreams if they don’t have transportation,” said Jared Brooks, owner of Cook’s Towing and Recovery.
“We know the impact that no transportation can have on a student trying to work and go to school. We hope that this changes the trajectory of their lives, and hope that they will pursue their dreams with one less obstacle in their way,” Lindsay Brooks continued.
The vehicles are given away yearly at the end of April, close to the date of Charlie’s passing on April 23, as a way to honor him.
“We also purchase the vehicles locally,” said Lindsay Brooks. “This year both vehicles were purchased from Bud Jones and Sons and we’d especially like to thank Ron Jones and Dents on Demand for using their own time and money to repair the hail damage on these vehicles.”
Romine, who is the daughter of Jeanine Finney and Hoby Romine of Black Rock, plans to attend Black River Technical College for business with dreams of opening her own business one day. Vance, the daughter of Sharon Gustafson of Black Rock and the late Joshua Vance, plans to attend BRTC to receive her associates of general study. | 2022-05-04T12:50:16Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Cook's Towing and Recovery donates vehicles to local students | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/cooks-towing-and-recovery-donates-vehicles-to-local-students/article_bfb8000c-0c5c-5318-a855-5621c0134884.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/cooks-towing-and-recovery-donates-vehicles-to-local-students/article_bfb8000c-0c5c-5318-a855-5621c0134884.html |
Annie Mae Bush, age 86, transitioned from this life at her residence in Black Jack, Mo., on Thursday April 14, 2022.
She was born on June 15, 1935, to Clarence and Annie Braxton. She lived a full life. She was a devoted wife and mother. During her life, she worked as a housekeeper, at a purse factory, and later retired from Skil Tool company after many years of service.
She loved her family and her church. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Walnut Ridge until her health started to decline and she moved to Missouri to live with her daughter. Though in her last days, she didn’t recognize faces. She had a smile that would light up a room and she loved to dance and tell stories.
She was a strong woman. She was stern and spoke her mind. She sacrificed for her family. Without her, they wouldn’t have made it. She was there in times of storms, and her family was there for her. They supported each other. She was a loving and caring mother. She was everything, she was a rock and her family will miss her dearly.
She is survived by two sons: Larry Braxton (Kelly) of Walnut Ridge and George “Pa-Pa’’ (Barbra) Bush Jr. of Newport; two daughters: Linda Johnson of Black Jack, Mo., and Georgeann Sutton of St. Louis; four grandchildren: Keshawn Bush and Keona Roos of Illinois, Jessica Bush of Memphis and Zulea West of Black Jack, Mo.; one great-granddaughter: Rayelynn Bush; and a great-grandson to be, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and family.
Annie Mae was predeceased by her parents; her husband, George Bush Sr.; one son: Gus Edward Bush; six brothers: Waddell Braxton, AC Braxton, Clarence Braxton, Clark Braxton, Joseph Braxton and James Braxton.
Services were held Tuesday, April 26, at House-Gregg Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge.
Visitation was from noon until 2 p.m., followed immediately by the funeral service. Annie Mae’s final resting place is in New Hope Cemetery in Tuckerman. | 2022-05-04T12:50:22Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Annie Mae Bush | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/annie-mae-bush/article_991aa2c2-6c86-5918-ad56-4f6fbbc9136a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/annie-mae-bush/article_991aa2c2-6c86-5918-ad56-4f6fbbc9136a.html |
Larry Rushing
Larry Franklin Rushing, 72, of Black Rock, died Thursday, April 28, 2022, at his residence.
He was born September 11, 1949, in Pocahontas, to Johnny Rushing and Mary Frances Dennison. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was a carpenter by trade. Those who knew him, loved him and he will be dearly missed.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Johnny and Mary; his wife, Lena Faye Rushing (2018); and several other family members.
He is survived by his daughters, Melissa (Wayne) Compton of Gulf Shores, Ala., Christy Johnson of Hoxie, Tracy Warner and Sharon Vance Gustafson of Black Rock; sister, Molly (Lester) Roberts of Little Rock; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. | 2022-05-04T12:50:41Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Larry Rushing | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/larry-rushing/article_5d0d5db3-2ba1-5c22-9e96-6e99ed784164.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/larry-rushing/article_5d0d5db3-2ba1-5c22-9e96-6e99ed784164.html |
Vena Patricia Christopher Sanders, 99, of Lynn, died Thursday, March 31, 2022, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Walnut Ridge.
She was born Feb. 4, 1923, in Smithville, to Harvey Christopher and Myrtle Whitlow Christopher. She was a Missionary Baptist from age 14 and taught Sunday school classes for 31 years. She was a member of Pleasant Hill before moving to Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, James William “Bill” Sanders (12-5-1999); daughters, Brenda Hartley (11-5-2010) and Vena Petero; son, Seth William Sanders (12-04-2011); and sons-in-law, Clarence Petero and Mike Schrair.
She is survived by daughters, Carmella (Sam) Blevins of Lynn, and Reeba Schrair of Cave City; eight grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; many great-great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
Graveside services were held Saturday April 2, at Dry Creek Cemetery at 2 p.m. with DeShawn Pankey officiating. | 2022-05-04T12:50:47Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Patricia Sanders | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/patricia-sanders/article_460831ef-d1b7-53be-a678-d5b73242b038.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/patricia-sanders/article_460831ef-d1b7-53be-a678-d5b73242b038.html |
Pearline Virgie Brewer Shewmaker, 84, but always only 29, once more, of Walnut Ridge, passed away April 8, 2022, at NEA Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro.
Born July 6, 1937, in Hoxie, she was the daughter of the late Willie Johnson Brewer and Claudia Elizabeth Williams Brewer. She was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, manager of the American Legion, past president of the Woman’s Auxiliary, owner and operator of Looking Good Fashions 1 & 2 and the video arcade center in Hoxie. Pearline enjoyed music, playing the piano and dancing. She was a beautiful lady and took great pride in looking her best.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her two husbands, Horace Nick Sorrels and Danny Shewmaker; two brothers, Gent and Eugene Brewer; two sisters, Fern Urban and Imogene Blanchard; and one son, Dennis Sorrels.
Survivors include her daughters, Gianna Riley Brewer of Walnut Ridge, Ashley Minton of Walnut Ridge and Melody (Robert) Olson of Harrison; two sons, Robert (Rebecca) Sorrels of Rogers and Dean Sorrels of Yuma, Ariz.; 12 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; two sisters, Bernice Hoffman and Bonda Sue Duckworth, both of Walnut Ridge; and many other relatives and friends.
Visitation was Sunday, April 10, from 5-8 p.m. at Bryan Funeral Home.
Funeral was Monday, April 11, at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with Bro. Hershel Conley and Sister Loretta Melton officiating. Interment was in Lawrence Memorial Park in Walnut Ridge.
Pallbearers were John and Greg Duckworth, Johnny and Rickey Brewer, Keith Glaub and Robert Sorrels. | 2022-05-04T12:50:53Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Pearline V. Shewmaker | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/pearline-v-shewmaker/article_ebb29642-cdb3-5da9-8a3a-d86f2446ef80.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/pearline-v-shewmaker/article_ebb29642-cdb3-5da9-8a3a-d86f2446ef80.html |
Virginia Lee Seabourn-Marlow, 88, passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, surrounded by family.
Virginia was born on May 16, 1933, in Walnut Ridge, to Arthur and Luna (VanWinkle) Ramsey. On Feb. 14, 1952, Virginia married John Seabourn, who preceded her in death on Dec. 26, 1985. On Oct. 6, 2018, after 19 years together, Virginia married William Marlow, who survives.
Also surviving are Virginia’s daughters, Peggy (Scott) Seabourn-McCrea of San Rafael, Calif., and Oleta (Todd) Kaminski of New Carlisle, Ind.; four grandchildren, Jennifer Kaminski of Marco Island, Fla., Dillon (Taylor) Kaminski of New Carlisle, Ind., John (Shaina Orlowski) Kaminski of New Carlisle, Ind., and Tyler Kaminski of New Carlisle, Ind.
Virginia was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Roy Ramsey; and sister, Sue Ramsey Maddox.
Virginia was a laborer for many years at American Rubber. She was a member of the VFW, Falcons, and Moose Lodge, where she held numerous positions within each organization. Virginia enjoyed bowling and loved to travel.
Cremation has taken place with Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center in La Porte, Ind. A private burial will take place at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Polish Falcons of America Nest 564, 216 E. Lincolnway, La Porte, IN 46350.
Condolences may be shared online at www. cutlercares.com. | 2022-05-04T12:50:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Virginia Seabourn-Marlow | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/virginia-seabourn-marlow/article_e66906d4-dac0-57f7-a4be-9666975baa00.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/virginia-seabourn-marlow/article_e66906d4-dac0-57f7-a4be-9666975baa00.html |
The Lawrence County School District cut the ribbon Thursday to mark the completion of a new Science, Art & Physical Education Building on the Walnut Ridge High School campus. The new complex houses math classrooms, science classrooms and labs; fine arts classrooms that include art, choral music and band; and a substantial physical education complex. The new addition is located on the south end of the high school campus, including the area that once served as the student parking lot.
Alicia residents Mickie Hodges Baker and Jamie Haigwood are doing their part to make sure that veterans receive the credit they deserve for their service to the country. The two are creating a park, which will be called the “Walk of Honor,” in Alicia to recognize veterans from any branch, any war or anywhere in the United States. One area of the park will be designated to honor children lost in the terrorist attacks in Oklahoma City and on Sept. 11, 2001.
Sully Bigger of Walnut Ridge, a senior at Crowley’s Ridge Academy, was recently notified that he has been appointed to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Congressman Rick Crawford, who nominated Bigger to the academy, presented him with a plaque in recognition of the appointment. He is the son of Jim and Dana Bigger of Walnut Ridge. His brother, Jake, is a 10th-grader at CRA.
David Foley, Black Rock High School principal, has announced the honor graduates. Co-valedictorians are Sara Spades and Jason Stinnett. Latisha Jackson is salutatorian.
River Valley High School honor graduates include valedictorian Tanesha Jones and salutatorian is Natalie Orrick. Other honor graduates are Leslee Matheny and Jennifer Huskey.
The Hoxie Lady Mustangs softball team continued a season-long steamroller as they added the district 3AAA North Conference Tournament crown to their accomplishments. The Mustangs clipped Marmaduke 12-11 in nine innings last week in the finals played at Pocahontas.
At the Arkansas State University Honor Awards Banquet, the Linnie Wisdom-Maude Wilson scholarship in nursing was awarded to Devin Vance. She will graduate in May 2003 with a bachelor of science in nursing. She is a 1998 graduate of Lynn High School.
Julie Hibbard, daughter of Diana Howard and Donnie Hibbard, was crowned Miss Bobcat Saturday evening at the Walnut Ridge Community Center.
