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JONESBORO — It’s not often that a landlord goes to court to evict a tenant who always paid the rent on time. It’s also unusual for a city to sue the landlord for what that tenant is doing in that upscale neighborhood.
The two cases were consolidated for the purpose of a decision, and on Tuesday, the city won its case in Craighead County Circuit Court.
In a letter opinion, Judge Pamela Honeycutt declared the two-story, 4,200-square-foot house at 900 Melton Drive a “nuisances, and the least restrictive remedy is to grant the City the injunction and abatement, to close the property and put it in the temporary custody of the Court.”
Now, City Attorney Carol Duncan must submit a proposed order reflecting the judge’s ruling, with input from attorneys for the landlord and tenant.
The city filed suit against landlord Jeffrey Brown and tenant Willis Hooks last August, citing numerous drug arrests, complaints of noise and high traffic volumes at the residence off of Southwest Drive.
R. Scott Troutt, attorney for Hooks, said his client has the option to appeal.
“There are issues of law in this case that are very far from settled, and we need to evaluate our options on how to move forward with that,” Troutt said Wednesday. One thing that wasn’t mentioned in the judges’ letter opinion was when Hooks would have to vacate the house.
Chris Jester, attorney for landlord Brown, said he’s also wondering about that.
“I’m generally happy with the judge’s ruling, but I don’t totally know what it means,” Jester said. “I don’t know what the city is going to require of him.”
Hooks has lived in the house since 2014, under a lease to purchase agreement. He made an initial $20,000 non-refundable down payment and was paying $1,333 in rent ever since.
In her eight-page letter, Honeycutt reviewed testimony from an October hearing in which police detailed events dating back to 2016, including an undercover drug buy from Hooks, and the arrests of other people for a variety of reasons.
One neighbor testified to a large amount of traffic to the house, most staying 10 minutes or less.
“He further stated the individuals often sit and wait until Hooks arrives home, some appear on foot and some in vehicles,” Honeycutt wrote.
Another neighbor testified she observed an abnormal number of visitors “all hours of the day.”
At that hearing in October, Hooks acknowledged a 2013 conviction for theft by receiving, a 2016 arrest in Paragould for the sale of drugs and the July 2021 arrest on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine at the Melton Drive address. He was also arrested in January 2021 on a warrant for revocation of his probation in the 2013 case.
As for the high traffic to his home, Hooks said he was running his landscaping business out of his home because of the coronavirus pandemic. The visitors who came to his house were employees who were dropping by to get job instructions or to be paid, he said. | 2022-05-06T10:37:05Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Judge declares upscale house a 'nuisance' | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/judge-declares-upscale-house-a-nuisance/article_50639915-f228-5fb7-85d8-845e72fa3594.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/judge-declares-upscale-house-a-nuisance/article_50639915-f228-5fb7-85d8-845e72fa3594.html |
Clown prince of basketball shares gift of laughter
Tatum was born in El Dorado in May 1921, the fifth of seven children born to Ben and Alice Tatum. His father worked as a preacher and farmer while also working at local sawmills. He attended El Dorado schools, eventually attending what was then Booker T. Washington High School, playing football, baseball and basketball.
As a teenager, he worked in local sawmills for extra money and began playing baseball regularly. He showed a lot of talent; and by 1941, he was playing professionally for the Birmingham Black Barons, part of the segregated Negro League, as it was called at the time. At a height of 6’6” and an armspan of 84 inches, he had a gangly appearance; but this helped make him an expert fielder at first base. His on-field antics of trick catches, joking with the crowds, and bringing the children of fans onto the field to be part of the action made him a crowd favorite. | 2022-05-06T10:37:48Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Clown prince of basketball shares gift of laughter | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/clown-prince-of-basketball-shares-gift-of-laughter/article_cbf18b04-c643-5d3c-8ccf-5392b7e09410.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/clown-prince-of-basketball-shares-gift-of-laughter/article_cbf18b04-c643-5d3c-8ccf-5392b7e09410.html |
Arkansas State head coach Tommy Raffo (22) congratulates catcher Brandon Hager as Hager rounds third base after belting a home run during the Red Wolves’ victory over Troy in the second game of an April 23 doubleheader. ASU visits South Alabama this weekend.
MOBILE, Ala. — Arkansas State pitchers will face one of the Sun Belt Conference’s best offensive teams this weekend.
South Alabama ranks third among Sun Belt baseball teams in batting average (.291) and has scored the league’s second-highest run total while averaging more than seven runs per game. The Jaguars have drawn the second-most walks (219) in the league and have the fewest strikeouts (285).
Games tonight and Saturday start at 6:30 p.m., followed by Sunday’s series finale at 1 p.m.
ASU (10-29, 5-15 Sun Belt) has won five of its last eight conference games after an 0-12 start to conference play. Close games have been the norm in conference play as 12 of the Red Wolves’ 20 Sun Belt games have been decided by one run or in extra innings, including eight of the past nine.
Including the last game of their series against Troy and the first two at Texas-Arlington, the Red Wolves played three consecutive extra-inning games for the first time in their recorded history. ASU lost two of three games at UTA, falling 4-3 in the series opener and 5-4 in the finale while taking a 9-2 victory in 10 innings in the Saturday game.
Third baseman Ben Klutts was 6-for-13 in the series, raising his season batting average to .272. Klutts belted two home runs while driving in five during ASU’s 10-inning victory in the series’ second game.
Outfielder Jaylon Deshazier has a team-best .292 batting average, while second baseman Daedrick Cail has a .286 average. First baseman Jared Toler has a .273 average and team highs of nine home runs and 31 runs batted in.
Toler, Klutts and catcher Brandon Hager, who has six home runs, have combined for 22 of the team’s 28 home runs.
Carter Holt has pitched seven innings in each of his last two starts to match his career high. Holt has a 1.42 earned run average in three conference starts, but didn’t factor into the decision in any of the three.
Justin Medlin is 1-2 in league play with a 4.29 ERA in seven Sun Belt starts. Will Nash is 0-4 in seven Sun Belt starts with a 4.75 ERA.
South Alabama (24-19, 10-11 Sun Belt) is tied for sixth in the Sun Belt entering the weekend. The Jaguars were No. 61 in the NCAA RPI as of Thursday.
Outfielder Miles Simington has the Sun Belt’s third-highest batting average (.374) along with 43 RBIs, which is fourth in the league. Shortstop Santi Montiel is batting .320 with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs.
Matt Boswell (5-3, 4.24 ERA) leads the conference with 72 strikeouts in 63.2 innings.
This weekend’s series will be the first meeting of the teams since the 2019 season. South Alabama leads the all-time series 71-31. | 2022-05-06T10:37:54Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State continues SBC play at South Alabama | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-continues-sbc-play-at-south-alabama/article_d5f2a6d3-a0e5-5791-a7ee-ff3431c91178.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-continues-sbc-play-at-south-alabama/article_d5f2a6d3-a0e5-5791-a7ee-ff3431c91178.html |
ASUN announces upcoming movie series
NEWPORT — After four years of hosting ASUN Movies in the Park, Arkansas State University-Newport recently announced details of the upcoming 2022 season in a new venue.
Since 2018, these movies have been shown in an outdoor setting in conjunction with the annual Monster Nights Entertainment Series, but weather concerns often caused schedule changes and cancellations.
This year ASUN will present all showings inside the new Jane Parnell Performing Arts Hall, 422 Front St. in downtown Newport. The venue seats 100 guests.
With the new location, ASUN Movies in the Park will now be known as ASUN Family Movie Night. Each show will begin at 7 p.m. and admission to all features will be free.
This year’s season will kick off May 14 with the movie “Sing 2.”
Dr. Ashley Buchman, ASUN’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, has been part of this venture since the very beginning and said she’s thrilled to offer family entertainment in a new location.
“ASUN Movies in the Park has been a staple in Downtown Newport,” Buchman said in a press release. “Those who’ve joined us know the fun of spreading out a blanket and enjoying a movie under the stars.”
“However,” she added, “we’ve had many setbacks due to bad weather. I’m so excited that we can now utilize the beautiful Jane Parnell Performing Arts Hall. This space allows us to offer a unique cinema experience for the community while also making our events consistent for all those that join us.”
Additional features will be “Jungle Cruise” on July 16, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” on Sept. 17 and “Elf” on Dec. 3.
For more information on showings or Monster Nights, visit @monsternights on Facebook and Instagram. | 2022-05-07T09:03:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | ASUN announces upcoming movie series | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/asun-announces-upcoming-movie-series/article_c544df02-6c70-5fba-9966-4c5c8c545896.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/asun-announces-upcoming-movie-series/article_c544df02-6c70-5fba-9966-4c5c8c545896.html |
JUH Lions to meet Tuesday
The Jonesboro University Heights Lions Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Eggsellent Café, 906 S. Caraway Road.
The meeting will feature a presentation by Darryl Kelly about ham radio as a hobby and recent technological developments in the field.
UAW retirees to meet
The United Auto Workers Retirees will meet at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Grecian Steak House, 210 Airport Road in Paragould.
Daylily club to hold sale
The Northeast Arkansas Daylily Society will have a plant sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 14 at the Judd Hill Farmer’s Market, (formerly ASU Regional Farmers’ Market), 3350 Aggie Road in Jonesboro. Many varieties and colors will be available.
The organization meets the third Thursday night of each month at Brookland Baptist Church, 200 N. Oak St., next to the elementary school. There is a social time at 5:30 p.m., with the meeting at 6 p.m.
The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning about daylilies and gardening.
Circuit Playhouse offers regional premiere
The Circuit Playhouse, 51 S. Cooper St., in Memphis will close its 2021-22 series with the Friday regional premiere by a new playwright, Jonathon Norton, which is set in 1960s Jackson, Miss., during the civil rights movement.
Performances will run Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. With Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through June 5.
Special ticket pricing for opening weekend is $27. A pay-what-you-can performance is scheduled for May 19.
The theater is seating at full capacity and recommending patrons wear masks, as suggested by the Shelby County Health Department.
Tickets are available at www.playhouseon thesquare.org or by calling the box office at 901-726-4656.
Junior livestock show coming up
The deadline for entries in the Fulton County Fair Spring Junior Livestock Show is May 15.
Online entries can be made at fultonsjls.fairwire.com which also offers a list of classes. This will be a jackpot show and any junior exhibitor may enter.
Entry fees are $15 per entry and $10 for showmanship. All entry fees should be paid online with a credit or debit card.
The show will take place on May 21 at the Fulton County Fairgrounds, 124 Arena Lane in Salem. Check-in will be from 8 to 9 a.m. and the first show will start at 10 a.m. The show order is swine, sheep, goats and cattle.
For information on classes, contact Wayne Neal at 870-321-3232 and for questions or help with online entries contact the Fulton County Fair Office at 870-895-5565 or Carolyn Lewis at 870-321-3193.
MoSH to feature Pink Floyd and lunar eclipse
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon Laser Show will be featured May 15 in the planetarium of the Museum of Science and History, 3050 Central Ave. in Memphis, followed by a guided viewing of this month’s total lunar eclipse.
The event begins at 8 p.m. with the laser show beginning at 8:30 p.m. After the show, guests can head outside to observe the eclipse which begins at 10:28 pm. In the event of cloudiness, there will be a real-time simulation of the eclipse in the Planetarium.
Museum doors will close at 11 p.m. If skies are clear, visitors are encouraged to continue watching from their own yards. Totality ends at 11:54 p.m. The moon will appear full again when the final partial eclipse phase ends at 12:55 a.m.
Tickets are $10 for members or $13 for the general public and are available at MoshMemphis.com.
VA legal clinic scheduled
The Veterans Justice Outreach Program will host a veterans’ legal clinic from noon to 2 p.m. May 17 at the Jonesboro Elks Lodge, 2113, W. Washington Ave.
Veterans who need advice with criminal law, personal injury, estate planning, business law or tenant-landlord disputes can receive free assistance.
Participants are asked to fill out a brief intake form prior to the event and may do so by contacting Harvey Reid, Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator at 901-523-8990, extension 7753.
This event is a collaborative effort with the Elks Lodge and the Beck Center for Veterans.
Kaleidoscope Film Festival coming to Argenta
The eighth annual Kaleidoscope LGBTQ+ Film Festival by Central Arkansas Pride is returning May 19-21 at the Argenta Community Theatre, 405 Main St., in North Little Rock.
In addition to film screenings, this year’s festival will feature panel discussions, workshops, and evening parties and events. For schedule details and tickets, visit www.kaleidoscopefilm festival.org. | 2022-05-07T09:04:01Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Events | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/events/article_1d662c4f-af6c-5adf-99fd-d86f39bad71f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/events/article_1d662c4f-af6c-5adf-99fd-d86f39bad71f.html |
This box-style farmhouse constructed by museum staff and volunteers, is the focal point for a new permanent exhibit at the Delta Gateway Museum in Blytheville. The exhibition, “Delta Work: Life on the Farm,” focuses on the day-to-day life of sharecroppers in the early 20th century.
BLYTHEVILLE — A new exhibition focused on historic farm life and work is now open at Delta Gateway Museum, 210 W. Main St., in downtown Blytheville. The exhibit is ongoing and museum hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
Titled “Delta Work: Life on the Farm,” the exhibit is a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program.
The Museum on Main Street program started a project called Exhibit Starter Kit designed to help small museums bring national content to their exhibits. The Smithsonian staff does the research and provides the national content, while local museum staff craft the exhibit around regional content.
The overall exhibit theme is “work” and explores a wide range of work done by people around the country.
“We had to write an application and pay a small fee to be a part of the project,” Leslie Hester, the museum director said in a press release. “Blytheville is one of only 10 communities nationwide that are participating.”
DGM’s exhibit looks mainly at the way sharecroppers lived, a system of farm work that dominated agriculture in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri in the early 20th century. The central feature of the exhibit is an actual box-style farmhouse constructed by museum staff and volunteers in the main gallery.
The project was supported by Lowe’s in Blytheville, Vanguard Charitable, DGM Association, the Arts Council of Mississippi County and the City of Blytheville.
DGM has also brought back the hands-on traveling exhibit “Sun, Earth, Universe.” The exhibit comes from the Discovery Network, a program of the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, and is sponsored locally by Mississippi County Arkansas Educational Opportunity Center Head Start.