Malessie Mosier, a senior at Hoxie High School, signed a letter of intent last Thursday to play for the Williams Baptist College Lady Eagles Basketball Team.
Hoxie band students, Michael Lawhon, Chad Goodwin and Michael Walker won first place honors at the Region 8 Solo/Ensemble Contest at ASU.
Margo Flippo has been named valedictorian of the Hoxie High School graduating class. Ray Stone was named salutatorian. At Lynn, Lisa Brannon is valedictorian, while Debbie Geurin is salutatorian. At Black Rock, Armelda Petero is valedictorian, and Darlene Cruse is salutatorian.
At Clover Bend, Tim Doyle is valedictorian and Scott Finch is salutatorian. Debbie Gann was named valedictorian at Sloan-Hendrix, while Randy Kemp was named salutatorian.
Greg Elders of Walnut Ridge was among the U. of A. students recognized at the 42nd annual Honors Day Convocation held on the Fayetteville campus. Elders, who is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Elders, received the Alpha Chi Sigma Freshman Chemistry Award, presented to the outstanding freshman chemistry major.
Parent-Teacher Organization officers were elected recently at Walnut Ridge Schools. They include: Jerry and Barbara Gibbens, Steve and Gail Devecsery, Carolyn Cunningham, Jackie Cox, Wanda Chaney and Marilyn Guthrie.
George Prater, principal of Hoxie High, has announced that Gary Devoe Flippo, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Flippo, has been named valedictorian and James Tatum Rogers Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Rogers, salutatorian, of the graduating class of Hoxie High School.
Janice Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Williams of Walnut Ridge, has been awarded the Hugh Lovett Memorial Scholarship, a $500 award, for her junior year at Arkansas State University.
Mrs. Jay B. Greer was guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon yesterday and presented a most interesting program. Mrs. Greer, who resided in Brazil and Argentina for six years, shared some of her experiences and knowledge of South America and exhibited colorful picture slides.
Honor graduates of Strawberry High School are Doris Matheny, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Matheny of Saffell; J.M. Martz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Martz of Dowdy; Anne Dawson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Dawson of Strawberry Route; and Dian Walling, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Everette Walling of Jesup.
Jerry Joe Milligan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Milligan of Portia, is valedictorian of the senior class of Black Rock High School. Jean Davis, daughter Mr. and Mrs. Lehman Davis of Black Rock, is salutatorian.
John Ferrell, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Ferrell of Walnut Ridge, and David D. Harris, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Harris of Hoxie, received official notification that they won scholarships under the National Merit Scholarship program.
Sue Cato, scribe for the Girl Scouts, reports that Martha Lingo, Mary Dell Hatcher, Susan Lasiter, Carol Sue Wilson, Karen Baltz, Patsy Jo Chaney, Betty Mays, Sara Sloan, Henrietta Baltz, Betty Clark, Beverly Ford and Phyllis received their second class badges at a meeting held yesterday.
James F. Sloan III, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Sloan of Black Rock, became associated with the firm of Cunningham and Cunningham, Monday, for the practice of law in Walnut Ridge.
Walnut Ridge second grade – Those making perfect scores in spelling were Mary Ann Waddell, J.R. Reed, Willis Campbell, James Hart, Donnie Highfill, Ronald Pinkston, Peggy Holder, Jean McLeod and Nancy Nickels.
The Walnut Ridge High School senior class will present its senior play at the high school, Friday night. Included in the play are: Martha Warner, Freda Wilcoxson, Jay Meyer, Nancy Ponder, Milly Bland, Edgar Riddick, Clarence Jung, H.B. Starnes, R.C. Rankin, Hilda Rogers and Jeanne Goldston.
The Hoxie School buildings will be replaced and construction is expected to begin about June 1, according to an announcement made this week by Mayor J.E. Purdy, president of the Hoxie School board.
United States Army Air Corps officers, engineers and public relations representatives who visited in Walnut Ridge during the past week left a strong impression among citizens that an Army basic air training school may be established in Lawrence County within a short time. According to Army engineers, the site chosen for the possible location for a school is a 2,500 acre tract north of Walnut Ridge.
Pete J. Little, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Little of Hoxie, has recently been assigned to the armored force training school at Fort Knox, Ky.
Cleo Moody and James G. Richardson were inducted into the army recently. | 2022-05-04T12:51:05Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Yesteryears | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/opinion/yesteryears/article_1594ae07-fbb6-5397-a65e-9b735986157a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/opinion/yesteryears/article_1594ae07-fbb6-5397-a65e-9b735986157a.html |
Portia Picnic scheduled
The annual 2022 Portia Picnic has been scheduled for May 26-28 at the Portia School grove.
Tickets are available for purchase in advance and can be purchased for $20 at Portia City Hall. Armbands are available for any day of the picnic, but are for one-time use.
Advanced ticket sales will end at 5 p.m. on May 26. Armbands can be purchased after 5 p.m. on May 26 at the Portia Picnic grounds for $25. There is no admission to enter the grounds.
For more information, visit the Portia Picnic’s Facebook page. | 2022-05-04T12:51:11Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Portia Picnic scheduled | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/portia-picnic-scheduled/article_cb0c1447-14c1-55d1-85c0-538f800b079e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/portia-picnic-scheduled/article_cb0c1447-14c1-55d1-85c0-538f800b079e.html |
Mustangs fare well at district meet
The Hoxie senior high track teams competed in the 3A Region 3 District Meet on April 26 at Pocahontas.
Mustang athletes recorded the following top-10 finishes:
Jaecie Brown: sixth in the 100m.
Hannah Riggs: eighth in the 400m.
Mia Orrick: fourth in the 800m.
Jordan Montgomery: eighth in the 800m.
Chloe Prater: sixth in the high jump.
Ellery Gillham: eighth in the discus, second in the shot put.
Hoxie girls relay teams finished first in the 4x200m, second in the 4x800m and third in both the 4x100m and the 4x400m.
Kayden Glenn: 10th in the 100m, fifth in the high jump, fourth in the long jump.
Sawyer Anglin: seventh in the 400m.
Mattheis Dobbs: 10th in the 400m.
Guillermo Cabello: eighth in the 1,600m.
Ty Gramling: fourth in the 110m hurdles, second in the 300m hurdles, 10th in the long jump.
Alex Chappell: fifth in the 110m hurdles, fifth in the 300m hurdles.
Sage Treadwell: seventh in the triple jump.
Jonah Morse: third in the pole vault.
The boys relay teams finished sixth in the 4x100m, fourth in the 4x200m, fifth in the 4x400m and fifth in the 4x800m. | 2022-05-04T12:51:23Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Mustangs fare well at district meet | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/mustangs-fare-well-at-district-meet/article_4609eaf6-739f-58af-ac91-dd5384711998.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/mustangs-fare-well-at-district-meet/article_4609eaf6-739f-58af-ac91-dd5384711998.html |
S-H track competes at district
The Sloan-Hendrix senior high track teams competed in the 2A Region 2 Meet on April 27 at Melbourne.
Greyhound athletes posted the following top-10 results:
Remington Cobble: sixth in the 100m, eighth in the 200m.
Vivica Smith: seventh in the 10m.
Autumn Smith: third in the 1,600m, third in the 3,200m.
Cadee Johnson: sixth in the discus, third in the shot put.
Lady Greyhound relay teams finished second in the 4x400m, third in the 4x100m and third in the 4x200m.
Gage Vanwinkle: fifth in the 100m, eighth in the 200m.
Garrett Choate: eighth in the 100m.
Braxton Wall: 10th in the 200m, 10th in the high jump, ninth in the long jump.
Nathan Jackson: seventh in the long jump, ninth in the triple jump.
Davis Smith: fourth in the 800m, third in the 3,200m.
Harper Rorex: fifth in the 800m, seventh in the 3,200m.
Julian Folk: sixth in the 800m, second in the 1,600m.
Cade Grisham: seventh in the high jump, 10th in the shot put.
The Greyhound boys relay teams finished second in the 4x400m, second in the 4x800m, third in the 4x100m and third in the 4x200m. | 2022-05-04T12:51:29Z | www.jonesborosun.com | S-H track competes at district | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/s-h-track-competes-at-district/article_3c743253-ef68-5d55-9dc8-a11a7e4875be.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/s-h-track-competes-at-district/article_3c743253-ef68-5d55-9dc8-a11a7e4875be.html |
ASU-Newport career coach earns national honors
NEWPORT — Michael Smith, Arkansas State University-Newport Career Coach for Tuckerman High School, has earned national recognition for his dedication to ACT’s American College Application Campaign.
ACT recently released its 2021 School of Excellence Award winners, and Tuckerman High School, where T was one of only 19 recognized.
The campaign focused on a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credentials. Smith served as a mentor and liaison to his Tuckerman students and encouraged them to explore their educational options and submit college applications.
“Tuckerman may be a small school in Arkansas, but that doesn’t limit what our students can achieve,” Smith said. “I’m very proud of our school for showing the nation how special our community is. As a career coach, I help each student explore their potential, and the Arkansas College Application Campaign was a great way to encourage our students to pursue higher education and set new goals.”
“ASUN’s career coaches make a great impact in our public schools,” said Kris Penix, ASUN’s director of early college programs. “Coaches like Michael Smith truly connect with their students and help them see the vast amount of opportunity that awaits in higher education. We are thrilled Tuckerman earned national recognition from ACT. This shines a wonderful light on our local schools and the work being done every day to encourage students to achieve more.”
Tuckerman High School and Smith will be honored with a plaque and celebrated during a virtual ceremony in the coming months. | 2022-05-05T19:32:17Z | www.jonesborosun.com | ASU-Newport career coach earns national honors | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/asu-newport-career-coach-earns-national-honors/article_f4608038-1051-5abf-8d38-e7f38e0b89d2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/asu-newport-career-coach-earns-national-honors/article_f4608038-1051-5abf-8d38-e7f38e0b89d2.html |
Delta Byways announces Special Innovation Awards
JONESBORO — To recognize those who went above and beyond to promote tourism during the pandemic, Arkansas Delta Byways is presenting its first-ever Innovation Awards for 2020-21. Winners are receiving their awards during a traveling awards ceremony during Arkansas Tourism Week.
Arkansas Delta Byways is the official tourism promotion association for 15 counties in eastern Arkansas: Arkansas, Chicot, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett and St. Francis.
“These past two years have been very challenging for the tourism industry, especially in our area. However true to our heritage, culture and people, Delta perseverance prevailed,” Dr. Adam Long, director of Arkansas State University’s Heritage Sites and executive director for Arkansas Delta Byways said in a press release. “Businesses, organizations, events and individuals needed to develop innovative practices to survive. The region did not disappoint in their creativity.”
Four recipients were recognized Monday at the locations listed, the National Cold War Center at the Blytheville Air Base; Breezy Barnyards and Dianne Dewailly at Lepanto City Hall; Sen. Keith Ingram and the Historical Preservation Society at the West Memphis Welcome Center; and the Tyronza Christmas Parade Committee at Southern Tenant Farmers Museum.
On Tuesday, the EAST Program for Cross County High School was recognized at Cherry Valley High School; the East Arkansas Community College Fine Arts at EACC in Forrest City; the Painted Ladies Society at Marianna Square; and the Louisiana Purchase State Park, King Biscuit Blues Mini Biscuit Bashes and Thrive, Inc., at the Helena Welcome Center.
Wednesday’s award presentations included the Great River Road and Terri McCullough at Lake Village Welcome Center; Food Truck Fridays and Ryan Copico at Monticello; Boys and Girls Club of McGehee at McGehee; and Prairie Sunset Mural at the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.
Today’s recognitions, their times and locations will be Christmas in the Hollow and Darrell and Ellen Dalton at 10 a.m. in Piggott Square; Rector Community Museum Mini Concerts at 11:30 a.m., at 310 S. Main St, in Rector; the Main Street Paragould Scarecrow Shuffle and Enchanting Nights at 1 p.m., at 108 Emerson St. in Paragould; and Native Brew Works, Jonesboro and the Johnny Cash Virtual Heritage Festival at 3 p.m. at 515 S. Gee St., in Jonesboro.
Weather permitting, ceremonies will be outside. The public is invited to all events. | 2022-05-05T19:32:23Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Delta Byways announces Special Innovation Awards | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/delta-byways-announces-special-innovation-awards/article_4b1920d1-e0b4-5499-bb64-9999c42a9dde.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/delta-byways-announces-special-innovation-awards/article_4b1920d1-e0b4-5499-bb64-9999c42a9dde.html |
Pulliam joins Arvest Bank
FAYETTEVILLE — Arvest Bank recently announced that Richard Pulliam has joined the team as chief product and strategy officer to advance the company’s multi-year growth strategy. Pulliam’s focus is to bring new product initiatives to market.
“Richard and I began working together when modern web APIs (application programming interfaces) began taking shape and changing the way we do business on the web. He’s proven to be an innovator inspired by the impact that technology can bring to financial services,” Arvest’s chief transformation and operations officer, Laura Merling said. “His experience constructing embeddable solutions and products will be an advantage to Arvest’s aggressive goals across the company. We’re thrilled to have him join the Arvest team.”
Pulliam has more than two decades of experience in product management, strategy, business development and international growth and is particularly known for building new digital platform businesses.
In his new role, Pulliam will support the company’s growth initiatives by developing strategic product offerings that enhance the customer experience for new and existing retail and commercial customers.
Pulliam joins Arvest from TriNet where he led the strategic development of new technology products as vice president of product management. He spent the majority of his career in Silicon Valley helping tech companies utilize software to transform their businesses and has experience building and scaling products across many industries. | 2022-05-05T19:32:29Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Pulliam joins Arvest Bank | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/pulliam-joins-arvest-bank/article_c4299320-7995-5a04-becf-28777ee52981.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/pulliam-joins-arvest-bank/article_c4299320-7995-5a04-becf-28777ee52981.html |
Researchers to develop lubricant for conveyors
FAYETTEVILLE — A research and development team led by Min Zou, professor of mechanical engineering and an Arkansas Research Alliance Fellow, has received a $550,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop low-friction, durable, graphite-lubricant coatings for industrial conveyor systems.
The new project is a collaboration between university researchers and industry leaders. Zou’s team at the University of Arkansas will partner with researchers at Arkansas State University and Hytrol Conveyor Co. Inc., the largest conveyor manufacturer in the U.S.
Belt conveyors comprise about a quarter of the $7.65 billion global conveyor market, which has expanded significantly in recent years because of e-commerce. However, an enormous amount of energy is wasted in these systems. High sliding friction between conveyor belts and slider bed materials is responsible for more than half of the total energy losses in a flat conveyor system.
The researchers will develop novel graphite coatings that will significantly reduce energy consumption and equipment failure in conveyor systems. The research will also deepen a fundamental understanding of the novel coating technology to enable applications in other fields, which could lead to significant savings in many U.S. industries.
The technology is based on a unique, patented bonding approach, developed by Zou’s group, in which graphite coatings adhere tightly to a substrate material.
After developing and optimizing fast-coating deposition processes for conveyor materials, the researchers will build scalable coating processes for full-sized belt conveyors. They will then build a prototype for evaluating the coating performance and demonstrate the feasibility of the coatings for industrial applications.
Robert Fleming, assistant professor at Arkansas State; Ty Keller, Hytrol’s manager of product innovation; and Boyce Bonham, Hytrol’s chief engineer, will serve as co-principal investigators.
The project will support a doctoral student at the U of A, who will serve as the entrepreneurial lead, a master’s student at Arkansas State, and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups.
They have benefited from site and national NSF I-Corps training and Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation support and training, as well as mentoring by Cynthia Sides, assistant vice chancellor for research and innovation at the U of A, and Douglas Hutchings, director of the Arkansas Research Alliance Academy.
Zou’s research focuses on nanoscale materials and manufacturing. She is an international expert on surface engineering and tribology – the study of friction, wear and lubrication in the design of bearings and interacting surfaces in motion. Zou has designed, refined and tested solid lubricant coatings for various applications. The coatings are thinner, more durable and environmentally superior to petroleum-based oil lubricants.
Zou holds the Twenty-First Century Chair of Materials, Manufacturing and Integrated Systems. | 2022-05-05T19:32:35Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Researchers to develop lubricant for conveyors | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/researchers-to-develop-lubricant-for-conveyors/article_423f7525-4765-59ae-9888-bba62ab4c642.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/researchers-to-develop-lubricant-for-conveyors/article_423f7525-4765-59ae-9888-bba62ab4c642.html |
Ritter adds Flowers to management team
JONESBORO — Ritter Communications recently announced that Jeff Flowers has been hired as vice president of carrier and wholesale services.
In his role, Flowers has end-to-end responsibility for all carrier relations and wholesale activities, managing carrier sales contracts, providing strategic oversight and overseeing budgeting and forecasting for Ritter Communications Wholesale division. He is also responsible for originating new business while overseeing product and service proposals.
“With our recent growth as a company, our work has never been more meaningful as we continue to expand our footprint across the mid-south and connect more communities with the highest quality telecom services,” Alan Morse, president and CEO of Ritter Communications said in a press release. “Jeff’s addition to our team helps ensure that our wholesale and carrier clients understand Ritter Communications uncompromising standards of service and makes the overall customer experience effortless and positive.”
Flowers brings 25 years of experience in the telecom industry to Ritter Communications. He joins Ritter Communications after nine years serving in a variety of positions with a telecom company based in Little Rock, most recently as vice president of the company’s Wholesale Division.
“Ritter Communication is proud to offer customized solutions to wholesale customers across the Mid-South with over 3,400 miles of fiber, Kyle Keith, senior vice president and general manager of enterprise, wholesale and cloud stated in the release.
“Jeff’s experience and expertise will ensure that our services continue to exceed customer expectations and we stand out as a provider of choice.”
Ritter Communications is a regional telecommunications provider, headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas serving more than 112 communities in the region across four states with a full suite of communications services. | 2022-05-05T19:32:41Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Ritter adds Flowers to management team | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/ritter-adds-flowers-to-management-team/article_e3e69b77-dd1e-5e8f-9b99-ddeef52e0b71.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/ritter-adds-flowers-to-management-team/article_e3e69b77-dd1e-5e8f-9b99-ddeef52e0b71.html |
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday said he was refusing most of $146 million in federal pandemic rental assistance the state was to receive, citing the state’s low unemployment rate and economic climate.
With Hutchinson’s decision, Arkansas joins Nebraska in turning down the latest round of pandemic rental assistance funds.
Hutchinson, a Republican, asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that the state be allowed to use 39 percent of the funds – about $60 million – for “housing stability” programs offered by nonprofit groups that would include job training, education and treatment as well as some rental assistance.
Arkansas still has about $20 million from the first round of rental assistance that was given to states.
“Our economy has returned, there’s jobs aplenty out there and we have existing programs in place for rental assistance that were pre-pandemic,” Hutchinson told reporters at a news conference at the Capitol.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, turned down the funding and earlier this month vetoed legislation that would have forced him to apply for the money.
States and localities have until September to spend their share of the first $25 billion allocated, known as ERA1, and the second $21.55 billion, known as ERA2, by 2025. Treasury says $30 billion had been spent or allocated through February.
Hutchinson said he planned to talk with the White House about his proposal.
Housing advocates and Democratic lawmakers said the move would hurt renters around the state.
“Instead of refusing to put money in the pockets of Arkansan families in need, we should be making it easier for families to stay in their homes and make ends meet,” Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said.
Democratic Sen. Greg Leding said the decision didn’t make sense, considering that other states are accepting the assistance.
“There are still people who are struggling to make rent,” Leding said. “I think there’s just still a lot of variability in our economy.” | 2022-05-05T19:32:47Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Arkansas turning down remaining federal rental assistance | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/arkansas-turning-down-remaining-federal-rental-assistance/article_31d2ddf1-4dbc-5467-8de2-af7bb27fde97.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/arkansas-turning-down-remaining-federal-rental-assistance/article_31d2ddf1-4dbc-5467-8de2-af7bb27fde97.html |
An Arkansas State University-Newport Career Coach earned national recognition for his dedication to ACT’s American College Application Campaign.
ACT recently released its 2021 School of Excellence Award winners, and Tuckerman High School was one of only 19 recognized.
ASU-Newport Career Coach Michael Smith led the charge for Tuckerman High School’s Arkansas College Application Campaign.
The campaign focused on a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credentials. Smith served as a mentor and liaison to his Tuckerman students and helped encourage them to explore their educational options and submit college applications.
“Tuckerman may be a small school in Arkansas, but that doesn’t limit what our students can achieve,” Smith said.
“I’m very proud of our school for showing the nation how special our community is. As a career coach, I help each student explore their potential, and the Arkansas College Application Campaign was a great way to encourage our students to pursue higher education and set new goals.”
“ASUN’s Career Coaches make a great impact in our public schools,” said Kris Penix, ASUN’s Director of Early College Programs.
“Coaches like Michael Smith truly connect with their students and help them see the vast amount of opportunity that awaits in higher education. We are thrilled Tuckerman earned national recognition from ACT. This shines a wonderful light on our local schools and the work being done every day to encourage students to achieve more.”