This exhibit introduces visitors to the planet Earth, the solar system, the universe and questions NASA is trying to answer about each. It attempts to connect visitors with current NASA research through interactive exhibits and colorful imagery.
“Sun, Earth, Universe” will be available through August.
For more information about these exhibits or the museum, contact Hester at lhester43@yahoo.com, 870-824-2346, or visit www. deltagatewaymuseum.org. | 2022-05-07T09:04:07Z | www.jonesborosun.com | New exhibits open at Delta Gateway Museum | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/new-exhibits-open-at-delta-gateway-museum/article_46d10d8c-0af9-576b-a279-8c13c3aff479.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/new-exhibits-open-at-delta-gateway-museum/article_46d10d8c-0af9-576b-a279-8c13c3aff479.html |
Oasis festival adds film event
JONESBORO — Oasis Arts and Eats Fest, a free celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts in Northeast Arkansas, returns to downtown Jonesboro Main Street in downtown Jonesboro for the fourth year from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 14.
New to the celebration is a sister event, the Oasis Film and Digital Fest, a celebration of film and the art of film-making in the Northeast Arkansas region, as well as across the state.
The inaugural full-scale event is scheduled for April 21-23, 2023, but there will be a free preview event alongside the Arts and Eats Fest at The Forum Theater, 115 E. Monroe Ave.
Featured at 2 p.m. will be guest speakers Paulie Litt, Lorenzo Balderas, Dr. Gary Jones, Dr. Michael Bowman and Brandon Carter, all have backgrounds in the film industry.
Filmland, an Arkansas short film block will be seen at 5 p.m.; an introduction to film by Arkansas Cinema Society at 5:45 p.m.; and a film showing of “Antiquities” will be 6 p.m.
Following the “Antiquities” screening, a pre-recorded Q and A with writer-producers, Graham Gordy and Daniel Campbell will be shown at 7:30 p.m.
The film fest is hosted by the Foundation of Arts in Association with the Arkansas Cinema Society.
The Arts and Eats Fest will feature handmade goods and art of all kinds, an amateur baking contest, live music throughout the day, kids’ activities and a restaurant food samples competition vying for “crowd favorite.”
Attendees will need to purchase $1 sample tickets if they choose to taste any samples in the restaurant competition.
The Arts and Eats Fest is sponsored by The Foundation of Arts, The Downtown Jonesboro Alliance, NEA Artist Collective, Jonesboro Radio Group, Recovery Room, A-State Department of Art and Design, Perspective Gallery and Framing, the Arkansas Arts Council, and the Jonesboro A&P Commission.
For event maps and detailed information, visit oasisfest.org or facebook.com/OasisArtsandEats Fest. | 2022-05-07T09:04:13Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Oasis festival adds film event | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/oasis-festival-adds-film-event/article_6de9403d-cb48-5cc0-8ea0-372158f2820c.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/oasis-festival-adds-film-event/article_6de9403d-cb48-5cc0-8ea0-372158f2820c.html |
JONESBORO — A 45-year-old Jonesboro man told police that the husband of a woman who used to work with him set fire to his camper outside of his residence at about 4 a.m. Wednesday in the 3200 block of Herb Street.
The victim told police the woman’s husband had repeatedly called him, accusing him of having an affair with his wife.
Security footage from nearby businesses showed a four-door silver vehicle in the area. The victim identified it as the husband’s vehicle.
The camper sustained fire and smoke damage. It is valued at $35,000.
Jonesboro Fire Marshal Jason Wills is investigating, the police report said.
Police arrested a 17-year-old male Thursday morning after another 17-year-old male said he fired gunshots at him at the intersection Willow and Ingles roads, police said.
A 22-year-old Jonesboro woman told police Thursday afternoon that someone entered her vehicle in the 5300 block of East Nettleton Avenue and took items. Stolen were an Apple 12pro valued at $900, a wallet valued at $150, a wedding ring valued at $5,000 and $1,800 in cash.
A 45-year-old Jonesboro man reported Thursday evening that his vehicle was entered in the 800 block of Brook Meadow Road and items were stolen. Taken were a bottle of cologne valued at $80 and Bank of America card and a bottle of prescription medicine valued at $50. | 2022-05-07T09:04:25Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Camper set on fire | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/camper-set-on-fire/article_509db18e-738e-58d6-8246-40ff09f0b558.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/camper-set-on-fire/article_509db18e-738e-58d6-8246-40ff09f0b558.html |
Candidates ready to build back integrity of the County Clerk's Office
JONESBORO — Three candidates will face off on the Republican ballot in a race for Craighead County Clerk in the May 24 Primary, with early voting beginning on Monday.
Nancy Robbins, ballot position one; Mary Dawn Marshall, ballot position two; and Jamey Carter, ballot position three, are all vying for county clerk and say they want to bring integrity back into the office after former Craighead County Clerk Kade Holliday confessed to stealing taxpayer money.
Robbins said on Tuesday that she has been married to her high school sweetheart for 33 years, and they have two married children, one daughter and one son.
They also have four granddaughters and two grandsons.
Robbins said they have lived in Lake City for 33 years and are active members of the Bay First Baptist Church, where they are involved in the children’s program.
“I graduated from Valley View High School,” Robbins said, “and attended Delta Vocational School for Business.”
Robbins has worked as a deputy county clerk in the Craighead County Clerk’s Office for five years, a deputy assessor in the Craighead County Assessor’s Office for two years, and is currently a road coordinator and office manager at the Craighead County Highway Department since 2015.
Robbins said that she ran for county clerk back in 2014 against former Craighead County Clerk Kade Holliday and that when the office was declared vacant in June of 2020, she had applied for the position.
“During the process I was asked by several employees and citizens to run for the county clerk office,” she said. “After praying and discussing it with my family, I decided to run for the office.”
“I feel with having worked in three different county office’s, I have a better perspective on how important the county clerk and that office is to the employees as well as taxpayers,” Robbins said, noting that in her current position she and another employee assist around 50 employees with payroll, hours worked, vacation and paperwork.
“If elected, I will continue the progress Mrs. Penny has made in the office,” She said. “Gaining back the trust, confidence and transparency in the office will be at the forefront.”
“We also need to improve on the customer service for the employees as well as the citizens that choose to do business at either Western or Eastern District Courthouses. I want to continue serving the taxpayer’s as well as the employees of Craighead.”
Marshall said on Tuesday that she believes that her current work knowledge will be beneficial to the position.
“As we all know, the past year has been challenging for many of us,” she said, noting that though there was much to overcome for herself and the rest of the team at the County Clerk’s Office, it has provided her with opportunities to build relationships and working knowledge with county officials.
She is the wife of Mickey Marshall and has two children, a daughter, 19-year-old Genesis who attends Lyons College, and a son, 14-year-old Maverick who attends Brookland High School.
Marshall worked for nine and a half years for St. Bernards Home Health, before spending the next six years working a scheduling position for rural ERs in Northwest Arkansas, while taking care of her son and grandmother, and putting herself through school to become a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, for which she still serves as a substitute when needed.
“I stayed busy between home, work and school,” she laughed, “but I felt very blessed to be able take care of my grandmother and child while doing everything else.”
After that, Marshall would spend the next six years in the County Clerk’s Office.
Marshall said her priority will be to insure the accuracy and accountability that office has achieved.
“It has been a group effort, and I have enjoyed to be able to work with very capable people,” Marshall said.
“Win or lose, I will remain dignified,” Marshall proclaimed.
Carter said on Wednesday that he also feels that the office should be ran with dignity.
“The office was stained when the former clerk (Holliday) stole money,” he said, noting that that had been before Lesli Penny was appointed to the office.
“I want to put integrity back into that office for the citizens of Craighead County,” Carter said.
Carter has been married to his wife, Amanda Carter, for 14 years and has four children, Anna Carter, Jaxton Carter, Jace Carter and Amelia Carter.
He is a graduate of Trumann High School and attended Arkansas State University where he had almost completed his accounting degree before deciding to join law enforcement instead.
Carter has spent the last 28 years in law enforcement and worked for the Trumann Police Department, the Lake City Police Department (plus the Lake City Fire Department at that same time) and the Jonesboro Police Department.
In 2006, Carter joined the Craighead County Sheriff’s Department as the Westside High School resource officer, where he remained for six years. Then in 2012, Carter became a D.A.R.E. Officer for the Westside School District, the Brookland School District, the Bay School District, the Riverside School District (at both Lake City and Caraway) and Buffalo Island Central School District.
“I am still the D.A.R.E. Officer for the schools and since I became the D.A.R.E. officer 10 year ago, we have doubled the program and now include both the fifth and the seventh grades.
He has also been in ministry for the last 25 years. He said became the youth pastor at the Refuge General Baptist Church in Lake City in 1999 where he remained until about five and a half years ago when he became the pastor of the Dixie Baptist Church in Lake City.
Carter said that with his accounting background from ASU and after owning and operating two successful businesses while working in both law enforcement and ministry, he believes he has the the knowledge and work ethic needed for the position.
“Being in law enforcement and dealing with all types of people helps qualify me to work for the citizens of Craighead County,” Carter said.
He said that he has three priorities: to be professional and keep no blemishes on his record; to be knowledgeable and make sure that the office is cross trained; and to be courteous and talk to the people.
“I have talked to people who say that they go to the Lake City Courthouse because they are “nicer,” but they shouldn’t have to,” Carter said. “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice. I have almost three decades of customer service and I want to continue to serve my fellow citizens.” | 2022-05-07T09:04:31Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Candidates ready to build back integrity of the County Clerk's Office | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/candidates-ready-to-build-back-integrity-of-the-county-clerks-office/article_2207786a-92aa-519a-a77e-72b24cfc5c0a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/candidates-ready-to-build-back-integrity-of-the-county-clerks-office/article_2207786a-92aa-519a-a77e-72b24cfc5c0a.html |
JONESBORO — After approving substantial raises in starting pay for police and firefighters, city council members will now consider wage upgrades for animal control and code enforcement officers, and engineering staff.
The council’s finance and administration committee will consider the proposal, which would increase the overall city budget for the year by just under $74,000.
Brian Richardson, the city’s chief administrative officer, said the proposed raises are intended retain already qualified employees, while also attracting new people to vacant positions.
The proposal also adds a code enforcement officer position to the staff, Richardson said.
The plan also includes significant upgrades to the salaries of traffic signal technicians.
“We’ve placed a lot of additional responsibilities on these technicians with the addition of all the cameras in the intersections,” Richardson explained.
The committee will also consider a proposal to seek federal funding of $746,796.52 for the purchase of five hybrid gas/electric trolley style buses totaling $878,584.14. The city would be required to provide $131,787.62 as 15 percent matching for the grant.
A request to amend the city’s contract with Ritter Communications for phone and internet services to provide fiber optic cable to the new shooting sports complex is also on the agenda. | 2022-05-07T09:04:37Z | www.jonesborosun.com | City panel to consider raises for some specialty positions | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/city-panel-to-consider-raises-for-some-specialty-positions/article_d490d9ce-77b3-500a-9987-41a47eada7f9.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/city-panel-to-consider-raises-for-some-specialty-positions/article_d490d9ce-77b3-500a-9987-41a47eada7f9.html |
Silas Kriner has become one of the youngest amateur radio operators in Craighead County. He shows his parents’ HAM radio at their home in Jonesboro.
JONESBORO — Silas Kriner is an eight-year-old with a unique interest in radio, which has led him to become one of the youngest amateur radio operators in Craighead County.
Silas, who is a third-grade student at Valley View School District, is the son of Eric and Florence Kriner, who are also licensed HAM operators.
He said he was excited when he passed his Technician Class license examination on April 29.
“Now I am just waiting for the FCC to send me my license so that I can started transmitting,” he said.
“I wanted to help the community in case of a natural disaster, like a tornado or an earthquake,” Silas said, “because they are scary and I want to help people with that.”
He said that he became interested in the radio after he watched his parents on their radio, which he will soon get to use, as well. He began studying a few weeks ago and then took and passed his test a couple weeks later.
He is currently studying to upgrade to the General Class as he waits for the FCC to issue his call-sign and then he said he will start studying for the Extra Class license exam.
Silas said that he used HamTest Online at http://www.hamradio licenseexam.com to study and get his license.
“He studied for an hour and a half to three hours a day,” his father Eric said. “He has been very diligent with his studies and we are very proud of him.”
“I hope top have all three licenses before the end of the year,” Silas said proudly. | 2022-05-07T09:04:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Kriner becomes one of county’s youngest amateur radio operators | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/kriner-becomes-one-of-county-s-youngest-amateur-radio-operators/article_77009aae-f8ea-5059-b3aa-829e9dcebc90.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/kriner-becomes-one-of-county-s-youngest-amateur-radio-operators/article_77009aae-f8ea-5059-b3aa-829e9dcebc90.html |
Ladyman
Jerry R Davis
By Keith Inman Sun StaffWriter
JONESBORO — Redistricting following the 2020 census means voters in much of western and northeastern Jonesboro will have a new representative in the state House of Representatives.
The geographical area now served by Rep. Brant Smith will be served by one of three men seeking to replace him. Smith is running for Congress.
Rep. Jack Ladyman, who had represented rural Craighead County, now seeks re-election in the new district. He is opposed by Thomas Elwood in the Republican primary on May 24. Early voting begins Monday.
The winner will face Libertarian candidate Eric McGee in the general election.
Elwood, a lifelong Jonesboro resident who operates a tree service, has lost two campaigns for mayor and also ran unsuccessfully for a city council seat. He confesses he’s not well versed on all state-level issues, but said he wants to go to Little Rock and fight for the city’s fair share of funding from the state.
“We don’t get respected, I don’t think on the state level,” Elwood said. “I would like to have the opportunity to go and see if we can’t get some of that money headed here instead of headed to northwest Arkansas all the time.”
Elwood said public safety is a primary concern for Jonesboro, and he would like for the state to provide local police with more assistance, especially for those agencies that work together to fight a regional problem.
While Ladyman has served in the House sine 2015, Elwood maintains there really is no incumbent because different voters elected Ladyman.
“There is no incumbent – they say there is, but there isn’t. It’s all new voters,” Elwood said. “I have a unique voice, the way I do politics, no money. I haven’t raised any money so far … But it’s strictly grassroots, it’s strictly my knowledge of Jonesboro.” Elwood said he believes “it’s a very winnable race” because the voters in the new district know him better than they know Ladyman.
Ladyman, a mechanical engineer by trade, said many of the voters in the new district are familiar with him and have followed his work in the House.
Ladyman ranks a reliable electricity supply as the top issue facing the state in the coming years, even if it’s not what has grabbed the headlines.
Coming in second is universal access to the internet. He said the internet has become just as important of a utility as water and electricity.
“If you don’t have the internet, nowadays, our children are going to be way behind other states that we’re competing with,” Ladyman said. “We’re not going to have leaders. We’re not going to have people that are well educated if they don’t have the internet. They’re not going to be successful in the current world.”
Elwood agrees that broadband service is crucial. He said one of the biggest impediments in Jonesboro is who is the largest provider of cable TV and internet service, and he blames the state government for that. Prior to Ladyman’s election to the House, the Arkansas General Assembly adopted a policy of statewide franchising of cable providers, such as Suddenlink, taking control away from cities.
“Now, you’ve got worldwide owners and you have no one to pick up a phone to when you have a problem. And that is the problem,” Elwood said. “The political establishment gave up our right and they created this.”
Asked if the state should impose some regulation on the cable and internet industry, Elwood said, ”it’s way too late.”
Ladyman said the problem is not unique to Suddenlink. He said Comcast Cable Communications, which is a larger company nationally than Suddenlink, provides poor customer service in Little Rock.
As a Republican, Ladyman opposes unnecessary regulation. But after learning the state of West Virginia imposed more than $2 million in fines against Suddenlink in February for many of the same practices that consumers complain about in Arkansas, he said this state may need to do something.
“I don’t want to get into telling them how much to charge their customers or things like that, but if they don’t have a mechanism where customer can talk to them about their issues, then I think we do need to step in.”
As for energy, Ladyman said the state’s primary sources of power are nearing the end of their useful lives. Entergy’s nuclear plants near Russellville have been in operation since the 1960s and provide electricity to the majority of that company’s customers. That plant’s expiration date is approaching.
The same can be said for coal-fired plants near Pine Bluff and Newark. Those plants supply City Water and Light.
“We’re losing our base load,” Ladyman said. “And if we don’t have something to replace that … But it has to be economical, it has to be available and it has to be adequate.”
Ladyman formerly worked for the Nordex Wind Turbine plant in Jonesboro and said wind and solar energy cannot completely replace what Arkansas will lose from the nuclear and coal plants. | 2022-05-07T09:04:56Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Ladyman has challenger in House race | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/ladyman-has-challenger-in-house-race/article_a991517d-ad63-50f5-aeb3-7aa25707f9a2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/ladyman-has-challenger-in-house-race/article_a991517d-ad63-50f5-aeb3-7aa25707f9a2.html |
Mayour names Hamrick as next fire chief
Longtime firefighter and current Assistant Fire Chief Marty Hamrick will replace retiring Chief Kevin Miller, Mayor Harold Copenhaver announced Friday after a morning visit with Hamrick.
Hamrick, 49, joined the Jonesboro Fire Department in 1999 as an entry-level firefighter and moved up through the ranks consistently, excelling at every position. He has earned numerous awards, starting with Arkansas Fire Academy Rookie of the Year, and in 2017 was JFD Officer of the Year.
Hamrick, who grew up in Cherry Valley helping out on his grandfather’s farm, always assumed farming and ranching would be his life’s work. But some friends on the local volunteer force got him interested in firefighting.
“Then I found out that was something I could really do, and Jonesboro actually paid you for it,” Hamrick said.
More than two decades later, Hamrick and his wife, Shannon, have been married 21 years with a daughter, Ashton, at Arkansas State University, and a son, Eli, in elementary school. And his job has grown from the back of a firetruck to captain to division chief of training to battalion chief to assistant chief. And now he will lead the entire 124-personnel, seven-station, 10-truck department.
“I was pleased and honored just to be in the conversation for fire chief,” Hamrick said. “Hopefully, I can keep this place moving forward. There are a lot of big shoes to fill from previous chiefs.
“The fire department is in a very good spot. My goals are to keep up with the innovation and new technology and techniques to produce an even better product for the people we serve.”
Hamrick spoke of the growing job requirements and demands on firefighters, more as first responders in general than actually putting out fires.
“Every day we are tasked with doing something new,” Hamrick said. “So from a training aspect, you have to be prepared for anything that can happen.”
Hamrick’s resume speaks to the growing number of responsibilities in Jonesboro’s fire department. He has 12 certifications, ranging from rescue technician to arson investigator to hazardous material technician to state Emergency Management Instructor.
“We are prepared to deal with HAZMAT situations, building collapse, urban search and rescue, and confined space, swift water, high-angle rescues. There is really so much more call volume than when I started.”
On the bright side, JFD has grown significantly in number of officers, and “the pay is a heck of a lot better. The equipment is vastly improved, and the way we do it is safer, even though there is always personal risk involved even if you do everything right.”
Hamrick will take over the department July 1, after Miller’s June 30 retirement. | 2022-05-07T09:05:02Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Mayour names Hamrick as next fire chief | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/mayour-names-hamrick-as-next-fire-chief/article_5e4d4295-c4a9-5304-aae3-9c5bbeef2eaf.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/mayour-names-hamrick-as-next-fire-chief/article_5e4d4295-c4a9-5304-aae3-9c5bbeef2eaf.html |
Local historian Brent Tipton shows off some of his favorite memorabilia on Tuesday in front of the New Hope Baptist Church in Black Rock.
Local historian Brent Tipton poses with one of his authentic swords on Tuesday over the memorial marker where the original church had stood beside the New Hope Baptist Church in Black Rock.
Brent Tipton, a local historian in charge of the reenactment preparation, shows some of his homemade black powder on Tuesday near where the reenactment will be held.
The cornerstone of the New Hope Baptist Church stands as testament to the church’s long and eventful history.
Reenactment of Smithville Civil War skirmish slated
BLACK ROCK — Civil War buffs from across the nation will be coming to Northeast Arkansas for Father’s Day weekend for the first reenactment of a Civil War skirmish that took place near Smithville 160 years ago.
The event will be held at Jackson Farms, between the farm and New Hope Baptist Church, in Black Rock, only nine miles from the actual battle site.
On the weekend of June 17-19, the town of Smithville, the Lawrence County Arkansas Historical Society, the Sharp County Historical Society and Jackson Farms plan to host 160th Civil War Anniversary, highlighting the Smithville skirmish that occurred on the evening of June 17, 1862, in the middle of a torrential rainstorm on the James McKinney Farm, which was four miles northwest of Smithville.
Local historian Brent Tipton said that three companies, or 300 men, of the Union Army’s 5th Illinois Cavalry, under the command of Major A.H. Seley, had engaged the Confederate Army’s Colonal W.O. Coleman’s Missouri Cavalry, under the command of Captain Wiley C. Jones’ company
“This was Jones’ company’s last day of service in the Missouri State Guard and Capt. Jones commanded approximately 100 men,” Tipton said, noting that Jones’ company was part of Company E of the 4th Missouri Cavalry, 7th Division, Missouri State Guard also known as the Coleman’s Missouri Cavalry.
Two Illinois Cavalry troopers Wyatt Mill, who died during the initial assault when the cabin was attacked, and Marvin Welker, who was killed by a Confederate soldier while crossing the Strawberry River, and one unknown Confederate soldier would lose his life during the skirmish and are believed to still be buried at the Milligan Campground not far from the reenactment site.
“We hope to identify the unknown soldier as soon as possible and to erect a monument for all of the soldiers at the campground,” he said, noting that after doing more research, he believes he has figured out the name of the unknown soldier, whom he believes to be John C. Cardwell of the Coleman regiment, but time will tell if his suspicions are correct because there were no official records of the death with either the Sharp or Lawrence County Historical Societies.
There were also 10 soldiers wounded, five on each side, during the skirmish.
Tipton, who is a retired from the U.S. National Guard and service as a corrections officer, has been doing reenactments for many years. He said he is very excited about the event.
A Civil War enthusiast himself, Tipton joked that he has seen more pretend combat then real combat over the last three decades, having been in more than 50 Civil War reenactments.
He became interested in reenacting back in the early ’90s after seeing his first reenactment in Virginia during his officer basic training camp and participated in his first reenactment in 1998 at Smithville in a field by the city park as part of the 7th Arkansas Regiment.
The 5th Illinois Cavalry (reenacted) will be participating in the June event and will return to Smithville 160 years later to the day of the skirmish. Guest historians are slated to speak, and unique civilian and military events are planned.
Plans for the event include a reenactment with a mock up of the McKinney Farm, where Captain Jones and his company had taken shelter from the thunderstorm, a living history encampment, historical and educational programs, and a tactical are planned.
Tipton said that a tactical is a type of historical reenactment that is fought like a real battle with each side devising strategies and tactics to defeat their opponents.
He said they have participants from seven states already committed, including the 5th Illinois Cavalry and units from Arkansas, Missouri and other Illinois units.
“We want to welcome Civil War military and civilian living historians and re-enactors to come participate in this event and find out the answer to the mystery of who the Confederates were, and what they were doing on a farm four miles west of Smithville,” Tipton said.
There are currently cavalry, artillery, infantry and medical reenactors slated to participate in the encampment and tactical, Tipton said, as well as vendors and sutlers, who were merchants who followed an army on campaign or operated in cities near military garrisons and sold various items to soldiers. Tipton did note that the reenactment was a cavalry action, which means that it will involve mounted troops on horseback.
The event will also include keynote speakers who will talk about the mysteries of the Smithville skirmish such as why were Missouri State Guard soldiers in Lawrence County, Arkansas?
“Research has revealed that Capt. Jones, who was captured during the battle, was a businessman from Smithville and that all the men who were with him were from Arkansas, as well. It creates a mystery,” he said.
Also how did a regiment of the 5th Illinois Cavalry wind up in a deliberately planned fight in a rainstorm?
“Church records show members of the 5th Illinois Cavalry attending the New Hope Baptist Church during that time, as well,” he said, noting they were camped only a few miles from the church on the night before the battle.
Another mystery that they have been looking into is what was the African-American experience in the Lawrence and Sharp County region during the war and were there African-American federal troops in Batesville and in Lawrence County during the War?
Tipton said that the answer is yes, although not widely known in Independence and Lawrence County history.
“This skirmish was large by Ozark standards,” he said, “and it has many unique features that lead to this skirmish being unique in many ways, while also being typical of the 500-plus Civil War events in the Ozarks region.”
“The skirmish had a lasting impact on the operations of both Confederate Arkansas and on the federal operations in Arkansas,” Tipton said.
“This skirmish, and those around Pocahontas, delayed federal operations,” he said, noting that because of the skirmish, Major Seley’s battalion literally missed the boat and had to slug their way across Arkansas to Helena.
“Captain Wiley C. Jones still has descendants and family in Arkansas,” he said. “Descendants of the McKinney family who owned the farm at the time of the skirmish live in Arkansas and plan to attend the reenactment event, as well.”
Tipton said the event will be a living-history-intense weekend with many civilian events being held continuously through the weekend. There will be the guest speakers including African-American historian Ethel Tompkins, who will make a presentation about the African-American experience in Lawrence County during the Civil War and will also share her personal experiences as an African-American student during the integration of Hoxie Public Schools.
“She is an amazing woman, and her story is fascinating,” Tipton said. “She will also provide an update on the museum being created to document the history of this amazing historic event.”
4 p.m.: Reenactment of the 5th Illinois Cavalry occupation of Smithville.
7 p.m.: Opening ceremony and guest historian presentation.
9 a.m.: Camp tours, educational programs in camp. Units will be training and drilling; artillery will be training; participants will demonstrate how artillery works; each branch will have a presenter in camp to explain the role/job of cavalry, infantry, engineers, medical, etc.
11 a.m.: Guest speaker Ethel Tompkins will give her presentation.
2 p.m.: Reenactment of the skirmish on the McKinney Farm.
4-8:30 p.m.: Civilian reenactments and educational programs, however the military camp will be closed from 4 to 8:30 p.m. to prepare for a candlelight tour.
9 p.m.: Candlelight tour of the camps in recovery and aftermath from the skirmish to give an impression of what it must have been like after the battle. This will include the prisoners, dead and wounded who will be “treated” by the medical reenactors; prisoners who will be interrogated and processed; disciplinary actions will be taken for wayward soldiers; work and burial details; pickets posted; patrols sent out; couriers riding in and out; and officers planning for Sunday’s battle (this will be real-life planning without a script); as well as the civilian camp and town residents talking about the fight.
9 a.m.: Period church service and reenactment of an incident that occurred at historic New Hope Baptist Church, next door to the farm.
10 a.m.-1:50 p.m.: Civilian reenactments and as well as military reenactors, who will be preparing for battle and carrying out normal duties, and camps will be open for walk-through tours.
“Reenactments are so much fun to both participate in and even to watch,” Tipton said, noting that they are both fun and educational for everyone.
Tipton said that the committee is looking for interested Civil War and period civilian reenactors.
For more information about the event or how to participate contact Tipton at btipton000@centurytel.net. | 2022-05-07T09:05:09Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Reenactment of Smithville Civil War skirmish slated | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/reenactment-of-smithville-civil-war-skirmish-slated/article_2034e0f6-c794-53c2-b1c2-11daa72d8ed9.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/reenactment-of-smithville-civil-war-skirmish-slated/article_2034e0f6-c794-53c2-b1c2-11daa72d8ed9.html |
Questions coverage
With recent changes at the Jonesboro Sun, perhaps new management will conduct a post-mortem on its reporting of the city council's vote on behalf of a special interest, the Jonesboro Advertising & Promotions (A&P) Commission. It's time for management, or ownership, to demand the Sun improve its coverage of this divisive issue.
In November 2021, the city council voted in a new 2% "Hamburger Tax," rather than referring that vote to the electorate, the residents who had defeated 1% tax increases in 2019 and 2015. The Sun has not provided any analysis that increases the public's awareness of the lack of judicious and best use of taxpayer money on what was "promised" by the A&P Commission, which has failed to act as it had committed prior to the vote. Sun?