Tuckerman High School and Michael Smith will be honored with a plaque and be celebrated during a virtual ceremony in the coming months. | 2022-05-05T19:32:53Z | www.jonesborosun.com | ASU-Newport Career Coach’s College Application Campaign earns national honors | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/asu-newport-career-coach-s-college-application-campaign-earns-national-honors/article_f23a686d-eb61-5150-9896-cd808b803e58.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/asu-newport-career-coach-s-college-application-campaign-earns-national-honors/article_f23a686d-eb61-5150-9896-cd808b803e58.html |
We live in a time when political life is intensely polarized and many Americans live in what amount to partisan bubbles of like-minded neighbors. For many people, this is just fine – they’re okay with avoiding contact with people who have different views. And ambitious politicians, always looking for an edge, have figured out how to navigate division: They use polarization to raise money from one group of potential supporters by attacking another group, and then goose election turnout by riling up their base. | 2022-05-05T19:32:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Bipartisanship isn’t dead, but it’s not in good health, either | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/bipartisanship-isn-t-dead-but-it-s-not-in-good-health-either/article_042fc935-ed84-592a-a184-9072a32f3a06.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/bipartisanship-isn-t-dead-but-it-s-not-in-good-health-either/article_042fc935-ed84-592a-a184-9072a32f3a06.html |
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2022 Arkansas Century Farm program. This program recognizes Arkansas families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years.
“Arkansas Century Farm families have persevered for at least 10 decades and have contributed greatly in making Arkansas agriculture the success story that it is today,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.
“As Arkansas’s largest industry, agriculture contributes $19.4 billion to the state’s economy annually and provides one in six jobs.”
To qualify, Arkansas farms must meet the following criteria:
The same family must have owned the farm for 100 years by Dec. 31, 2022. The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings, and nephews or nieces, including through marriage and adoption.
The farm must be at least ten acres of the original land acquisition and make a financial contribution to the overall farm income.
Online and printable applications are available at agriculture.arkansas.gov/arkansas-department -of-agriculture-services/ arkansas-century -farm-program/. Applications must be received via email or postmarked on or before May 31 to be eligible for designation as a 2022 inductee. There is no cost to apply for the program.
Qualifying Arkansas farms will receive a personalized Arkansas Century Farm certificate and metal sign listing the farm name and year established. Contact Beth Moore at 501-539-4027 or beth.moore@agriculture .arkansas.gov with questions.
Arkansas is home to more than 42,200 farms, of which 96 percent are family owned and operated. Since the program began in 2012, 526 farms have been certified. Find a list of previously inducted Arkansas Century Farm families at agriculture. arkansas.gov/arkansas-department-of -agriculture-services/arkansas-century -farm-program/. | 2022-05-05T19:33:06Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Century Farm applications due May 31 | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/century-farm-applications-due-may-31/article_06da773d-aab6-5c35-b297-506bbd1af88b.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/century-farm-applications-due-may-31/article_06da773d-aab6-5c35-b297-506bbd1af88b.html |
When a crime victim applies for financial help, it takes about six months to grant an award. It didn’t used to take as long, but the board’s staff was reduced from seven to five a couple years ago.
The investigator who verifies sexual assault claims has more than 1,200 applications pending. There are 335 claims pending from victims of other crimes, the board told legislators on the Joint Performance Review Committee. | 2022-05-05T19:33:17Z | www.jonesborosun.com | The Arkansas Crime Victims Reparations Board | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/the-arkansas-crime-victims-reparations-board/article_500da18a-a118-54b0-b13d-0cfb542b042e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/the-arkansas-crime-victims-reparations-board/article_500da18a-a118-54b0-b13d-0cfb542b042e.html |
Council puts rush on project
JONESBORO — Citing volatile steel prices, the Jonesboro City Council waived its normal rules Tuesday to speed up approval of a construction contract.
The council’s public works committee recommended approval of the $1,378,000 contract with Construction Network Inc. earlier Tuesday. Normally, the full council would consider the pact at it’s May 17 meeting. But Council Member John Street, the committee chairman, “walked” the issue onto the full council agenda the same night, as the contractor said his steel provider could only guarantee steel prices for 10 days.
CNI was the lowest of five bidders for construction of a storage facility at the city’s shooting sports complex.
In other business, the council gave its final approval to Mayor Harold Copenhaver’s proposal to raise the minimum salaries of police and firefighters from $35,190 per year to $42,000. The plan gives 72 of 172 police officers and 34 of 125 firefighters raises to the new minimum.
Salaries for higher-ranking officers and firefighters, such as sergeants, lieutenants, captains and battalion chiefs, would rise by 1 percent.
For the rest of this year, the cost of salaries and benefits will add $485,769 to the city’s 2022 operating budget. For a full year, it will cost $850,000.
Copenhaver said the increased pay comes on top of about $4 million other investments in safety projects, ranging from improvements in the 911 dispatching system, other communications equipment and surveillance cameras across the city.
Gave final approval to a proposal by Classic Hospitality, doing business as Don Jose, 2200 Wilkins Ave.
Heard the first of three required readings of a request by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3354 to transfer its alcohol permit location from 2912 Gilmore Drive to 1700 S. Caraway Road.
Heard the first reading an ordinance proposed by the Jonesboro Economic Development Corp. to rezone 237.4 acres on the east side of Nestle Road, north of Deer Lake Road, from R-1 single family residential to I-2 general industrial.
Heard the second reading of a proposal to reduce the speed limit on Marjorie Drive to 25 mph. | 2022-05-05T19:33:35Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Council puts rush on project | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/council-puts-rush-on-project/article_3b868a4e-ac6f-5dc2-ba2d-f03f3ba05cb8.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/council-puts-rush-on-project/article_3b868a4e-ac6f-5dc2-ba2d-f03f3ba05cb8.html |
Fire chief Miller set to retire
JONESBORO — Fire Chief Kevin Miller had been looking for the opportunity.
In recent weeks, he found it.
Miller, 57, announced his retirement, effective June 30, first to those who have been his most relied upon leaders over the past decade. After 10 years as chief and upward of 35 in the Jonesboro Fire Department, Miller is looking forward to a uniform that might require fewer buttons and more tennis shoes.
A lifetime Jonesboro resident who spent a career putting others first, Miller is ready to focus a little more attention on his most immediate loved ones, starting with his wife Rhonda.
“We want to do some things with our kids and our grandkids,” said Miller, who has three adult children and four grandchildren. “There have been sacrifices, and my wife and family have been willing to endure those sacrifices. It’s time they become my full-time focus.”
Miller will be remembered by his City of Jonesboro teammates as a quiet leader who made preparation and safety his constant priority.
“It has been a pleasure and an honor to watch Chief Miller lead his department,” Mayor Harold Copenhaver said. “I recognized quickly how well he manages a large and complex department with some of the most critical responsibilities a city can have.
“I also admired his respectful and diligent advocacy for his department. He brought all the qualities a mayor can ask from a fire chief.”
Copenhaver said Miller’s successor will be named in short order.
Miller said he is retiring to spend time with family but the timing is good because the department is in good shape and in good hands with the Copenhaver administration.
“I think the fire department is poised for great things in the future,” Miller said. “We have a great base with very good people. The challenge is always keeping up with the growth the city is experiencing, but I feel good about the support of the mayor’s administration and his commitment to public safety, and I believe that will continue.”
While the number of lives saved during Miller’s time as chief remains uncalculated, one number is known by most of Jonesboro home and business owners: a Class 1 Insurance Services Office rating. It keeps property insurance prices lower, and Jonesboro was among the first of less than 10 fire departments in Arkansas with such status.
Miller credited that to adding personnel, building new stations in locations to meet Jonesboro’s expanding neighborhoods, equipment upgrades and an important partner: City Water and Light.
“CWL increased their water flow in our water supply, and they have been the best partner a city can have,” Miller said. “CWL has been fabulous for us.”
Former Assistant Fire Chief Alan Dunn said Miller created policies and practices that helped transform the department into its current iteration.
“He instituted several programs, like the physical fitness initiative, that gave incentive to ensure everyone was in the best physical condition,” said Dunn, who retired two years ago. “The thought was ‘We’re a professional organization, so we need to be professional.’
“It was about not only strength and stamina, but it gave confidence to the guys that they could do certain things.”
Current Assistant Chief Marty Hamrick said it was Miller’s encouragement and instruction that motivated him to much up in rank.
“Coming up through the ranks, I was always happy just to be where I was,” Hamrick said. “Firefighting, sitting in the back of the rig, and Chief Miller was always pushing me, saying, ‘You need to be thinking about the next level.’ Without him pushing me, I might be riding the back of that rig.”
Hamrick said Miller was the consummate professional as not only a chief, but in his early career as a shift commander.
“I knew if Chief Miller told me to go into whatever section of a house, he had my back and would look out for whatever could wrong,” Hamrick said.
Miller was inspired to join the JFD by watching his father serve on the volunteer fire department growing up in the Philadelphia community. He said his early days as a firefighter were exhilarating, but as he grew into leadership, he became less excited to hear the alarms.
“I like dull and boring,” he said. “When I was young, I liked the excitement, the challenge, and the fact that this is truly a job where every day you get to help someone.
“As a chief, no drama means people are not having a bad day. When that alarm goes off, that means someone is having a bad day.”
The job has changed through the years. In 2022, firefighters do a lot more than fight fires.
“We have put much bigger emphasis on the medical aspect,” Miller said. “It’s been a growing trend for the past 15-plus years. Even the increased calls for a variety of things – medical, HAZMAT, specialized rescue – we’ve branched out into so many areas.”
When he relaxes with Rhonda and chases the grandkids around the park, he will reflect on a career well done and a life well lived.
“It’s great not ever having to have a real job,” he said. “I get to play fireman. How cool is that?” | 2022-05-05T19:33:41Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Fire chief Miller set to retire | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/fire-chief-miller-set-to-retire/article_c12c2b4b-25e6-55b0-b3a4-80b6d31b6057.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/fire-chief-miller-set-to-retire/article_c12c2b4b-25e6-55b0-b3a4-80b6d31b6057.html |
Candidates for the 2nd Judicial District prosecuting attorney’s office Corey Seats (from left), Sonia Fonticiella and Martin Lilly spoke at the Jonesboro Kiwanis Club on Wednesday.
Prosecuting attorney candidates speak at forum
JONESBORO — The three candidates for 2nd Judicial District prosecuting attorney laid out their reasons why they should be elected during a forum Wednesday at the Jonesboro Kiwanis Club.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Martin Lilly, defense attorney Sonia Fonticiella and former Deputy Prosecutor Corey Seats are seeking the office in the May 24 primary election.
The 2nd Judicial District comprises Craighead, Clay, Greene, Poinsett, Crittenden and Mississippi counties in Northeast Arkansas.