For example, Fort Smith recently received its feasibility study of an indoor sports-complex for an all-in cost of $30,000 ($7,500 from A&P Commission and $7,500 from the city, plus a $15,000 state grant). With data in hand, Fort Smith will now determine "if and how" to fund the estimated $31,000,000 facility (not including costs of land acquisition). I made the city council and mayor aware of the Fort Smith option 10 days before the "tax and only tax vote." The mayor sat "mute." Sun?
In contrast, Jonesboro is paying $70,000 for a scope of work rather than a feasibility study. With millions in tax revenue collected, a recommendation to "not build" has odds similar to winning the lottery. Even the vendor noted how rare it was for a customer to pass a tax or to choose any funding vehicle, before deciding "if" to build, i.e., a feasibility study. Moreover, the city's spenders have already stated that they intend to hire this same vendor to operate whatever is built. Like elected officials in bed with public unions, this is "pushing on an open door" - no resistance. Sun?
With never-ending taxpayer funding in place there are few if any constraints on the project, given the "pirate's booty" growing in the city's vaults. Proof? Despite over $20,000,000 idling in the budget as "excess reserves," there's been no mention of any contributions from the A&P Commission, the city, or a $15,000 state grant for Jonesboro's indoor sports-complex. Sun?
Howard L. Weinstock | 2022-05-07T09:06:42Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Questions coverage | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/questions-coverage/article_0e8ee2d6-587f-570f-a5db-89f39405dc31.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/questions-coverage/article_0e8ee2d6-587f-570f-a5db-89f39405dc31.html |
Bay sophomore guard Justin Brannen is the Newcomer of the Year on the Best Under The Sun boys’ basketball team.
Bay's Brannen shines in high school debut
BAY — Bay coach Brad Brannen was planning to move his son Justin to the senior high team as a freshman in the 2020-21 basketball season before an injury changed those plans.
The Yellowjackets were about to start their first summer practice when the younger Brannen, a 6-foot guard, jumped to grab the rim. In the process he suffered a tibial tubercle fracture in his left leg, an injury that required the insertion of two plates during surgery in Memphis.
So once Justin Brannen was able to play again late in the fall of 2020, his father kept him on the junior high team and he made his high school debut as a sophomore this season, averaging 21 points per game to earn Best Under The Sun Newcomer of the Year honors.
“They said it was going to be six months and he came back in four. He just worked his butt off for that and then came back and had a good sophomore year,” Brad Brannen said. “I was super proud as a dad and a coach both.”
“Everything happens for a reason, though,” Justin Brannen added. “We ended up being really good in junior high.”
Coming off a junior high conference championship, Brannen and his classmates played plenty of minutes this year as six of Bay’s eight players were sophomores.
The Yellowjackets had ups and downs in a 16-21 season, but finished second in their division of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational and played well in the 2A-3 district tournament. Bay stayed close to eventual state semifinalist Marianna Lee for three quarters in the North Region tournament before falling 57-38 to end the season.
“I wish we could have won more. I know we went on a downhill run there for a little bit, we lost like 10 games in a row at the beginning of the season and a bunch of them were really close games,” Justin Brannen said. “I wish we could have won more, and we could have beaten Marianna Lee there at the end of the year, but we’re all still really young.”
Brannen scored a season-high 36 points in a home game against Marmaduke. He put up 92 points in four NEA Tournament games, helping the Yellowjackets make a surprise run to the Division I final, and scored 62 points in three 2A-3 district tournament games.
Bay defeated 2A-3 runner-up Rector 46-43 in the regular season when Brannen hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, capping a 28-point night on the Yellowjackets’ home floor.
“That was something. All I know is I caught the ball, went and tried to score, and it went in,” he said. “We drew up that play in the timeout and we executed the play really well. We set the screens right, everything went how it was supposed to.”
Brad Brannen said the final 3 was part of a game-ending burst.
“We were down six with about a minute to go and he hit three 3s in a row,” the coach said. “He hit one in the corner, he hit one coming off a triple screen and he hit the game winner. He scored the last 11 points.”
In addition to his 21-point scoring average, Brannen also added 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Yellowjackets.
While Brannen is capable of big numbers from the 3-point line, his father said he’s most comfortable taking a mid-range jumper, a shot often overlooked in the 3-point era.
“That’s what I’ve tried to tell him his whole life. If he can develop that mid-range jumper, that’s a lost art,” Brad Brannen said. “People aren’t used to guarding it in practice, they’re not used to guarding it anywhere. If that’s something you can get off and make, it will separate you.”
While it’s not something he likes talking about, his dad said, Justin Brannen puts in a lot of time working on his shot.
“I would say this past summer and this season put together, he spends about two hours, three or four times a week, up in the gym,” Brad Brannen said. “We have to make him, in the offseason, stop for a while. I’ve kind of told him to take a break for five or six weeks and then get back to it.”
“It usually turns into two weeks, though,” Justin added.
Growing up around the sport, with a father who has coached four state championship teams, has helped Justin’s knowledge. Brad Brannen said there are times during games when he can look at his son and nod, and Justin knows what he wants.
While father and son talk basketball quite a bit, Brad Brannen said he tries to observe some boundaries and it isn’t always easy.
“I try to keep it away as much as possible unless we’re at school or in the truck or something. We’ll talk about it if he comes in and sits down and wants to talk, but I try not to go to him,” he said. “I’m not saying I don’t ever do it, but we try to keep that relationship separate, coach-dad. I think that’s a big deal.” | 2022-05-07T09:06:54Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Bay's Brannen shines in high school debut | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/bays-brannen-shines-in-high-school-debut/article_fab2962b-0b33-5c83-bbd4-8b22d3cff4c2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/bays-brannen-shines-in-high-school-debut/article_fab2962b-0b33-5c83-bbd4-8b22d3cff4c2.html |
Defense distinguishes Swift's latest title team
JONESBORO — Wes Swift has coached seven state championship teams in 27 seasons of high school basketball, including five in 13 seasons at Jonesboro High School, where his teams have averaged more than 23 victories per season.
And he’s never had a team that played defense quite like the 2021-22 Hurricane.
Opponents averaged only 40.6 points per game as Jonesboro stormed to a 28-3 record and its second consecutive Class 5A state championship. The Hurricane held 17 teams under 40 points, including all four in its dominant state tournament run.
“They were a good offensive team, but defensively I can easily say this was best defensive team in high school that I’ve ever coached and we did it without a true rim protector,” said Swift, the Best Under The Sun Coach of the Year. “That’s what’s cool. I’ve had some AAU teams that have had some pro 7-footers on there and when you have a rim protector, you can get out and put a lot of pressure on the ball because you have guys at the rim messing up a whole lot of stuff.
“We didn’t have that. These guys did it guarding the basketball.”
Jonesboro won all 23 games in which it held opponents under 50 points. Eventual Class 6A state champion North Little Rock, which averaged more than 74 points per game, had its lowest-scoring game of the season in a 62-48 loss to the Hurricane in the finals of the Barry Pruitt Hurricane Classic.
Only two opponents topped 60 points. Link (Mo.) Academy, which finished second in the GEICO Nationals with a star-studded roster, defeated the Hurricane 72-41 in Springfield, Mo. Nettleton scored 45 points during the second half of an 82-66 loss to Jonesboro at Raider Gym.
Jonesboro took 67 charges as a team, including 22 by senior guard Jesse Washington and 14 by junior forward Isaac Harrell. Washington had 51 steals, junior guard Phillip Tillman 36 and junior guard Deion Buford-Wesson 34 as the Hurricane averaged nearly nine per game as a team.
The Hurricane took a team approach to rebounding as senior forward Kavon Pointer averaged 5.2 rebounds, senior guard Quion Williams 4.8, Washington 4.4 and junior forward Devarius Montgomery 3.9.
“I think I’ve said before we had six to seven guys that if they were guarding the other team’s best player, we felt pretty good about it,” Swift said. “Did we help? Yes, we had gap help and that kind of thing, but we had guys who could really get out there and defend, six to seven guys. I’ve never had probably more than one or two that you felt really good about guarding the ball at one time.”
Williams, an Oklahoma State signee who became eligible in early January after moving back to Jonesboro, was Jonesboro’s leading scorer at 13.6 points per game. Washington and Harrell averaged 12.8 and 10.1 points, respectively, and were the team’s top 3-point threats with 52 and 50, respectively.
Senior Amarion Wilson, whom Swift calls “the best point guard in the state,” finished with 106 assists while helping the Hurricane control tempo.
“I don’t think you saw us very often play at an uncomfortable pace. If there was a team that we felt like was better than us getting up and down, we could keep them at bay in transition,” Swift said. “Our defensive transition was really good. We wouldn’t let them get out in transition and we would push when we wanted to, when we felt like we had the numbers, and there were other teams that we wanted to press full-court man just to up the tempo, to get going faster. It always seemed like we were playing at the tempo we wanted to play with in regard to the opponent.”
Jonesboro’s only losses came against Link in the Ozark Mountain Shootout and two other out-of-state foes, Amarillo, Texas, and Orlando, Fla., Dr. Phillips, during the Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tenn. The Hurricane went 10-3 against non-conference opponents that combined to win more than 78 percent of their games.
Pollsters in and out of state took notice. Jonesboro nosed out North Little Rock for No. 1 overall in the final Arkansas Sports Media poll of the season.
While the Charging Wildcats finished higher in national polls, the Hurricane earned respect there too. Jonesboro finished 19th in the MaxPreps national rankings and was No. 22 in the final SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25.
Jonesboro, which finished on a 19-game winning streak, was challenged only a couple of times after New Year’s Day. The Hurricane erased a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Southaven, Miss., 55-46 at the Hotbed Classic in New Albany, Miss., and came back from nine down at halftime in the regular-season finale to win 37-30 at Marion.
The Hurricane put the 30-point mercy rule into effect in its state tournament victories over Hot Springs, Sylvan Hills, Pine Bluff and Marion.
“This was something unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, this run,” Swift said of the state tournament. “Usually you have one game like that. We had four.”
Jonesboro left no doubt in the state championship game, drubbing Marion 55-28. The Hurricane opened a 23-6 lead in the first quarter while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and forcing eight turnovers, six on steals.
“That first quarter, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that’s the best first quarter they’ve seen a team play in the state finals in a long time,” Swift said.
A different challenge awaits the Hurricane next season as Jonesboro moves up to 6A. Opponents such as North Little Rock and Little Rock Central, teams the Hurricane has been playing before Christmas, will become conference foes.
While Swift said Jonesboro’s new conference figures to be deeper, Swift said the biggest adjustment will be the travel as the Hurricane faces longer trips.
“Everybody wants to compare teams, but when you’re living it, when you’re doing it, it’s all about in the moment,” Swift said. “From the time we played our last game, we have to start saying goodbye to those (seniors), but it’s all about now how good can this next team be? How hard can we work between now and then to be as good as we can be? That’s it.” | 2022-05-07T09:07:00Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Defense distinguishes Swift's latest title team | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/defense-distinguishes-swifts-latest-title-team/article_cd06fb47-a4f0-566f-823d-de3f717494df.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/defense-distinguishes-swifts-latest-title-team/article_cd06fb47-a4f0-566f-823d-de3f717494df.html |
Jonesboro senior guard Quion Williams is the Player of the Year on the Best Under The Sun basketball team.
Williams savors 'amazing run' with Hurricane
JONESBORO — Quion Williams spent the first 12 games of the season on the sideline, cheering for his Jonesboro High School basketball teammates while awaiting the January date when he would be eligible to join them on the court.
The last 19 games, Williams demonstrated why Big 12 and SEC teams sought his signature during the recruiting process.
Williams, the Best Under The Sun Player of the Year, emerged as Jonesboro’s leading scorer during 5A-East conference play. The Hurricane went 19-0 with Williams, finishing with a dominant state tournament run in which he was named Class 5A state tournament MVP.
“This season was more than satisfying. It was amazing,” said Williams, a 6-foot-4 senior guard who signed with Oklahoma State in November. “I came back to my hometown, we won state, I got state MVP and we beat every team (at state) by 30, and we went undefeated when I came back. It was an amazing run.”
Williams averaged 13.6 points on a balanced squad that finished 28-3 with a victory margin of 21 points per game and a perfect record against in-state opponents. He was named to the Arkansas Sports Media Super Team’s first team, a group comprised of five seniors who signed with high-major college teams.
Jonesboro coach Wes Swift said Williams gave the Hurricane, the defending 5A state champion, someone opponents had to fear.
“They feared him individually. I think most people feared us as a team, like, ‘You’re going to have to play really well to beat them, they’re not going to beat themselves,’ that kind of thing,” Swift said. “But when he entered it, it gave us somebody that you really had to circle on the scouting report, that you had to have a plan for, which when you have somebody like that it makes it easier on the other guys.”
Williams moved back to Jonesboro after spending his junior year at Legacy High School in Mansfield, Texas, where he averaged 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks per game, according to Oklahoma State’s announcement of his signing. He chose Mike Boynton’s Cowboys over Ole Miss, TCU, Texas A&M and Saint Louis, among others.
While he was having success on the court while living with his uncle in Texas, Williams missed his family in Jonesboro.
“The reason that brought me back was family. I was starting to miss my mom and then I have a younger brother who is a sophomore,” said Williams, who attended MacArthur Junior High before his move to Texas. “This year would be his first year playing, so I felt like it would be a great experience for him to watch me and see what I do so he can follow in my footsteps or be better than I am.”
Under Arkansas Activities Association rules, Williams was not eligible until January 3 after returning to Jonesboro as a senior. He was also recovering from meniscus surgery in the fall.
Williams said he was nervous at first when approaching Swift about joining the team since he was briefly on the roster as a sophomore.
“I don’t know about him, but I was nervous because I felt as a basketball player I got better, but also as a young man,” Williams said. “I was a little nervous because I’m better than what I was.”
Swift said he had a good feeling about adding Williams to the roster after they met.
“I was going to wait on him to approach us, and he did,” Swift said. “The first conversation we had was probably the best conversation we had ever had up to that point. That showed me he had grown up some, he had matured some.”
The team also welcomed Williams back, Swift said, even though some roles would change when he became eligible. Seniors on the team grew up playing basketball with Williams in school and on summer teams.
Williams enthusiastically cheered for his teammates in victories over North Little Rock and others.
“He was a great teammate when he was sitting out,” Swift said. “That was fun for the guys, fun for me to watch. He earned trust without ever putting on a jersey.”
Williams was equally willing to take on whatever role Jonesboro needed on a given night, seeing it as preparation for his freshman season at Oklahoma State.
“I felt like I had to play that role because in college, when you get there, you’re a freshman and you have to get a lot of hustle buckets, do things people don’t want to do,” Williams said. “I felt like if I started doing it now, it would be easier for me to do it in college and become more of a role player.”
While the Hurricane had few close games while Williams was eligible, he had a big night when Marion challenged Jonesboro in the regular-season finale. He finished with 19 points, hitting 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, as the Hurricane rallied for a 37-30 victory on the road.
Statewide observers got to know Williams better as the Hurricane roared through the Class 5A state tournament, outscoring Hot Springs, Sylvan Hills, Pine Bluff and Marion by a combined 253-128. Jonesboro put the 30-point mercy rule into effect each game.
Pine Bluff was within 10 points at halftime in the semifinals, but Williams scored 12 of his 17 points in the third quarter as Jonesboro pulled away for a 65-39 victory.
“I tell people all the time that he really sees the floor well. He could play the one, the ball could be in his hands and it was perfectly fine,” Swift said. “I remember against Pine Bluff we had a lead, but in the third quarter we were like, ‘Let’s put this thing away,’ and we posted him up like three straight possessions and it was score, score, score, and the game was over.
“There’s a lot of different ways you can use somebody like him on the offensive end and then defensively, he’s a really good on-ball defender. He’s a really good rebounder. He brought a lot to the table.”
Williams scored 17 points during a 55-28 rout of Marion in the state final, giving him 60 total points in four state tournament games.
At Oklahoma State, Williams will have the opportunity to play in the conference that has produced the last two NCAA champions. Swift said Williams is physically built for Big 12 competition, but will face a learning curve like any freshman.
“Everything has to tighten up,” Swift said. “However good he is right now, he’s going to have to be a little bit better shooter, he’s going to have to be a little bit better ball-handler, he’s going to have to be a little bit better passer because your space shrinks. The time you have to make a pass or the ball can be in the air shrinks considerably.
“The physicality is so much greater, but that’s where I think he’ll shine. I think he’ll like the physicality of the game. I think his body is made for that.” | 2022-05-07T09:07:06Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Williams savors 'amazing run' with Hurricane | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/williams-savors-amazing-run-with-hurricane/article_6ca2a3bb-806e-5887-b7f0-a20ab6b8c474.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/williams-savors-amazing-run-with-hurricane/article_6ca2a3bb-806e-5887-b7f0-a20ab6b8c474.html |
Morris earns National Merit Scholarship
Coy R. Morris, a student at Valley View High School in Jonesboro was named in the first group of corporate scholarship winners in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
He is the winner of the National Merit Novartis Scholarship.
Recipients were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met the criteria of their scholarship sponsors.
High school juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. In September 2021, more than 16,000 semi-finalists were designated, from the semi-finalists, over 15,000 met finalist requirements.
Donation is made to BRTC
John Gillespie of Tumbling Shoals has donated two metal fabricating devices, valued at $3,500, to the Black River Technical College welding program.
Gillespie contributed one roller bender, used to create arcs, bends, cylinders, and circular objects, which is valued at $1,500, and a sheet bender used to deform metal into an angular shape, valued at $2,000.
Harrell receives Rho Chi Award
Emily Harrell of Monette received the Rho Chi Award for Scholarship at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy in Oxford. The award is given for achieving the highest grade point average during the four years of the professional degree program.
Yoo-Jin Ahn of Jonesboro was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2021 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Ahn is currently enrolled in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences.
To qualify for the dean’s list in the College of Arts and Sciences, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units.
BRTC to offer hunting course
Black River Technical College will offer a for-credit Introduction to Hunting course in the fall of 2022, through a partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
During the course, students will complete the AGFC’s Hunter Education Course, learn how to safely discharge a firearm, participate in multiple hunts for wild game species, learn how to field dress and clean harvested game, and learn how to prepare wild game dishes. Students will also learn about the role they play in society as consumptive users.
For information about enrolling in the course, contact Donna Statler at 870-248-4000, ext. 4183 or donnas@blackrivertech.edu, or visit blackrivertech.org.
Called to Teach conference set
The Huckabee School of Education at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia will host its first Called to Teach conference July 22 in Walker Conference Center, 485 Campus Drive. The theme of the public conference is “Why We Teach” and is intended to celebrate and encourage educators.
Registration is $35 and includes lunch.
Bruce Orr, assistant superintendent of Lakeside School District in Hot Springs, will be the keynote speaker and attendees may choose among 20 breakout sessions.
Six hours of professional development credit are available through the Arkansas Department of Education.
To register for Called to Teach, sign up by June 30 at obu.edu/calledtoteach. For more information, contact Dr. Gail Hughes at hughesg@obu.edu or at 870-245-5429. | 2022-05-11T19:51:41Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Education briefs | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/education-briefs/article_76245154-401d-51c1-8266-8d4648dbe864.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/education-briefs/article_76245154-401d-51c1-8266-8d4648dbe864.html |
WBU’s Perkins honored for research
WALNUT RIDGE — The Arkansas Historical Association has named Dr. Blake Perkins as the 2022 recipient of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives Award for exemplary archival research at its annual conference and awards banquet in Little Rock on April 22.
Perkins, who serves as an associate professor and chairman of the Department of History and Political Science at Williams Baptist University, was presented the award for his research on the history of northern Arkansas from the early 1800s to the Civil War era.
Perkins previously won the NEARA award in 2015 for his work on women settlers in Lawrence County before Arkansas’ statehood.
Perkins, a native of Lawrence County, holds a doctorate from West Virginia University and has taught history at WBU since 2013. He has published two books and dozens of articles and reviews in professional history journals. He, his wife Jodie, and their two sons, Maddox and Rylan, live in Lynn.
The NEARA Award for Exemplary Archival Research was established by the AHA in 2013 to honor volunteers from the Lawrence County Historical Society who saved the territorial records for future researchers when the Powhatan county seat was abandoned in 1963.
Lobbying for a regional archives began almost immediately, a dream realized in 2011. The award is funded by the family of Eugene Sloan (1892-1981), a Jonesboro lawyer who was born in Powhatan. | 2022-05-11T19:51:47Z | www.jonesborosun.com | WBU’s Perkins honored for research | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/wbu-s-perkins-honored-for-research/article_73944935-b03d-525e-a2bf-70ffc83fef8f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/wbu-s-perkins-honored-for-research/article_73944935-b03d-525e-a2bf-70ffc83fef8f.html |
Shackelford
1st District GOP candidates prepare for primary
By Michael Wilkey Paxton News Service
Voters will head to the polls May 24 to decide the Republican nominee for the 1st Congressional District in Arkansas, with three candidates running for the seat.
Incumbent Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro is being challenged by State Rep. Brandt Smith of Jonesboro and attorney Jody Shackelford of Highland. If no candidate receives 50.1 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a June 21 runoff.
The winner will face the Democratic nominee, State Rep. Monte Hodges of Blytheville and Independent Roger B. Daugherty of Witts Springs in the fall.
Crawford was elected in 2010, becoming the first Republican to win the seat since Reconstruction. He ran unopposed in 2020. Crawford is an Army veteran and a 1996 graduate of Arkansas State University.
He serves on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He and his wife, Stacy, have two children.
Smith is serving in his fourth term as a state representative in District 58, which includes Craighead County. He is a professor and in the 93rd General Assembly served as the vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
He also serves on the Joint Performance Review Committee and the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee. He and his wife, Gailia, have four adult children and 10 grandchildren. Smith has also served as a missionary with the International Mission Board with the Southern Baptist Convention in Taiwan, Thailand, China/Myanmar and Iraq.
Smith also worked with a Human Terrain Team in Iraq from 2008 until the end of the war in that country.
Shackelford is an attorney and grew up in and around the Spring River in the Hardy area. He is a veteran and small business owner. He is also a founding partner in the Legal Oak Law Firm in Sharp County.
He received his law degree from the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law and has a law office in Highland. He is married to his wife, Crystal, and is a member of the United Methodist Church.
Questions to candidates
With your life and career experience, how do you plan to differentiate yourself or stand out as a member of Congress while also representing the views of the people in your district?
Crawford: As a veteran and Constitutional conservative, I am a strong advocate for limited government that stays in its lane and doesn’t overreach into people’s lives. I serve in senior roles on three congressional committees, each with jurisdiction over important, and intertwined, issues that impact Arkansas. I am a member of the Agriculture Committee, which allows me to enhance the ability of our farmers and other agricultural producers to feed and clothe our nation and world. I am also on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which directs the federal investment in Arkansas’ ports, roads, and waterways. And I serve on the Intelligence Committee, protecting against threats to our nation’s critical infrastructure. I believe agriculture and transportation security is national security, and as a veteran, I consider the security of the American people my top priority. My seniority on these key committees puts me in position to ensure our priorities and conservative principles are at the tip of the spear.
Smith: Having lived and worked overseas for two-plus decades, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Myanmar and Iraq positions me to have greater understanding of what threats our nation faces. Years of living and working in these countries allows me to have a more well-rounded understanding of foreign affairs.
Shackelford: I’m from here in Arkansas. When I was growing up there was nothing better than floating the Spring River or getting to go to Jonesboro for a movie on a weekend. My views are the views of the people in this district. I plan to stand out in Congress as an outspoken advocate of those constitutional conservative values. Work will be done to champion the growth of the Republican Party and bring people over the political divide. For instance working to change the poor-me attitude we see in many young people. The kitchen table was the spot where my grandpa and I started with $50 and built a company. We took an idea for a backyard shooting target and made our first paper-and-coat-hanger model over coffee. Later, I got to see the light in my grandpa’s eyes when we tried out for Shark Tank and later made a deal with Daisy Outdoors of Red Ryder fame. Capitalism works. My experience is in business and creating jobs. Often a business we’d start in the basement would turn into a major success. We’d learn a lesson when it didn’t. I’m excited to represent this district in Washington and bring that scrappy style of business sense to the office.
Inflation is one of the, if not the, major issue being discussed by voters in this district and country today with the cost of almost everything going up. How would you solve this issue?
Crawford: President Biden created the inflation crisis in our economy through a combination of hostile policies toward companies that supply energy, paying people not to work and pumping too much money into the economy. Of course, the Biden spending binge further exacerbates the looming debt crisis, which will wreak havoc on our nation if left unchecked. The good news is Republicans have an opportunity to retake Congress in November, allowing us to serve as a check on Biden’s radical spending policies. The first step is to stop digging the hole deeper and then, if conservatives can retake the White House in 2024, we will have a better opportunity to implement sensible pro-growth policies that promote domestic energy production, incentivize people to work again and create jobs here at home.
Smith: 1) Stop printing currency which devalues our dollar. 2) Re-open the XL Pipeline to increase oil and energy production in the United States. We must be energy independent. 3) Produce our goods in the U.S.A. and reduce the need for foreign imported goods.
Shackelford: I believe we can benefit from suspension of state and federal fuel taxes during crisis situations like what we see at the pump now. Prices generally decrease when demand falls or supply increases. We need to shift demand to reward suppliers who have fought price increases. We can offer emergency tax incentives to businesses for new hiring to increase productivity and supply to drop prices. These are things the president and Congress should be doing.
With Russia/Ukraine, China/Taiwan, North Korea and the Middle East in the news almost every day, foreign policy is a major issue facing Congress today and into the future. What do you see as the role of the United States, foreign policy wise, in the future?
Crawford: Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is a reminder of the continuing threats posed by authoritarian and communist regimes. “Peace through strength” is sound policy, not an empty slogan, and that means we need a robust fighting force that can defend us from threats to our nation. Coalitions among nations are also important to best leverage our military and non-military tools, including economic sanctions, against rogue actors. Ultimately, the United States must continue to lead the world. The most likely alternative, if we don’t lead, is an aggressive, authoritarian, communist China, which would endanger freedom and safety across the globe.
Smith: 1) We can support the people/military of Ukraine with training and modern weapons, but our soldiers should not be “boots on the ground” in Ukraine. 2) China has long awaited an opportunity to take Taiwan. We have an agreement with the government of Taiwan to defend their sovereignty, and we should stand by that agreement. I do not know if we have the will to do so, but after living in Taiwan for 6 1/2 years, the PRC has been patient, but with a weak Biden Administration, the Communist Chinese may see no reason to wait any longer. It is only 90 miles across the Taiwan Straits. Air superiority as well as a naval blockade would allow China to reclaim this territory. Hopefully, the U.S. government will honor our agreement to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty. 3) The role of the United States should be fight against our enemies. I do not think we should be drawn into proxy wars or nation building until absolute victory is achieved on the various battlefields. We are not isolationists, but some of the conflicts occurring today have been ongoing for hundreds of years.
Shackelford: The United States is the shining city on a hill. We must remain steadfast in our resolve to be leaders of peace while also being ready and willing to confront the dangers of the world like the expansion of communism and authoritarianism. Our primary role will be as the undisputed tip of the spear when it comes to global power in all facets. We need to maintain our leadership role as the world’s top economy and strongest military. We should maintain trade policies with China that benefit Americans first. Whether it’s rice or ball bearings, we need to focus on getting exports up. Get the world’s money flowing into the US with less flowing out. Today Russia is working to spread communism and get the USSR back together. President Ronald Reagan literally talked the Soviets into disbanding and pushed communism way back. The foreign policy going forward should be that America is here to shine the light of democracy in the world, and we won’t let that light go out. A big focus needs to be on boosting our economic output across the country and increasing demands among our foreign trading partners.
Early voting began Monday and continues through May 23. Polls will be open May 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | 2022-05-11T19:51:53Z | www.jonesborosun.com | 1st District GOP candidates prepare for primary | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/1st-district-gop-candidates-prepare-for-primary/article_c2e173ab-e807-54b4-b913-b886e665a083.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/1st-district-gop-candidates-prepare-for-primary/article_c2e173ab-e807-54b4-b913-b886e665a083.html |
4 firearms reported stolen
JONESBORO — Four firearms were reported stolen over the weekend, according to Jonesboro police reports.