Seats, who resigned from the prosecutor’s office in May 2021 after serving there since 1999, stressed his 20-years experience as a full-time deputy prosecutor, saying he prosecuted thousands of cases during his tenure there.
A Brookland resident, who grew up there, Seats said he’s a graduate of Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
After three years of active duty with the U.S. Army he joined the Arkansas National Guard.
“I decided I wanted to be a prosecutor,” Seats said. “Everything in my adult life pointed to this position.”
Fonticiella, who grew up in Paragould and also graduated from the UA School of Law in Fayetteville, said as a teenager she often came to Jonesboro for volleyball and never worried about violence.
A former full-time public defender, she said she has vast experience with federal and state criminal cases.
“I want to make sure we keep people safe,” Fonticiella said.
She cited her experience as a trial lawyer and as a manager.
Lilly said the prosecutor’s office filed 5,972 cases in 2021.
He said he was the prosecutor in five murder cases that ended in convictions last year, including the conviction of Shawn Cone, who’s serving a life without parole sentence in prison.
“You have to be experienced to do this job,” Lilly said.
He said he’s the only one in the race to try homicide cases.
Lilly graduated from ASU and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Law School.
The candidates were asked why they would be the best choice for the prosecutor’s job.
Fonticiella said the rules of evidence apply to both prosecutors and defense lawyers. She said she’s spent thousands of hours with defendants and many “don’t think there are consequences” for their actions.
She said she wants to change that.
Fonticiella said some of the people she defended will be scared of her as a prosecutor.
“I have spent my career” involved in tough cases, she said.
Lilly used a football analogy, saying someone who plays defense doesn’t mean they would be a good quarterback.
“Playing defense is one thing, playing offense is different,” he said.
Seats said prosecutors enforce the law and see that defendants get a fair trial.
“Our system is that defendants are innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Lilly said regardless of who wins the race, there will be changes in the staff at the prosecutor’s office. He said he wants to go after the most serious offenders.
“Too often there weren’t consequences,” Lilly said.
Seats noted there were 22 prosecutors in the district with only seven full time. He said prosecutors were handling twice the caseloads that they should. He said he wants to work with lawmakers to increase the funding for the prosecutor’s office.
Fonticiella said there are two things she wants to improve. First, she said communication with law enforcement needs improvement. Second, she said the electronic filings needs updating to allow better communication between counties.
“It would make it easier to go to trial faster,” Fonticiella said.
Seats said as the chief law enforcement officer in the district, a prosecutor is responsible for the public’s safety. But, he said, a prosecutor must be fair.
“A prosecutor doesn’t look at a case through a police officer’s eyes to see if the case should be prosecuted,” Seats said.
He said the goal is to see that justice is served.
Lilly spoke of receiving a probable cause affidavit from a police officer on an alleged rape case that he said didn’t have sufficient evidence, so charges weren’t filed.
He said he approves of the work by specialty courts, like drug, veterans and other cases.
In their closing statements, the candidates outlined why they are the right person for the job.
“I’m proud to have worked as a defense attorney and a prosecutor,” Lilly said. “This job is more than a slogan.”
“I have the experience to do this job,” Fonticiella said. “This job is to do justice. I’ve been in the courtroom for a long time.”
Seats cited his experience as a certified law enforcement instructor.
“You have to be able to look at a case file and make a decision,” he said.
If no candidate receives the majority of votes on May 24, the top two candidates would face-off in the November general election. | 2022-05-05T19:33:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Prosecuting attorney candidates speak at forum | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/prosecuting-attorney-candidates-speak-at-forum/article_2bcb2e1e-ee20-5b82-ab3f-a8605a81b942.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/prosecuting-attorney-candidates-speak-at-forum/article_2bcb2e1e-ee20-5b82-ab3f-a8605a81b942.html |
Eddington
Crisler
Two vying for collector
JONESBORO — As voters prepare for early voting, the two candidates for Craighead County tax collector are gearing up for their race on the Republican ballot.
Incumbent Wes Eddington, ballot position one, will be facing challenger Jenny Crisler, ballot position two.
Eddington has served as county collector since January 2017.
“I grew up in Jonesboro,” Eddington said, “attending Blessed Sacrament School, MacArthur Jr. High and graduating from Jonesboro High.”
He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and worked for 23 years as an audiological technician and was responsible for accounts payable for Dr. William Eddington’s medical practice.
Eddington is currently a Gov. Asa Hutchison appointee to the Arkansas State Rehabilitation Council and previously served as Governor Mike Huckabee’s appointee to the Arkansas State Independent Living Council.
He owns and manages rental property and is a member of the Northeast Arkansas Landlord Association.
Eddington is married to Debbie Eddington, a retired nursing home administrator, and together they have two adult children, along with seven grandchildren, and are active members of Brown’s Chapel Baptist Church.
“During my five years in office,” Eddington said, “monetary collections have increased both on current and delinquent taxes.”
He said that other accomplishments include the installation of a more efficient and compatible computer software system and increased collections on delinquent business accounts, noting that since 2018, in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, the collector’s office has utilized the tax refund set off program, which has resulted in the collection and clean-up of many past-due personal property tax accounts.
In addition, he said the office partnered with a state-wide system regarding tax exemptions for disabled veterans making the process more efficient.
He said that his priority will be seeing that local school districts receive 85 percent of the collected property taxes because he believes in the value of a quality education for children and seeks to diligently collect taxes to insure local schools receive funding each year.
“I strongly believe in equal weights and balances and seek to insure each tax payer is treated fairly under the law,” Eddington said.
Crisler said that she believes that she has the experience and dedication needed for job as well.
Crisler said on Monday this will be her first time running for this position, although she has worked for Craighead County for 32 years.
Crisler worked for 17 years in the collector’s office and 15 years in the assessor’s office, having made the transition after her first boss retired. She noted that she is now a level four appraiser.
“I feel that my many years of experience in the field is what qualifies me for this position,” she said. “I chose to run because this is my hometown, and I wanted to do more for my community.”
Crisler is a graduate of Valley View High School and then South Central Career College where she got her degree in office procedures and accounting.
She has two children. Her son is a 27-year-old diesel mechanic and her daughter is a 20-year-old psychology major at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
If elected, Crisler said that her priority will be keeping all six windows open to the public and that she plans to keep the collector’s office open until 5 p.m. like the assessor’s office, instead of closing at 4:30 p.m.
“I plan to be in the office,” she said, “and I will lead by example.” | 2022-05-05T19:34:06Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Two vying for collector | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/two-vying-for-collector/article_f6b97688-dff2-5818-b993-6d2918bcb685.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/two-vying-for-collector/article_f6b97688-dff2-5818-b993-6d2918bcb685.html |
Ballot proposal would create partial by-ward elections
By Roy Ockert Jr. Guest Columnist
While the May elections in Arkansas usually allow the parties to select nominees for various offices and voters to select judges and prosecutors on a nonpartisan basis, this year Jonesboro citizens will face an important ballot issue. If passed, it would change how they elect City Council members.
The question on Jonesboro ballots will be whether one alderman in each of the city’s six wards should be elected by only voters in their respective wards, rather than citywide. For many years all council members in Jonesboro have been subject to the latter.
The council referred the question through ORD-20-27, passed in March 2021, and RES-21-60, passed less than a month later.
What’s odd about the proposal is that, if passed into law, six aldermen would be elected by ward while the other city would continue to be elected citywide. That’s been called a hybrid system, and it would go into effect with this year’s general election.
Those who would be affected are the position 1 aldermen: Charles Frierson, Ward 1; Dr. Charles Coleman, 2; Ann Williams, 3; John Street, 4; L.J. Bryant, 5; and Bobby Long, 6.
The position 2 aldermen are not on the ballot this year but would continue to be elected citywide every four years. They are: Brian Emison, Ward 1; Chris Moore, 2; Chris Gibson, 3; Mitch Johnson, 4; Joe Hafner, 5; and David McClain, 6.
While serving as a consultant for then-Mayor Harold Perrin in 2020, I was asked to do research on ward elections of aldermen.
One thing I found was that at least three previous attempts – between 1976 and 1982 – had been made to change the system of electing aldermen, and none had really gained much support. While the text of those three proposals was not available in Legistar, the city’s records database, minutes of City Council meetings at the time indicated they would have provided for election by wards.
State law requires that candidates for council positions “shall reside in the ward from which they seek to be elected and shall run at large.” However, cities of the first class, of which Jonesboro is one, may provide by ordinance that “all council members be elected by ward, in which case each council member shall be voted upon by the qualified electors of the ward from which he or she is a candidate.”
My report suggested the phrase “all council members be elected by ward” might make the legality of a hybrid system questionable. But City Attorney Carol Duncan also did research on the issue and said she did not have a concern about that issue. Neither did attorneys for the Arkansas Municipal League. They also pointed out that the council could make the change without a vote of the people.
Alderman Bryant proceeded with the hybrid proposal but opted for referring the question to a vote of the people. Little opposition developed, and the ordinance passed unanimously, as did the resolution calling for an election.
One can make a strong argument for citywide elections, or for by-ward elections. But the hybrid system would be novel among Arkansas cities.
My research found only one Arkansas city, Little Rock, with a hybrid system, and it’s different from what is proposed here. Little Rock, which has both a city manager and a popularly elected mayor, elects one director from each of seven wards and three at-large.
I found several studies dealing with by-ward elections of aldermen, including a 2015 report by Hendrix College’s Allred Research Fund concluding that “ward elections have had a positive effect in promoting the election of traditional outsiders (persons of color and women) in the city of Little Rock.” It also said by-ward elections tend to reduce campaign costs for candidates.
Supporters of by-ward elections often argue that they make minority representation more possible. Of course, that depends in large part how the wards are drawn. We know that gerrymandering is always an issue with electing Congressmen. One need only look at the newly drawn Arkansas map, which sliced Little Rock into three separate districts.
I’m skeptical, though, that this proposal would do much to increase the number of women on the council, which for several years has been at just one. In fact, there are more guys named Chris on the council than women; more men named Charles, too.
The council has two of 12 seats filled by black men, which is below the city’s 21 percent black population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But the ratio of men to women on the council is far from that in the population, which is approximately 48-52.
The greater problem with the hybrid proposal is that it would create two classes of aldermen – half of them beholden to the voters in their ward and the other half beholden to all voters.
One of the arguments for citywide election supposedly is that aldermen pay greater attention to the concerns of all, rather than just those in their own wards. But most citizens don’t know which aldermen represent them. With a hybrid system, they still won’t. But one may be more motivated to help citizens in his or her own ward. | 2022-05-05T19:35:00Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Ballot proposal would create partial by-ward elections | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/ballot-proposal-would-create-partial-by-ward-elections/article_1134d1f1-e1df-58b4-a9a0-775a6885775a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/ballot-proposal-would-create-partial-by-ward-elections/article_1134d1f1-e1df-58b4-a9a0-775a6885775a.html |
Wealth inequality and retirement
Concerns over wealth and income inequality have been with us for centuries. Arthur Young, an English agronomist in the 1780s, saw dire poverty in the French countryside fearing, correctly, that it would lead to political upheaval. In the early 1800’s David Ricardo predicted a rising share of income going to land owners while society’s share declined would upend the social order.