At 10:37 p.m. Friday, a 19-year-old Jonesboro woman told police someone entered her 2012 Chevrolet Malibu in the 1300 block of Links Circle and stole a 9 mm Taurus handgun.
The victim told officer Scottie Fleeman that she was sure the vehicle was locked but couldn’t see any damage to it.
She said the firearm was the only thing taken.
In the second incident, a 24-year-old told police at 10:38 p.m. Saturday that someone entered his truck and stole a 9 mm Glock valued at $500.
The victim told officer Aaron Moore that the gun was in his center console while he was working from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Saturday. He said after work he stopped at a few locations and when he returned home to the 700 block of Gladiolus Drive, he realized the gun was missing.
In the third report, a 32-year-old Jonesboro man told police at 1:05 p.m. Sunday that he had left his 9 mm Taurus handgun at a friend’s house while he was out of town for a month. He said he returned Saturday and found out the gun was missing. He was told the door to his friend’s house had been unlocked during some of the time the gun was there.
The victim said he had purchased the gun from a pawn shop recently. Officer Rodney Smith told the victim to contact the pawn shop and get the serial number to the firearm so it could be entered into a database file.
In the fourth incident, a 24-year-old Jonesboro man reported at 7:52 p.m. Sunday that someone entered his vehicle in the 900 block of Links Circle and stole a 9 mm Glock valued at $500.
The victim told officer Seth Harrison that he had not seen the firearm in a couple of weeks and had no idea of who could have taken it. | 2022-05-11T19:52:06Z | www.jonesborosun.com | 4 firearms reported stolen | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/4-firearms-reported-stolen/article_2f2ba6b4-6003-5ef8-b814-4b9ccee5a5b1.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/4-firearms-reported-stolen/article_2f2ba6b4-6003-5ef8-b814-4b9ccee5a5b1.html |
JONESBORO — Early voting for the 2022 party primaries and judicial elections began Monday with few problems, said Jennifer Clack, Craighead County’s election coordinator.
“We are just cooking along.” Clack said late Monday. “It’s been a nice, steading procession,” though the numbers aren’t real high, she said.
By 4:30 p.m., 232 people had cast ballots at the Craighead County Election Annex in Jonesboro, while another 80 had voted at the Lake City Courthouse.
Under state law, early voting is conducted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Clack said there is one error on the ballot. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jake Bequette’s name is listed as Jack. A sign has been posted to bring attention to the error, Clack said, and she hopes the error will have no impact on the election. | 2022-05-11T19:52:24Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Early voting begins | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/early-voting-begins/article_8d1c7f56-83ba-50eb-968e-9a0cc1333c48.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/early-voting-begins/article_8d1c7f56-83ba-50eb-968e-9a0cc1333c48.html |
Home Ice donation still possible
JONESBORO — It may not be as difficult to redevelop the former Home Ice property as previoiusly thought, the Jonesboro Land Bank Commission learned Tuesday.
The building at 700 Cate Ave. was torn down about two years ago, and a lien was placed on the property to recover the $124,836,50 cost of demolition of the 19th century structure.
The lien makes it difficult for the current owner of the 1.1-acre property to sell it.
Samuel Rosse III is the owner of record, but is serving time in a federal prison. Karen Siegel, who holds power of attorney over Rosse’s interests, the Rosse Family Trust, fought the condemnation process for about seven years, in hopes of restoring the two-story brick structure. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 2017, while the condemnation fight was progressing through the courts.
The land bank commission approached Siegel, and she agreed, to potentially donate the property to the city.
Later, city officials discovered a second, $150,000 notice of lien against the property filed by Christian Construction of Jonesboro in 2019.
Heather Owens, assistant city attorney, told the commission that lien probably is no good.
“I don’t believe any lawsuit of enforcement was ever filed and I believe the statute of limitations on that lien has run and it should not, in my opinion, be enforceable,” Owens said.
Owens, however, suggested that the commission wait before accepting the potential donation.
Staff member Monica Pearcy told commissioners Siegel was in the process of selling two other properties and wanted to postpone the Home Ice donation until those other parcels sold. | 2022-05-11T19:52:30Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Home Ice donation still possible | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/home-ice-donation-still-possible/article_c05177bc-afe4-534e-90d5-8e816ba5b7f4.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/home-ice-donation-still-possible/article_c05177bc-afe4-534e-90d5-8e816ba5b7f4.html |
The scene of a fatal fire is shown on Monday in the 1200 block of Hawk Cove.
JONESBORO — One man died Friday afternoon in a house fire in the 1200 block of Hawk Cove, according to Assistant Fire Chief Martin Hamrick.
According to a Fire Department report, a female resident of the house, who was out of town at the time of the fire, said she was trying to contact her husband, Coma Tippitt, who was at the residence and couldn’t make contact over the phone.
The identity of the victim has not been released by the department as officials await a positive identification from the medical examiner’s office, Hamrick said.
Hamrick said the fire was fully involved when the first fire truck arrived. He said the “closest fire hydrant was quite aways off.”
The Fire Department received the call about the fire at 5:05 p.m. and arrived at 5:17 p.m., according to the fire call from the department.
Seven fire vehicles responded to the scene, the report said
“The victim was found under a pile of rubble once the fire was knocked down,” the report stated.
According to the report, the closest fire hydrant was about 1,000 feet from the residence. Water tanker trucks were called to the scene.
The residence was valued at $235,000, according to the report, and its contents’ estimated value was $50,000.
Chief Fire Marshal Jason Wills is investigating the cause of the fire.
The department is also investigating a fire on Monday that was called in at 11:20 a.m. to an apartment in the 600 block of Gladiolus Drive, Hamrick said.
No one was reported injured, he said, but Wills is investigating the blaze as a suspected arson. | 2022-05-11T19:52:36Z | www.jonesborosun.com | House fire claims man's life | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/house-fire-claims-mans-life/article_a779d3d8-a040-5976-84ed-bad89ac84e39.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/house-fire-claims-mans-life/article_a779d3d8-a040-5976-84ed-bad89ac84e39.html |
Library forming ad hoc committee on finances
JONESBORO — The Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library’s board of trustees has instructed Library Director Vanessa Adams to appoint an ad hoc committee to examine the library’s finances.
On Monday night, Robin Martin, a member of the audience who gave public comments, said the library is only one of 10 in the state that receives 2 mills from the county. The other nine, she said, are smaller counties.
Martin said the board is not discussing finances, just accepting the reports provided to the members.
“I wonder if board members don’t understand what they’re looking at,” she said.
Martin said the library has more than $6 million in cash on hand.
The ad hoc committee will be headed by board member Kailey Luster, who serves as the board’s treasurer, and will include Martin, who’s a certified public accountant, and possibly the father of audience member, who she said is a retired CPA. The committee would also include Adams and the library’s bookkeeper.
In other matters, the board reviewed an appeal by Martin of her request to remove the book “L8R G8T” from the teen’s section of the library. A library reconsideration committee rejected her request earlier.
“The committee unanimously recommended that the title be retained in its current location in young adult realistic fiction,” the committee reported in December.
Under the board’s Material Reconsideration Policy, which was amended at Monday’s meeting, “The board will decide either to deny an appeal based on the reconsideration committee’s recommendation, or request a copy of the book for each member to read and make a decision at the next scheduled board meeting.”
Board member Mark Nichols said “L8R G8R” includes details about oral sex and sex toys.
The board voted unanimously to delay its vote on the appeal until its next meeting on Sept. 12.
The amended policy also gives the person appealing the committee’s ruling 14 days to contact Library Director Vanessa Adams about the appeal.
In other business, Luster questioned the quarterly finance report’s inclusion of $5,447.50 in legal expenses. Adams said the board’s attorney, Donn Mixon, previously didn’t charge the board for legal services, but last year the board was twice sued for violating the state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Because of the time he spent on the two lawsuits, Mixon now charges the board at a discounted rate, Adams said.
Mixon, at the last meeting, told board members that he doesn’t respond to requests from individual board members because he’s represents the board and not individual members. He does respond to Adams, though.
During public comments, Dean McDonald said he was thankful of the job being done by the library’s staff and was glad that the heated rhetoric of the last year has been toned down.
“It’s disappointing” that some people “are making libraries a national political battleground,” he said.
Valerie Carroll said the library offers more events than any library of its size. She also said she questions the motives of people who question the library’s spending and make requests for multiple FOIA information. | 2022-05-11T19:52:48Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Library forming ad hoc committee on finances | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/library-forming-ad-hoc-committee-on-finances/article_e60ae4ab-511b-5392-b68c-7a16aae363c0.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/library-forming-ad-hoc-committee-on-finances/article_e60ae4ab-511b-5392-b68c-7a16aae363c0.html |
Planners hoping for safety solution through grant program
JONESBORO — Regional transportation planners want to be among the first in line for a new federal grant program that could help enhance pedestrian safety.
Alan Pillow, director of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Transportation Planning Commission, told the commission’s technical advisory committee Tuesday that more than $5 billion will be available over the next five years. The commission is a federally-funded transportation planning organization that provides local input on the best use of federal transportation dollars in Jonesboro, Brookland, Bay and Bono and the unincorporated areas of Craighead County between those cities.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All program is a nationwide discretionary grant that is not distributed under a formula to states, unlike some trail grants area cities have received over the years.
Pillow said the final determination of what projects may be eligible for the grant program hasn’t been completed, but from the initial materials he has received and seminars he has attended, Pillow said it appears the program will require a safety action plan.
“Which puts us in a pretty good spot, because we actually do have a safety plan; we haven’t adopted it yet,” Pillow said. “We do have one on hand. It needs to be updated. The data is getting old at this point. I’m expecting to get some new data soon.”
If the commission adopts a regional safety action plan, then any of the individual cities or the county would be able to apply for specific grants under the Safe Streets program, Pillow said.
Among projects in the unadopted plan are measures to improve pedestrian safety on East Johnson Avenue (Arkansas 91) near the Arkansas State University campus and North Church Street (Arkansas 141) near Parker Park Community Center.
While the Jonesboro City Council has received recommendations, it hasn’t funded the projects.
William Hall, chairman of the technical advisory committee, said the grant program appears to be the opportunity to tackle the problem. Hall, who works for ASU, said university officials have also been looking for solutions further east along the stretch of Johnson between the Marion Berry Parkway and University Loop.
“It’s good news that a project could potentially come under the umbrella of the MPO,” Hall said. “ … It looks like we’re well on our way.”
Pedestrian accidents along Johnson Avenue prompted the construction of a temporary pedestrian hybrid beacon crosswalk that was installed near State Street in September 2019. It was a federally funded demonstration project.
The beacon flashed yellow to tell motorists to slow or stop temporarily when a pedestrian pressed a button.
The temporary crossing was placed where many pedestrians historically walk between apartment communities on the north side of Johnson Avenue (Arkansas 91) and a convenience store on the south side.
The crosswalk was taken down in July 2020. A permanent signal at that location would have cost an estimated $190,000, officials said.
Pillow said federal officials hope to finalize the rules for the new grant program by the end of May. | 2022-05-11T19:53:00Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Planners hoping for safety solution through grant program | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/planners-hoping-for-safety-solution-through-grant-program/article_480e29fa-c7ac-51ae-ad44-cb420b817575.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/planners-hoping-for-safety-solution-through-grant-program/article_480e29fa-c7ac-51ae-ad44-cb420b817575.html |
Virus cases drop in NEA
JONESBORO — Northeast Arkansas’ most populous counties showed declines in coronavirus cases in the past week, while the number of active cases statewide continued to grow, a Sun review of daily reports from the Arkansas Department of Health showed.
Greene County recorded 41 new cases between May 2 and Sunday, down from 88 the week before, while Craighead County had 30 new cases, down from 36. Mississippi County’s numbers were also cut in half, from 14 to 7.
Pulaski County reported a state-high of 241 new cases, followed by Washington County with 150 and Benton County, 122. That’s an increase for all three of those counties.
Statewide, new cases dropped by 25 percent to 1,171. But active cases rose by 29 percent to 2,057,
Statewide COVID-related hospitalizations rose in the previous seven days from 48 to 55, while Northeast Arkansas hospitals reported six COVID patients, up from four the previous week.
The state recorded 14 deaths in the previous seven days, including one each in Greene, Lawrence and Poinsett Counties. The cumulative death toll since the pandemic reached Arkansas in March 2020 stood at 11,409 on Monday, an increase of one since Sunday.
On Monday, the health department reported 64 new cases, including two in Greene and one in Craighead County.
The infection rate in all Northeast Arkansas counties is rated low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Craighead – 30 new cases, (decrease of 6 from last week); 65 active cases (decrease of 12); 329 total virus related deaths (unchanged).
Greene – 41 new cases (decrease of 47); 78 active (decrease of 33); 173 deaths (increase of 1).
Jackson – 15 new cases (increase of 13); 19 active cases (increase of 9); 63 deaths (unchanged).
Lawrence – 11 new cases (increase of 6); 14 active (increase of 4); 78 deaths (increase of 1).
Poinsett – 8 new cases (decrease of 4); 21 active (increase of 3); 127 deaths (increase of 1).
Mississippi – 7 new cases (decrease of 7); 25 active cases (decrease of 1); 209 deaths (unchanged).
Cross – 3 new case (increase of 2); 4 active cases (increase of 2); 83 deaths (unchanged). | 2022-05-11T19:53:13Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Virus cases drop in NEA | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/virus-cases-drop-in-nea/article_0629accd-57f4-527d-980c-1cbb2727ae5c.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/virus-cases-drop-in-nea/article_0629accd-57f4-527d-980c-1cbb2727ae5c.html |
A sandbox to create jobs in?
By Greg Kaza Guest Columnist
Employment is the broadest economic indicator at the state level. State economic development officials like to cite job gains from individual projects. But a closer look reveals that Arkansas has an employment gap and is trailing national averages.
Consider that expansion is the natural state of the U.S. economy. In this century’s first 21 years, the economy expanded 224 months, interrupted by three recessions (2001, 2007-09, 2020) totaling 28 months, National Bureau of Economic Research records show.