In the 1840s, Karl Marx, living through the worst abuses of the industrial revolution, predicted that capitalists’ share of income would grow while the share going to workers would shrink leading to a revolution and the establishment of communism (not to be confused with the one established in the former Soviet Union). During the height of the Depression there were economists who feared that our massive inequality of income and wealth would spell the end of capitalism as it was then practiced, which it partially did.
Today wealth and income inequality are still of concern, but not for reasons of civil unrest or political upheaval, but because of the negative welfare implications for families that are still in the labor force and, for the purpose of this article, those who are entering retirement. There is no single figure that represents what retirement wealth should look like, although financial experts suggest that for a comfortable retirement, savings levels (wealth) should be ten times the retiree’s income in his last year of employment.
Understanding the impact of wealth inequality among retirees is complicated by the fact that average wealth statistics are skewed due to extreme inequality among retirees. Among those age 65 -74 the average wealth holdings are $977,600, but the median wealth holdings (the family in the center of the array) are only $254,800, and of this amount, financial wealth (total wealth minus the value of home equity) is only about $60,000.
For rural and minority retirees, the wealth figures are even worse. Including home equity, the median net worth of rural retirees is $90,400, for Hispanic retirees median net worth is $36,200, and for Black retirees it’s only $24,000. But even these statistics are deceiving, for those retirees who are not home owners, their average net wealth is only $6,300, the poorest 20 percent of retirees have just $6,030, with 8 percent of retirees having no net wealth at all.
These figures highlight the importance of Social Security for retirees. As a group, the poverty rates for people 65 years or older is only 9 percent, the lowest of any demographic group in the nation (although these rates increase with age, sex, minority status, and those in relatively poor health). If we exclude Social Security benefits, the poverty rate for those 65 years or older jumps from 9 percent to 37.8 percent, a 420 percent increase.
As important as Social Security benefits for retirees are today, they are not large enough. The reason for the favorable poverty rates for those 65 years or older is that the poverty line for a single individual in the US for 2021 was quite low, only $13,590 per year which equates to $1,132 per month. The median Social Security benefit check is $1,503 per month, or $18,036 per year. The payments in Arkansas are below the U.S. average, in Arkansas, roughly 439,600 retirees collect benefits from Social Security. They receive an average benefits check of $1,448 per month in 2020, which works out to $17,381.76 for the full year.
To highlight the inadequacy of Social Security benefit payments, consider the example of a non homeowner retiree who rents the average studio apartment for $1,092 per month, leaving the retiree only $411 from his $1,503 Social Security benefit check for all other expenditures that month ($356 for an Arkansas resident).
In theory retirement wealth was to be the sum of pension income, personal savings, and Social Security benefits. Unfortunately only 24 percent of firms offer defined benefit pension plans, and due to wage stagnation the median savings level in 2019 was only $5,300. Thus if society wants to ensure the retirees have an adequate retirement income, the burden is going to fall on an expanded Social Security, which will not be the problem that critics would make it out to be.
Social Security benefits, and any proposed hikes in benefits, should be tax financed. Since virtually all Social Security benefits are spent, the impact on the economy would at worst be neutral since the spending of retirees would simply equal the reduction in spending of those paying Social Security taxes, and if increased Social Security taxation came from sources that did not result in a reduction in consumer spending, then the impact of increased Social Security benefits would be positive in terms of output, employment and GDP growth. | 2022-05-05T19:35:12Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Wealth inequality and retirement | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/wealth-inequality-and-retirement/article_e5746ab0-3da1-5ffe-a523-f9f29424bb88.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/wealth-inequality-and-retirement/article_e5746ab0-3da1-5ffe-a523-f9f29424bb88.html |
Purinton
A-State announces Purinton as new AD
JONESBORO — Arkansas State University System President Dr. Chuck Welch announced Wednesday that Jeff Purinton, a veteran athletics administrator who spent the last seven years as part of the University of Alabama Athletics Department’s executive staff, has been named the Red Wolves’ Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics.
Purinton comes to ASU following a 15-year stint at the University of Alabama, but his path to Jonesboro also included professional stops working with the Orange Bowl Committee (2006-07) and the Florida State Athletics Department (1994-2006) while also having a presence on multiple college football committees.
“I could not be more excited about the hiring of Jeff Purinton as the next Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Arkansas State,” Welch said in ASU’s announcement. “From the very first conversation I had with Jeff, I knew that he was someone who would elevate our program to unforeseen heights.
“Jeff’s experience, combined with his incredible relationship skills and his network across the nation, made him an exceptional candidate for our position. Jeff has literally overseen every aspect of a premier athletics department, and every single person I talked with said it is his time to run his own department. I am thrilled that department is ours, and I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes for our university.”
Purinton replaces Tom Bowen, who resigned because of health issues two weeks ago.
Most recently, Purinton served as Alabama’s Executive Deputy Director of Athletics after being elevated to the position in 2021, but also held Deputy AD (2019-21), Executive Associate AD (2018-19), Senior Associate AD (2015-18) and Associate Athletics Director for Football Communications (2007-15) titles during his time with the Crimson Tide.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be named the next Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Arkansas State University,” Purinton said. “Thank you to System President Chuck Welch and everyone involved in the search process. It was handled in a first-class manner all the way through. I definitely had an interest when I got the first call about it, and after I had a chance to sit down and talk in-person with Chuck and Brad (Phelps), I was certain Arkansas State was a school I wanted to be a part of. They were genuine and authentic, and you felt a trust with them right off the bat. I felt like it was the right place and the right timing, but most importantly the chance to work with the right people.
“Successful college athletics programs have alignment with their leadership, and I believe that is a strength at Arkansas State. I am excited to be associated with an outstanding program that has enjoyed many achievements in the classroom, in competition and in the community, and I look forward to continuing to develop the Red Wolves’ strong national brand.”
Arkansas State will hold a 1 p.m. press conference Monday at the Centennial Bank Athletics Operations Center officially introducing Purinton as the Red Wolves’ 13th athletics director. The press conference is open to the public.
While operating as Executive Deputy Director of Athletics, Purinton was the sport administrator for Alabama football as well as the men’s and women’s golf programs after previously overseeing men’s basketball. Additionally, he supervised several departments within athletics, including human resources, marketing and trademark licensing and was the liaison to Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.
When current Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne was hired to lead the Crimson Tide in 2017, Purinton was charged with the creation and implementation of the department’s new strategic plan. He served on the leadership group that helped develop and launch the department’s new fundraising initiative (The Crimson Standard) with a 10-year goal of raising $600 million. The first phase of the campaign included renovations to both football locker rooms, the Sports Science Center at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility, Rhoads Softball Stadium, as well as recruiting and premium areas at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Purinton oversaw the revision of the football game-day production in 2017, improving the overall atmosphere and interaction from the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Part of that process included the implementation of new LED stadium lighting in 2019.
In addition to working with several of Alabama’s teams, Purinton was the department oversight to one of the top Learfield/IMG College groups in the nation in Crimson Tide Sports Marketing. CTSM was selected as the 2017 Learfield Property of the Year after setting record-highs in revenue generation.
With ties to social media and some of the other external units, Purinton is on the department’s committee responsible for Alabama’s plan for name, image and likeness and assisted with the creation of The Advantage, a program that provides Tide student-athletes with the education and tools necessary to build and elevate their personal brands.
Purinton was hired at Alabama in 2007 as the Associate Athletics Director for Football Communications, handling all external areas of the program for Coach Nick Saban. He has coordinated each of the 12 ESPN College GameDay visits to Tuscaloosa as Alabama has hosted the show more than any other school during that time frame.
In 2006, Purinton was hired by the Orange Bowl Committee as the Director of Media Relations and Communications. That year, the OBC eclipsed attendance and revenue goals for the Basketball Classic, Fan Fest, Pregame Tailgate Party and Fed Ex Orange Bowl (Louisville versus Wake Forest). He led planning for the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, which included a $1.4 million media budget.
Prior to the Orange Bowl and Alabama, Purinton spent more than a decade at Florida State University working in various roles in the athletics department.
Purinton has served on several College Football National Championship Game media coordination committees while working at Alabama and the Orange Bowl and was a member of the College Football 150th Anniversary Committee. He has successfully helped promote four Heisman Trophy winning campaigns.
A native of Palatka, Fla., Purinton received his bachelor’s degree in sports management and master’s in athletics administration at Florida State University. He and his wife Julie have two daughters, Jillian and Josie. | 2022-05-05T19:35:19Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State announces Purinton as new AD | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-announces-purinton-as-new-ad/article_cdb97471-1b74-5567-95e9-90a648980c95.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-announces-purinton-as-new-ad/article_cdb97471-1b74-5567-95e9-90a648980c95.html |
Florida State transfer set to join Red Wolves
JONESBORO — Arkansas State’s front line got quite a bit taller Wednesday.
ASU men’s basketball head coach Mike Balado announced that Florida State transfer Alaaeddine Boutayeb has joined the Red Wolves for the 2022-23 season.
“We’re excited to add Alaaeddine to our program,” Balado said in ASU’s announcement. “He’s a 7-foot-2 transfer from Florida State that brings a high level of skill and intelligence to our team. He plays with good pace and will be a big addition to our roster.”
Boutayeb joined the Florida State roster in January and dressed out for several games in Atlantic Coast Conference play, but did not see any minutes for the Seminoles.
A 7-foot-2 center originally from Casablanca, Morocco, Boutayeb spent the last decade in France, most recently playing for Le Mans Sarte Basket U21 team. He averaged 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 13 games played in the spring of 2021. In the 2019-20 season for Le Mans, Boutayeb averaged 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 46 percent from the field in 25 games played.
Three forwards who played for the Red Wolves last season have entered the transfer portal. Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Norchad Omier is transferring to Miami, while Keyon Wesley is transferring to Alabama State. Lazar Grbovic also entered the transfer portal.
Markise Davis, a guard/forward who started seven games last season, and Antwon Jackson, a forward who played in 24 games on the bench, remain on the roster.
The fifth addition to the 2022-23 ASU men’s basketball roster, Boutayeb joins guard Mak Manciel (Henry Ford College), guard Detrick Reeves (John A. Logan College), guard Terrance Ford (Victory Rock Prep) and forward Izayiah Nelson (Marietta HS). | 2022-05-05T19:35:25Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Florida State transfer set to join Red Wolves | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/florida-state-transfer-set-to-join-red-wolves/article_30e0c47b-008f-5559-93be-21f3093eff9f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/florida-state-transfer-set-to-join-red-wolves/article_30e0c47b-008f-5559-93be-21f3093eff9f.html |
Valley View won the girls’ team championship Tuesday at the Class 4A state track and field meet in Harrison.