Arkansas’ growth during these expansions trailed the U.S. average. In the first (November 2001 to December 2007), Arkansas’ job creation rate (5.2 percent) trailed the U.S. (5.5 percent). In the second (June 2009 to February 2020), Arkansas (11.6 percent) trailed the U.S. (16.4 percent) by a wider margin. The gap expanded though Arkansas’ jobs creation rate more than doubled (5.2 to 11.6 percent).
About one third of states topped the U.S. average, including two (Tennessee and Texas) that border Arkansas. The state with the best employment growth in the U.S. was Utah, with a jobs creation rate (32.8 percent) doubled the national average.
Utah policymakers are not complacent about their success. Instead, they are innovating with a policy experiment adopted by an additional 10 states. The experiment, termed a regulatory sandbox, is a set of rules that allow businesses, usually within a specific industry, to test themselves in a market without being subject to usual regulations.
The process occurs under the observation of state regulators over a multi-year period. Larger firms can have an advantage over smaller firms in navigating the regulatory process. Entrepreneurs with a new business model, product or service may also face the obstacle of a law or regulation written years or decades before a market existed. The sandbox gives them the liberty to operate until policymakers determine which regulations, if any, should apply to it.
Utah’s sandbox is all-inclusive, encompassing any industry. The other 10 states have applied the concept to a single industry. In the Southeast, Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia identified a tech sector for the experiment, an action also taken by Arizona, Nevada and Wyoming policymakers. Vermont, Kentucky and South Dakota created a sandbox for the insurance sector.
Hawaii’s sandbox targeted digital currency. A release explains the Digital Currency Innovation Lab “is a two-year initiative that aims to achieve a more in-depth perspective of digital currency” and “allows issuers to do business in Hawaii without obtaining a state money transmitter license during the effective period of the pilot program. The insights attained will be used to guide legislation and determine the future of digital currency activity in Hawaii.”
In Mississippi, the agricultural sector has been proposed for a sandbox.
Examining regulatory sandboxes in other states could help Arkansas close its employment gap.
Economist Greg Kaza is executive director of the Arkansas Policy Foundation, a Little Rock nonprofit think tank founded in 1995. | 2022-05-11T19:54:15Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A sandbox to create jobs in? | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/a-sandbox-to-create-jobs-in/article_100cbf28-37d3-509a-b448-808334ee00fb.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/a-sandbox-to-create-jobs-in/article_100cbf28-37d3-509a-b448-808334ee00fb.html |
Grant wasn't so complicated
April 27 marked the 200th anniversary of Ulysses S. Grant’s birth in Point Pleasant, Ohio.
His personal memoirs, originally published in two volumes, is considered one of the best military autobiographies ever written. He focused on his career as a soldier during the Mexican War and Civil War. Perhaps he would have given us insight on his presidency (1869-1877) in a third volume if he had lived long enough, but Grant was in a race against death to finish writing what he could while suffering from cancer. He finished his memoirs on July 18, 1885, and died five days later.
Although historians now consider Grant a much better president than was once thought, some still paint him as a complicated character. In San Francisco a group tore down a statue of Grant a couple of summers ago. I think if we look at the big picture considering his life and times, he wasn’t so complicated after all.
Here’s some things about Grant that were either passed down by old Lost Causers of the Confederacy to try to make their own mythology seem credible, or those who denounce Grant today for not being even more ahead of his time than he was:
He was a horrible student: First of all, Grant’s father, Jesse, applied to get his son a Congressional appointment to West Point and Grant did not want to go. Secondly, consider that Grant had just turned 17 years old when he entered the military academy in 1839. That year 30 percent of the prospective class was unable to pass the entrance exams to become cadets. That left 60 cadets, but 21 of them couldn’t cut the mustard to graduate. Grant graduated in 1843, ranked 21st out of 39.
He was kicked out of the army for drinking: He was a drinker, but he wasn’t kicked out. He was decorated and promoted for actions in the Mexican War, even though he thought the war was wrong. “For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this day regard the war which resulted as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory,” Grant wrote. He resigned in 1854 after being sent to the Pacific Northwest and not being allowed to take his family with him. There are accounts that he drank to excess during that time but according to the book General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and The Man, by Edward G. Longacre, there were no official reports of Grant drinking too much and the War Department stated: “Nothing stands against his good name.”
He led the Union in the Civil War, supposedly against slavery, but he was a slave-owner: Like many people in the 19th century Grant had been indifferent to slavery when it didn’t affect him personally. Grant did own a slave that had belonged to his father-in-law when Grant and his wife, Julia, were farming in Missouri after he resigned from the army. But Grant, who decided to give up farming, freed the man through paperwork he filed in St. Louis, in 1859. William Jones would have been 35 years old. According to the National Parks Service, Grant could have sold Jones for a profit of up to $1,500 but gave him freedom instead. That amount of money would be equivalent to about $52,000 today.
He was anti-Semitic: In December 1862, Grant’s army controlled west Tennessee, north Mississippi, and parts of Kentucky and Arkansas. There was a blockade to keep money for crops out of the hands of the Confederacy, but a black market existed. The War Department eventually allowed traders who held permits, to buy cotton as long as they did not travel into enemy territory, but this made it even more difficult for Grant to stop illegal transactions. Making matters worse, Grant’s father tried to get permits for his friends Harmen, Henry, and Simon Mack, Jewish brothers who owned a clothing business in Ohio, for a cut of the profits they made off cotton they planned to buy. A furious Grant’s Order No. 11 stated: “The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, and also Department orders, are hereby expelled from the Department.” This rightly angered Jewish people, soldiers, and President Abraham Lincoln, who had the order rescinded. But reformjudaism.org notes that Grant expressed regret over the order and apologized for it. As president he appointed a record number of Jewish Americans to offices and spoke out against Jewish persecution in other countries. The Jewish Record newspaper in Philadelphia declared: “None will mourn his loss more sincerely than the Hebrew,” when Grant died.
He was corrupt: Black Friday on Sept. 24, 1869 was caused by corruption that was actually uncovered by Grant, and involved his brother-in-law. The mastermind of the plot to corner the gold market, which led to its collapse on Black Friday, was railroadman Jay Gould, for which the ‘gould’ part of Paragould is named (the Para part comes from railroadman J.W. Paramore). He was working with financiers James Fisk, Abel Corbin, Grant’s brother-in-law, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Daniel Butterfield on the plot, but President Grant became suspicious, and ordered $4 million in government gold to be sold. A Congressional investigation cleared Grant of wrongdoing, but excoriated Gould for his manipulation of the gold market, and Corbin for exploiting his connection with Grant. Butterfield, who resigned soon after the gold crash, was implicated for giving information to Gould.
As president, Grant enforced civil rights, took action against voter intimidation, and protected the right of African-Americans to hold office. He effectively dismantled the Ku Klux Klan with hundreds of convictions (it didn’t really rise again until the 1920s). He endorsed the 15th Amendment, which prohibited federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.” He established the Department of Justice, Office of Solicitor General, and Yellowstone National Park. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 into law, banning discrimination in public accommodations and public transportation. In 1883, however, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional, and with its racist interpretation of the 15th Amendment, along with Southern Democratic control of states, the voting rights of African Americans were basically disenfranchised. This was the last Civil Rights legislation until the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
And although he was not the best friend of Native Americans, Grant advocated for their humane treatment at a time when some government officials were calling for genocide. Even though he proposed placing them on reservations, he insisted on giving them protection. Grant was the first president to appoint a Native American as the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and his policy was to have Native Americans assimilated into American culture, which is a frowned-upon approach by today’s standards. But, considering the alternative at the time, maybe he was their best friend. | 2022-05-11T19:54:22Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Grant wasn't so complicated | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/grant-wasnt-so-complicated/article_c0c95cca-8f81-5830-b4d4-08f5f8c2f263.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/grant-wasnt-so-complicated/article_c0c95cca-8f81-5830-b4d4-08f5f8c2f263.html |
Valley View’s Slade Caldwell steals second base during the fourth inning of the Blazers’ 12-0 victory over Pulaski Robinson in the Class 4A East Region third-place game Monday.
BIC cruises past McCrory in region final
CARLISLE — Buffalo Island Central earned its third shutout victory of the Class 2A North Region baseball tournament Monday afternoon, defeating McCrory 7-0 in the championship game.
Nick Patterson and Alex Rangel combined on a one-hit shutout to lead the Mustangs (18-2). Patterson pitched the first five innings, striking out 12 while walking four batters. Rangel pitched two hitless innings, striking out two, to complete the victory.
Brayden Carmichael was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in to lead BIC offensively. Brayden Mullis was 3-for-4, scored two runs and drove in one, while Caden Howard was 2-for-4 and scored one run.
BIC pitchers did not allow a run in three North Region tournament victories. Patterson and Rangel combined on a shutout in the opening 11-0 victory over Des Arc, while Patterson pitched 6 2/3 innings during the Mustangs’ 5-0 semifinal victory over Riverside.
The Mustangs will take a 15-game winning streak into the Class 2A state tournament that will be hosted by South Side Bee Branch. BIC will play Mountainburg on Thursday in a game that will be played at Greenbrier High School at 3 p.m.
BROOKLAND – Valley View scored nine runs in the first inning and went on to rout Pulaski Robinson 12-0 in five innings in the third-place game of the Class 4A East Region baseball tournament Monday.
The Blazers (26-6) open the state tournament Thursday in Nashville against Farmington, the fourth-place team from the North Region tournament. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m.
Grayson Becker was 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored in Valley View’s victory Monday afternoon. Slade Caldwell was 2-for-2 with two doubles, three runs scored and one RBI. Lawson Ward also had a hit and an RBI, while Tyler Hoskins doubled and scored once.
Carson Tosh pitched 4 1/3 innings for the victory, allowing two hits while striking out two batters and walking two. Barrett Brooks recorded the final two outs.
Lonoke defeated Pulaski Academy 6-4 in the championship game Monday evening. | 2022-05-11T19:54:29Z | www.jonesborosun.com | BIC cruises past McCrory in region final | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/bic-cruises-past-mccrory-in-region-final/article_489fed03-2259-561b-8788-b6e5a9d543e7.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/bic-cruises-past-mccrory-in-region-final/article_489fed03-2259-561b-8788-b6e5a9d543e7.html |
Nettleton's Douglas, JHS relay team win at 5A meet
VAN BUREN — Nettleton's Donna Douglas and the Jonesboro boys' 4x100 relay team won events Friday in the Class 5A state track and field meet.
Douglas won the girls' shot put with a best effort of 43 feet, 11 inches. Jonesboro's 4x100 relay team won in a time of 42.87 seconds.
Jonesboro finished third in the boys' team standings with 73 points. El Dorado won the meet with 122 points, followed by Mountain Home in second with 105. Nettleton scored 14 points for 15th place.
The Hurricane's Erik Wilson scored in four events. Wilson was third in the high jump, fourth in the long jump, fifth in the triple jump and seventh in the 200-meter dash.
Other top-eight finishes for Jonesboro came from Kavon Pointer, who was third in the triple jump; Jagger Holmes (third in the shot put); Matt Cooper (fifth in the shot put, eighth in the discus); John Paul Pickens (fourth in the 400); Harrison Herget (sixth in the pole vault); Jordan Hicks (sixth in the long jump); Brock McCoy (sixth in the 100); Murray Cooper (seventh in the pole vault); Alex Elliott (eighth in the 110 hurdles); the 4x200 relay team (second); and the 4x400 relay team (fifth).
Nettleton's Jamie Morris scored in four events, placing fourth in the high jump and sixth in the 110 hurdles. The Raiders' KJ Word was fifth in the 300 hurdles and Nettleton's 4x200 relay team was seventh.
Greene County Tech's Grant Gay and Reece Middleton were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the discus and 800 meters. Paragould's Ashton Oakes placed eighth in the pole vault.
Jonesboro finished sixth in the girls' team standings with 43 points, while Nettleton tied for 10th with 21 points. El Dorado won the meet with 116 points.
The Lady Hurricane's Kalaiya Dixon scored in three individual events, tying for third in the high jump, placing fourth in the triple jump and eighth in the 300 hurdles.
Jonesboro also received top-eight finishes from Takiria Brown (sixth, 100); Carmen Payne (fifth, 400); Ty Hourd (seventh, 300 hurdles); Savannah Byrd (seventh, 800); Peyton Church (eighth, discus); the 4x200 relay team (third); the 4x100 relay team (fifth); and the 4x400 relay team (seventh).
Douglas finished fourth in the discus in addition to winning the shot put. The Lady Raiders' Makila Hill was third in the 100.
Paragould's Carson DeFries finished second in the high jump and the Lady Rams' Starlyn Edwards placed fourth in the 800. GCT's Ella Gay finished fifth in the 300 hurdles, while teammate Katelyn Dixon tied for sixth in the pole vault. | 2022-05-11T19:54:42Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Nettleton's Douglas, JHS relay team win at 5A meet | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/nettletons-douglas-jhs-relay-team-win-at-5a-meet/article_f7fbafcd-2745-590e-85f9-12e1439071d5.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/nettletons-douglas-jhs-relay-team-win-at-5a-meet/article_f7fbafcd-2745-590e-85f9-12e1439071d5.html |
Arkansas State University System President Chuck Welch (left) presents new Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Jeff Purinton a jersey with his name during Monday’s press conference. Purinton is ASU’s 13th all-time director of athletics.
New leader takes charge of ASU athletics
JONESBORO — Jeff Purinton’s name was the first mentioned to Arkansas State University System President Chuck Welch when he made his first call in the search for a new vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics.
There were others that came up during the search process, but Welch said he knew Purinton was the right fit when they met.
“We had some other tremendous candidates, and I want to thank them publicly because I appreciate the interest they had in our program,” Welch said Monday, “but when I met Jeff Purinton, when I had a chance to talk to him, it was very evident to me this is the leader of Red Wolves athletics.”
ASU formally introduced Purinton as its 13th athletic director during a press conference Monday in the Centennial Bank Athletic Operations Center.
Purinton takes over at ASU after a 15-year stint at the University of Alabama in various roles, most recently executive deputy director of athletics. His career has also included positions with the Orange Bowl Committee and the athletic department at Florida State, his alma mater.