Knight leads Lady Blazers to 4A state title
HARRISON — Valley View’s Elise Knight won two events Tuesday to lead the Lady Blazers to the girls’ team championship in the Class 4A state track and field meet.
Knight won the 1600-meter run in a time of 5:21.08 and the 3200-meter run in 11:41.63. She also tied for sixth in the pole vault as the Lady Blazers scored 68 points as a team, outdistancing runner-up Magnolia (58 points) and third-place finisher Pea Ridge (53).
Valley View also picked up first-place points by winning the 4x800 relay in a time of 10:17.09. Emma Jarrett finished third in the 800; Sophey Pope was fourth in both the 1600 and 3200; Kendal Minton placed fourth in the 800; and Anna Winkfield finished fifth in the high jump.
The Lady Blazers also scored in the other three relays, finishing fourth in the 4x200, fifth in the 4x100 and seventh in the 4x400.
Brookland also had a strong showing in the girls’ division, finishing seventh with 39 points. The Lady Bearcats’ Rylee Walker won the 800-meter run in a time of 2:22.71.
Charley Stallings finished second in the pole vault and third in the 300 hurdles for Brookland, while Jaci Hart placed eighth in the discus. The Lady Bearcats placed second in the 4x800 relay and third in the 4x400 relay.
Wynne’s Zahryia Baker finished fourth in the long jump and seventh in the high jump. Pocahontas picked up points from Cameron Owens, who was seventh in the 100 hurdles, and its 4x800 relay team, which finished sixth. Trumann was sixth in the 4x100 relay.
Highland and Valley View led 4A-3 conference teams in the boys’ team standings as the Rebels tied for 11th overall with 25 points, followed by the Blazers in 13th with 22 points.
Highland’s Preston Wright finished second in both the 800 and the 1600, while teammate Daniel Horton was third in the shot put. The Rebels finished sixth in the 4x800 relay.
Valley View’s Brit Hawkins finished third in the 1600 and fifth in the 3200. Jay Morman came in third in the high jump; Lance Cooper placed sixth in the pole vault; and Hayden Oholendt was eighth in 800 for the Blazers.
Valley View also picked up points with a seventh-place finish in the 4x100 relay.
Blytheville’s Omarrion Russell finished fourth in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump, while Wynne’s Tre Holmes placed sixth in the 300 hurdles and eighth in the 110 hurdles. Trumann’s Trenton Creekmore finished seventh in the 400.
Pocahontas finished sixth in the 4x400 relay; Trumann was seventh in the 4x400 relay; and Blytheville was eighth in the 4x200 relay. | 2022-05-05T19:35:37Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Knight leads Lady Blazers to 4A state title | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/knight-leads-lady-blazers-to-4a-state-title/article_7f9c2718-70a8-52c6-82ed-480e31ec8e16.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/knight-leads-lady-blazers-to-4a-state-title/article_7f9c2718-70a8-52c6-82ed-480e31ec8e16.html |
Rain leads to regional postponements
JONESBORO — A rainy weather forecast has led to a one-day postponement for most area high school regional baseball and softball tournaments.
The start of Class 4A East Region baseball and softball at Brookland, Class 3A Region 2 baseball and softball at Walnut Ridge, Class 2A North Region baseball and softball at Carlisle and Class 2A Central Region baseball and softball at South Side Bee Branch have all been pushed back to Friday.
Semifinal and championship games are set for Saturday.
The Class 5A state track and field meet at Van Buren has also been rescheduled for Friday. The Class 1A Region 2 baseball and softball tournaments at Marked Tree were still scheduled to start today as of Wednesday afternoon.
The 4A East Region tournaments are in Brookland for the second year in a row. Defending 4A state baseball champion Valley View, which went unbeaten in 4A-3 conference play, opens the tournament Friday morning at 10 against Stuttgart.
Brookland, the 4A-3 runner-up, is scheduled to play Pulaski Academy Friday at 5:30 p.m. Lonoke and Highland play at 12:30 p.m., while Pocahontas takes on 4A-5 champion Pulaski Robinson at 3 p.m.
First-round East Region softball pairings Friday include Valley View-Pulaski Robinson, 10 a.m.; Lonoke-Westside, 12:30 p.m.; Stuttgart-Highland, 3 p.m.; and Southside-Wynne, 5:30 p.m. Valley View and Southside shared the 4A-3 crown, while Stuttgart was the 4A-5 winner.
Walnut Ridge, last year’s 3A state baseball runner-up, is the host of the 3A-2 regional tournament. The Bobcats, the No. 3 seed from 3A-3, play Rose Bud Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Manila, the top seed from 3A-3 baseball, faces Clinton on Friday at 10 a.m. Defending state champion Harding Academy, the 3A-2 conference winner, plays Rivercrest at 3 p.m. Gosnell and Pangburn meet at 5:30 p.m.
First-round 3A Region 2 softball pairings Friday include Hoxie-Newport, 10 a.m.; Pangburn-Walnut Ridge, 12:30 p.m.; Harding Academy-Rivercrest, 3 p.m.; and Gosnell-Bald Knob, 5:30 p.m. Hoxie is the No. 1 seed from 3A-3, while Harding Academy leads the 3A-2 qualifiers.
Carlisle is the site for the 2A North Region tournament. Buffalo Island Central, the 2A-3 champion, plays Des Arc on Friday at 3 p.m.
McCrory, the 2A-6 champion, and Bay open the tournament Friday at 10 a.m. Rector and Hazen play at 12:30 p.m.. while Carlisle and Riverside meet at 5:30 p.m.
First-round 2A North Region softball pairings Friday include McCrory-Buffalo Island Central, 10 a.m.; Rector-Hazen, 12:30 p.m.; East Poinsett County-England, 3 p.m.; and Carlisle-Riverside, 5:30 p.m. EPC won the 2A-3 championship, while McCrory is the No. 1 seed from 2A-6.
Tuckerman, the No. 4 seed from 2A-2, is in the Central Region tournament at South Side Bee Branch. The baseball Bulldogs play Conway St. Joseph on Friday at 3 p.m.
The defending state champion, Tuckerman is the No. 1 seed from 2A-2 in Central Region softball. The Lady Bulldogs play Conway Christian on Friday at 10 a.m.
Today’s baseball matchups in the 1A Region 2 tournament at Marked Tree include West Side Greers Ferry-Mammoth Spring, 10 a.m.; Marked Tree-Norfork, 12:30 p.m.; Hillcrest-Viola, 3 p.m.; and Izard County-Armorel, 5:30 p.m. Hillcrest is the No. 1 seed from 1A-3 baseball, while West Side Greers Ferry is the top qualifier from 1A-2.
First-round 1A Region 2 softball pairings include West Side Greers Ferry-Marked Tree, 10 a.m.; Mammoth Spring-Shirley, 12:30 p.m.; Armorel-Izard County, 3 p.m.; and Calico Rock-Hillcrest, 5:30 p.m. Armorel is the No. 1 seed from 1A-3, while West Side Greers Ferry is the champion of 1A-2. | 2022-05-05T19:35:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Rain leads to regional postponements | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/rain-leads-to-regional-postponements/article_e317f34a-dbc2-590c-af11-ba51620691c6.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/rain-leads-to-regional-postponements/article_e317f34a-dbc2-590c-af11-ba51620691c6.html |
Anderson, Nimmers place twice
LINCOLN — Osceola’s Travelle Anderson and Terrence Nimmers scored in two events each Tuesday to help the Seminoles finish sixth in the boys’ team standings at the Class 3A state track and field meet.
Anderson finished third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200, while Nimmers placed second in the triple jump and tied for sixth in the high jump. Osceola’s Keenan Jackson was sixth in the long jump, while the Seminoles finished fourth in the 4x200 relay and sixth in the 4x100.
Manila’s Jacob Baugher was eighth in the 300 hurdles and the Lions finished seventh in the 4x400.
Rivercrest scored in two relays, finishing fifth in the 4x200 and eighth in the 4x100.
Osceola’s Doniah Haynes won the girls’ long jump with a leap of 16-10. Haynes finished third in the triple jump and the Lady Seminoles were seventh in the 4x100 relay as they finished with 18 points, good for 16th in the team standings.
Manila’s Emma Jackson and Emily Pryor tied for sixth and eighth, respectively, in the pole vault.
QUITMAN — Cross County’s A.J. Beale placed in two events Tuesday at the Class 2A state track and field meet.
Marmaduke’s Carson Robinson finished seventh in the 800-meter run and Sloan-Hendrix was seventh in the 4x800 relay.
Riverside’s Ali Towles finished sixth in the girls’ discus.
SBC honors ASU’s Palma Simo | 2022-05-05T19:35:55Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Sports roundup | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/sports-roundup/article_6a1b3cfa-d781-53ed-82b4-cde9d5c9a3eb.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/sports-roundup/article_6a1b3cfa-d781-53ed-82b4-cde9d5c9a3eb.html |
Anderson, Nimmers win twice
LINCOLN — Osceola's Travelle Anderson and Terrence Nimmers scored in two events each Tuesday to help the Seminoles finish sixth in the boys' team standings at the Class 3A state track and field meet.
Anderson finished third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200, while Nimmers placed second in the triple jump and tied for sixth in the high jump. Osceola's Keenan Jackson was sixth in the long jump, while the Seminoles finished fourth in the 4x200 relay and sixth in the 4x100.
Manila's Jacob Baugher was eighth in the 300 hurdles and the Lions finished seventh in the 4x400. Rivercrest scored in two relays, finishing fifth in the 4x200 and eighth in the 4x100.
Osceola's Doniah Haynes won the girls' long jump with a leap of 16-10. Haynes finished third in the triple jump and the Lady Seminoles were seventh in the 4x100 relay as they finished with 18 points, good for 16th in the team standings.
Manila's Emma Jackson and Emily Pryor tied for sixth and eighth, respectively, in the pole vault.
QUITMAN — Cross County's A.J. Beale placed in two events Tuesday at the Class 2A state track and field meet.
Marmaduke's Carson Robinson finished seventh in the 800-meter run and Sloan-Hendrix was seventh in the 4x800 relay.
Riverside's Ali Towles finished sixth in the girls' discus.
SBC honors ASU's Palma Simo | 2022-05-05T19:36:01Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Sports roundup | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/sports-roundup/article_d946069c-db79-5a4f-bbcc-b05ec0995e50.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/sports-roundup/article_d946069c-db79-5a4f-bbcc-b05ec0995e50.html |
Talladega College signs Raiders' Turner
JONESBORO — Nettleton senior Jeremiah Turner signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play basketball next season at NAIA national power Talladega (Ala.) College.
Turner, a 5-9 guard, averaged 10 points per game as a senior for the Raiders. He earned all-conference honors while helping Nettleton finish 18-11 overall and 6-8 in the rugged 5A-East conference.
“I’m very excited,” Turner said. “People my size, coming out of where I’m coming from, really don’t get this opportunity. I’m very blessed and I want to thank God for everything.”
Nettleton coach Bubba Deaton said Turner “was the smallest guy on the court, but played like he was the biggest.” Turner played in the Sun Senior Classic, recording a game-high eight assists to finish within one of the event record.
Playmaking is where Turner believes he has improved most in the last couple of years. “I couldn’t really dribble and dish the ball in the 10th grade as I can now,” he said.
Talladega played in the NAIA national championship game in March, falling 71-56 to Loyola University to finish the season with a 32-6 record. The Tornadoes have made eight appearances in the NAIA national tournament, including each of the past four seasons.
Turner said Talladega assistant coach Ivi McDaniel reached out to him about playing for the Tornadoes.
“She called me and said it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, that either you’re going to take it or you’re not,” Turner said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to take it.’ I feel like I can go there, play, be a role player for them and help them get back to where they were last year.” | 2022-05-05T19:36:07Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Talladega College signs Raiders' Turner | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/talladega-college-signs-raiders-turner/article_c52ce576-cc82-51a7-9e6d-a984b2dca60e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/talladega-college-signs-raiders-turner/article_c52ce576-cc82-51a7-9e6d-a984b2dca60e.html |
JONESBORO — Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd faces a primary challenge on May 24 as retired Arkansas State Police Sgt. Doug Thomas is running for the office.
Boyd, who was first elected in 2012, switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party when he filed for re-election in February. He has been re-elected by large margins since 2012.
Boyd has almost 32 years of experience, all at the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, where he started as a dispatcher when he was 21 years old.
“I’ve done everything from mopping the floors to writing multi-million dollar budgets,” he said.
Boyd said the increase in population in the county has added to crime.
“With growth, you get a new set of problems,” he said. “The most important issue is making the county a safe place.”
Boyd said adding more deputies to the Patrol Division is “the tip of the spear.”
“It’s important to keep the Patrol Division proactive,” he said, adding that the county has 712 square miles to patrol.
Thomas said he was approached by several people who asked, “Why don’t you run for sheriff and make a difference.”
He said he would have three priorities as sheriff.
First, he would increase patrols to battle rural thefts, which he said amounted to $1.5 million in 2020.
Second, he would target drugs.
“Drugs are always a problem,” Thomas said, noting his work in the Criminal Investigation Division at the Sheriff’s Office, where he started his law enforcement career.
He worked at the Sheriff’s Office for five years, beginning at age 21, before joining the state police, where he spent 30 years.
He said as a state trooper he worked with startup of the 2nd Judicial District’s Drug Task Force.
“We made a large amount of arrests,” Thomas said.
“We are one of the largest populated counties in the state and we currently have a major drug problem that needs to be addressed,” Thomas wrote on his Facebook page.
Third, he said, is targeting violent crimes. He said his work with the DTF and the gang task force makes him qualified for that aspect.
Boyd said one of his top accomplishments is the opening of the Crisis Stabilization Unit for non-violent people with mental health issues. The unit opened in October of 2019.
He said he named Jeania Byrd as the law enforcement Crisis Intervention Team director on April 1. The position is being paid for by a state grant. Byrd will work with law enforcement agencies in Northeast Arkansas to train officers to deal with mental health situations. Officers can get people with mental issues in the unit instead of sending them to jail.
“We don’t want to clog up the criminal justice system with people who don’t belong there,” Boyd said.
He pointed to his experience of running the Sheriff’s Office and detention center and working on budgets. He also cited his work with County Judge Marvin Day and the quorum court.
Thomas said his law enforcement career and management experience at the state police have prepared him for the job.
“A change is needed and I can make a difference,” he said. | 2022-05-06T10:36:41Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Boyd faces challenger in primary | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/boyd-faces-challenger-in-primary/article_83321b86-c805-59ed-9ae1-22a67ff62e84.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/boyd-faces-challenger-in-primary/article_83321b86-c805-59ed-9ae1-22a67ff62e84.html |
Stricklin
JONESBORO — Two Republican candidates will face off for Craighead County Circuit Clerk in the May primary with the winner facing Democrat Deborah S. Johnson during the General Election in November.
Andrew Stricklin, ballot position one, will run against David Vaughn, ballot position two, for the Republican nomination for the position.
Stricklin was born and raised in Craighead County where he graduated from Nettleton High School and is a graduate of Arkansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis on human resource management.
The son of Carl and Jane Stricklin and grandson of W.A. and Lina Mae Kimbrell, his family were the original owners of the Fish Boat Restaurant in Jonesboro. He said that growing up in the family business provided him valuable skills that will be beneficial as circuit clerk.
“When my family first opened the Fish Boat Restaurant, I was too young to stay home alone,” Strickland said. “Once I was old enough to stay home, I was also old enough to bus tables. By the time we had served the people of Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri for nearly 30 years, I had worked in every position. From those years of experience, I learned the importance of leadership, understanding how each position in a organization works and subsequently works together. That is something I will put to use in the Circuit Clerk’s Office.”
He said on Wednesday that he feels that he is a excellent candidate because of his experience as both a deputy circuit clerk and a district court clerk.
“From my over seven years of combined experience and knowledge from working in both the Circuit Clerk’s Office and the District Court Clerk’s Office, I will be able to hit the ground running on day one to take care of the duties of Circuit Clerk,” Stricklin said, noting he is familiar with software used in the position.
Stricklin has also served the community through the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Jonesboro, Jonesboro Fraternal Order of Police (associate member) and Jonesboro Police Department Citizen Police Academy (graduate session VII).
He is also associated with both the Republican Party of Arkansas and the Craighead County Republican Committee.
He said that public service was instilled in him as a teenager at an early age on his journey to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
“It helped to develop my strong belief that I hold until this day,” he said, “that service to others is the rent we pay for our short time here on Earth.”
Stricklin has been a life-long political activist in the Republican Party of Arkansas starting with his college years serving as an officer in the Arkansas State College Republicans, the state secretary in the Arkansas Young Republicans and several terms as secretary for the Craighead County Republican Committee.
“The Circuit Clerk’s Office has been in the news a great deal in recent years with many issues arising from poor management and inexperienced leadership,” Stricklin said. “As circuit clerk, I will be in my office and working alongside my staff to take care of the enormous responsibility of being the custodian of the records for the Circuit Court here in Craighead and the ex officio county recorder. There are a number of issues that our next circuit clerk will be required to address and correct. I want to put my experience and knowledge to work in this daunting task ahead.”
Vaughn said on Monday that he too plans to straighten of the Circuit Clerk’s office.
“If elected my priority will be to put the office back on the right track,” he said. “This means making sure that the employees are well trained in all aspects of the office. Also making sure they have the tools they need to do the job accurately and efficiently. We have great people employed all across Craighead County, including in the Circuit Clerk’s Office. I will make this a much better work environment. We will serve the public with honor and integrity. My goal is to have the best customer service of any county government office in the state.”
Vaughn, 55, is a fourth-generation Craighead County resident.
“I am a Christian and a conservative Republican,” Vaughn said. “My wife and I are members of Prospect Missionary Baptist Church.”
Vaughn is the father of two adult children, Spencer and Raylee Vaughn, and the stepfather of Kyla Foster.”
He said that he attended Brookland School from the first grade until his graduation in 1985 before attending Arkansas State University, where he majored in business administration.
After which, he attended the Arkansas Police Academy at Black River Technical College and graduated top five in his class.
“I have had countless hours of continuing education since that time,” he said, noting that he has served Craighead County for 21 years as a deputy sheriff.
“I have served continuously and loyally,” Vaughn said.
He said he feels that he is uniquely qualified for this office through his leadership qualities and his time spent working at the Sheriffs Office.
“These two offices are linked together by the circuit court system,” he said. “I have worked within this system for my entire career. I have worked with the same files and forms, using the same computer system since we joined the statewide Court Connect System several years ago. The land records system is something that I am not as familiar with but I have great people in the office already that will help me with this.”
“I chose to run for this office after talking to several county officials and others that work within the system,” Vaughn said. “A few subjects that constantly came up were number one leadership, and after that were honesty and integrity, along with work ethic. All of these things go hand in hand with the job that I do now. After talking with my family the decision was really easy.” | 2022-05-06T10:36:47Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Circuit Clerk candidates share plans | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/circuit-clerk-candidates-share-plans/article_1bf488ea-2f0e-5058-90b6-f50d29a24dfb.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/circuit-clerk-candidates-share-plans/article_1bf488ea-2f0e-5058-90b6-f50d29a24dfb.html |
JONESBORO — Even with some businesses still not paying, Jonesboro’s new 2 percent tax on prepared food sales appears to be producing more revenue than initially projected, the city’s finance department figures show.
The new “hamburger tax” went into effect on Jan. 1. The money goes to the city’s Advertising and Promotion Commission to finance construction of an indoor sports complex.
The tax was expected to produce about $2.5 million a year. Through April, the tax has brought in $1,265,427. At that rate, the tax could produce almost $3.8 million this year.
At last count, 63 of 330 businesses that are believed to sell prepared foods have not remitted any of the taxes to the city. Mayor Harold Copenhaver said this week his staff has contacted those businesses and many have pledged to correct their accounting process.
“All in all, we’ve had some great cooperation,” Copenhaver said. “… and so there’s only a small number of businesses that are left.” He said some of those businesses are seasonal and only operate during the summer.
The finance department sent letters to the 330 businesses on December 10, after the city council enacted the tax.
Emails were sent to the businesses in January and February, and followup phone calls were made in April, according to a report provided by the finance office.
General sales taxes, collected by businesses, are remitted to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. However, Advertising and Promotion taxes must be remitted directly to the cities.
Finance Director Steve Purtee said investment bankers will be monitoring the first several months of collection of the new tax before advising the A&P Commission how to proceed with financing a construction project with the proceeds.
Eastern Sports Management (ESM) of Fredricksburg, Virginia, has been hired to help the community determine the size and location of the complex. | 2022-05-06T10:36:59Z | www.jonesborosun.com | 'Hamburger tax' brings city more than projected | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/hamburger-tax-brings-city-more-than-projected/article_00d6b454-4182-5c0e-bfd1-e51a6e74e760.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/hamburger-tax-brings-city-more-than-projected/article_00d6b454-4182-5c0e-bfd1-e51a6e74e760.html |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.