Just as Purinton made a strong first impression on Welch, the ASU president quickly built a relationship with the candidate.
“He’s genuine and someone I knew I could trust right off the bat. All of this really boils down to the people, especially in college athletics, and after I met Chuck and (ASU general counsel) Brad Phelps for the interview, I was 100 percent on board,” Purinton said. “Alignment with university leadership is so important if you’re going to have success in what we do. I felt like Arkansas State was a place where everyone was on the same page from the top down. There was honestly never a point in time where there was any doubt in my mind that it was the right place to be and the right time to do it.”
As Alabama’s executive deputy director of athletics, Purinton was the sport administrator for the university’s football program as well as men’s and women’s golf, and he previously oversaw men’s basketball. He also supervised several departments within athletics, including human resources, marketing and trademark licensing.
Purinton was also deputy AD (2019-21), executive associate AD (2018-19), senior associate AD (2015-18) and associate athletics director for football communications (2007-15) at Alabama.
Second-year ASU head football coach Butch Jones got to know Purinton while part of Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s staff for three seasons. Jones sent Purinton photos of ASU’s facilities while Purinton was going through the interview process.
“Spending three years with him, we worked very closely together and there was a friendship, there was a respect, bouncing ideas off of each other, but he was so busy because he did so many different things,” Jones said. “Again, just when you look at his character, he’s seen what great looks like. He’s always had a plan and I think this is someone who has been waiting.
“He’s had many opportunities at a lot of different institutions, but the timing was never right (elsewhere). He was going to be selective in what job he chose and I knew right off the bat when we talked that this was for real, that he really wanted to be the vice chancellor for athletics at Arkansas State. I could see he had that passion and wanted to do that.”
Purinton, who will attend Sun Belt Conference meetings next week, said his priorities are to make sure student-athletes graduate and have a first-class experience; follow rules and operate with integrity; represent the university and department of athletics in a first-class manner; practice sound fiscal management and maximize revenue opportunities; and compete for championships.
Meetings with coaches, university officials, student-athletes, donors and alumni are on Purinton’s list of things to do.
“No task is beneath me. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help us win, have success, recruit,” Purinton said. “I’m not going to sit up in the AD’s suite and drink wine and not connect with people. I think you have to immerse yourself with the student-athletes, with the coaches, with the community, with the donors. I’m a people person. I like to get to know people, I like to be around people.”
Less than two weeks passed between Tom Bowen’s resignation announcement and Purinton’s appointment as vice chancellor last week. Last month Welch said he was hopeful ASU could conclude the search by June 1.
“My initial thoughts were perhaps I would just wait until we had a chancellor in place, because that does make it a little bit easier, but the more I thought about that process and that timeline, by the time we got a chancellor in place and as rapidly as things are changing in intercollegiate athletics right now, I just simply didn’t think we had the luxury of waiting,” Welch said. “I visited with some ADs around the country who I trust and talked to them, and they all said, ‘I think you need to move, I think you need to go ahead and push forward.’”
Purinton has a five-year contract with an annual salary of $400,000 as vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics. There is a $60,000 retention bonus if Purinton remains in his role as of July 1, 2025.
From afar, Purinton said he has had a lot of respect for ASU’s accomplishments and reputation in athletics.
“The people I talk to, when this job became a possibility, there wasn’t one person that I respect in this industry who said, ‘No, you shouldn’t do that,’ or, ‘They can’t get it done there.’ I talked to a lot of people just like Chuck did during this process and everybody said, ‘You’re ready and this is the right place,’” Purinton said. “I wanted to go somewhere, too, where the community cared a lot about athletics and it’s ingrained, like this is similar to Tuscaloosa where it’s synonymous with the city and everybody is on the same page, and the family part was important to us. I felt really good talking to Chuck and felt like this was the right place for us.” | 2022-05-11T19:54:48Z | www.jonesborosun.com | New leader takes charge of ASU athletics | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/new-leader-takes-charge-of-asu-athletics/article_f92c9fde-3e38-58a8-9a7f-126a57cfea5e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/new-leader-takes-charge-of-asu-athletics/article_f92c9fde-3e38-58a8-9a7f-126a57cfea5e.html |
Schmidt fires 72 to open regional
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Highlighted by a hole-in-one on No. 13, Arkansas State women’s golf junior Olivia Schmidt turned in an even-par 72 and is tied for seventh following the first round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State at Seminole Legacy Golf Club.
“This is a really tough golf course, but I had a lot of fun out here today,” Schmidt said. “This course can frustrate you quickly, but it’s a blessing to be out here so it’s hard to complain. Overall, I played pretty well today, but I know I can play better over these next two days.”
“On No. 5, I was basically in the water so it was essential to get that up-and-down,” Schmidt said. “Another big up-and-down was on No. 9 to make the turn at 2-over. The front nine here is a monster and the greens are huge, so to make the turn at 2-over was a big deal to me.”
Schmidt tees off the second round at 7:55 a.m. (CDT) today at Seminole Legacy Golf Club. | 2022-05-11T19:54:50Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Schmidt fires 72 to open regional | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/schmidt-fires-72-to-open-regional/article_742ae460-0b77-5616-adf6-0c34869b66bb.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/schmidt-fires-72-to-open-regional/article_742ae460-0b77-5616-adf6-0c34869b66bb.html |
Lawrence County poll workers Susan Jackson (second, from left) and Carla Wadley, both of Walnut Ridge, assist voter Donna Henry of Walnut Ridge as she signs in at early voting held in the conference room at the Lawrence County Courthouse. Early voting began Monday and will continue through Monday, May 23.
TD Photo / Shantelle Redden
Early voting for AR primary elections underway
Early voting for the May 24 election is underway with several state and local candidates on the ballot. Several countywide races have developed in Lawrence County for the May primary, including races for county judge, county sheriff and county clerk.
Lawrence County’s early polling location is in the conference room of the Lawrence County Courthouse, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Voters will need to bring their photo ID, as well as make sure their address is up to date when casting a ballot. During sign in, voters will have the option to choose the Democratic or Republican ballot.
Residents can vote early until May 23, one day before Election Day.
Ballots also feature crowded races for a U.S. Senate seat and some of the state’s top offices. | 2022-05-11T19:55:10Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Early voting for AR primary elections underway | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/early-voting-for-ar-primary-elections-underway/article_e3f0191a-3dd9-54a5-965d-701be311dd25.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/early-voting-for-ar-primary-elections-underway/article_e3f0191a-3dd9-54a5-965d-701be311dd25.html |
Mary Louise Cain, 87, of Hoxie, passed away Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro.
Mary was born to the late Tom and MaeBelle Brown Hendricks on June 19, 1934, in Colfax, Ill. She married Alvie L. Cain Sr., on July 21, 1951, in Walnut Ridge. They had three children: Alvie L. Cain Jr. (Bonnie) of Hoxie, Michael R. Cain (Sharon) of Cord and Cindy M. Nelson (Harry) of Tomah, Wis.
Mary was a hardworking lady, taking pride in every job she ever worked. She enjoyed gardening and canning for her family over the years. She also enjoyed her companion puppy, Itsy, for 16 years.
Survivors include her children; seven grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; her sister, Shirley Chavers of Rockford, Ill.; and many other relatives and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 54 years, Alvie; four brothers; three sisters; and a daughter-in-law.
Private services will be held by the family at a later date at Arnold Cemetery near Swifton. | 2022-05-11T19:55:34Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Mary Cain | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/mary-cain/article_0e912f3d-6b14-5fb8-8858-3504e1156781.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/mary-cain/article_0e912f3d-6b14-5fb8-8858-3504e1156781.html |
Nancy Ruth Pickney, 78, of Black Rock, passed away May 7, 2022, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro.
Born July 24, 1943, in Black Rock, she was the daughter of the late Wesley Woodson and Cora Tryee. Nancy was united in marriage to Freddie Pickney on Nov. 13, 1964. She worked on the assembly line at SKIL for most of her life. She was a caregiver and enjoyed spending time with her family. Her favorite past time hobby was scrapbooking and making picture memories.
She is preceded in death by her parents; and six siblings, Alene Wilson, John and Tommy Woodson, Janette Crosslin, Sue James and Barbara Tryee.
Survivors include her husband of 57 years, Freddie, of the home; two sons, Dean (Julie) Pickney and Scott (Tina) Pickney, all of Jonesboro; two grandsons, Jaxon, and Josh Pickney; and a brother, James (Diane) Woodson of Pocahontas; and many other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be Thursday, May 12, from 5-7 p.m. at Bryan Funeral Home. Interment of her cremains will be held by the family at a later date at Oak Forrest Cemetery in Black Rock. | 2022-05-11T19:55:40Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Nancy Ruth Pickney | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/nancy-ruth-pickney/article_b77e6b74-130d-5f56-9944-324b4c727b4b.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/nancy-ruth-pickney/article_b77e6b74-130d-5f56-9944-324b4c727b4b.html |
Pauline Duncan Taylor, 96, of Lynn, passed from this life on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at Cave City Nursing Home.
She was born Aug. 31, 1925, in Lynn, to the late Marion and Omi Norris Raney. She was a homemaker and was a member of Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Strawberry.
In addition to her parents, Pauline was preceded in death by her first husband, Leslie Duncan; her second husband, Bud Taylor; son, Charles Duncan; brothers, Ellis Raney, Edison Raney and Laverne Raney; and sisters, Alice Baker, Ruby Evans and Faye Champion.
Survivors include her son, L.M. Duncan (Mildred) of Bono; stepchildren, Larry Taylor and Carla Linehan, both of Texas, and Pat Burleson of Black Rock; granddaughter, Debra Randolph (Roger) of Smithville; great-granddaughter, Raven Johnson (Brady); and several other great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Visitation was Friday, May 6, from noon until 1 p.m. at Jerusalem Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Strawberry. The funeral followed at 1 p.m. with Roger Randolph officiating. Burial was private. Arrangements were under the direction of Cox Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge.
Honored to serve as pallbearers were Larry Evans, Dennis Evans, Ronnie Evans, Wayne Brown, Allen McDonald and John Pettit. Honorary pallbearers were the men of Jerusalem Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. | 2022-05-11T19:55:46Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Pauline Duncan Taylor | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/pauline-duncan-taylor/article_5c1f7e9d-4e2d-5e55-8dc7-c9083f23747f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/pauline-duncan-taylor/article_5c1f7e9d-4e2d-5e55-8dc7-c9083f23747f.html |
The Hillcrest girls track team competed at the 1A Region 3 Meet on April 25 at Pocahontas. The Lady Screamin’ Eagles qualified for four events at the state track meet, which was held on May 5 at Quitman. Team members include (from left): Summer Doyle, Molly Emison, Kayleigh Kirk, Ivy Landers, Emma Jones, Kylie Baxter, Kennedy’s Brannon and (not pictured) Brooklyn Penn. Samantha Bergeron is the coach.
Hillcrest girls do well in conference meet
Several Hillcrest senior high track athletes competed at the 1A Region 3 Conference Meet on April 25 at Pocahontas.
The Lady Screamin’ Eagles qualified for four events at the state track meet at Quitman. Emma Jones finished first in the 300-meter hurdles. The Hillcrest girls also won the 4x400m relay and were runners-up in the 4x200m and 4x800m.
Individual results also included:
Ivy Landers: 11th in the 100m, sixth in the 200m, fourth in the 100m hurdles, seventh in the high jump, seventh in the triple jump.
Molly Emison: 12th in the 200m, 12th in the long jump.
Summer Doyle: third in the 400m, sixth in the long jump, ninth in the triple jump.
Kayleigh Kirk: sixth in the 400m, 10th in the discus, fourth in the shot put.
Kennedy Brannon: 11th in the 400m, fifth in the 300m hurdles, 10th in the triple jump, 14th in the shot put.
Kylie Baxter: seventh in the 800m, fourth in the high jump, ninth in the long jump.
Emma Jones: first in the 300m hurdles, third in the high jump, 14th in the long jump.
The Lady Screamin’ Eagles finished third in the 4x100m relay.
For the boys, Kyler Kirk finished fourth in the 1,600m run. | 2022-05-11T19:56:04Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Hillcrest girls do well in conference meet | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/hillcrest-girls-do-well-in-conference-meet/article_2d0a0ce3-2b18-529b-868f-ca37cf94154a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/hillcrest-girls-do-well-in-conference-meet/article_2d0a0ce3-2b18-529b-868f-ca37cf94154a.html |
LawCo teams compete in state meets
Several athletes from Lawrence County schools competed in their respective state track meets last week.
At the 1A State Meet, held at Quitman on May 4, Emma Jones of Hillcrest finished 11th in the 300m hurdles.
The Hillcrest girls placed fourth in the 4x400m relay. The Lady Screamin’ Eagles relay teams also finished eighth in the 4x800m and 11th in the 4x200m.
Hoxie
The 3A state meet was held May 3 in Lincoln. Hoxie’s Ellery Gillham placed ninth in the shot put. The Lady Mustangs finished 15th in the 4x800m relay.
Ty Gramling finished 10th in the boys 300m hurdles.
Sloan-Hendrix
The 2A state meet took place on May 3, also at Quitman. Julian Folk of Sloan-Hendrix finished 11th in the boys 1,600. Greyhound relay teams placed seventh in the 4x800m and 13th in the 4x400m.
In the girls meet, the Lady Greyhounds finished 11th in the 4x400m relay. | 2022-05-11T19:56:11Z | www.jonesborosun.com | LawCo teams compete in state meets | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/lawco-teams-compete-in-state-meets/article_f0bc9cce-7f06-5bc2-bca7-3bc150818a5f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/sports/lawco-teams-compete-in-state-meets/article_f0bc9cce-7f06-5bc2-bca7-3bc150818a5f.html |
Liam Purcell (center) and Cane Mill Road will perform at 7 p.m. May 23 at the Collins Theatre in Paragould as part of the KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert series. Pictured with Purcell (from left) are band members Sam Stage, Jacob Smith, Rob McCormac and Colton Kerchner.
Courtesy of Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road
Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road will be next Bluegrass Monday Concert
JONESBORO — Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road will perform at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert set for 7 p.m. May 23 at the Collins Theatre, 120 W. Emerson St. in Paragould.
Based in Deep Gap, N.C., the band is the 2019 recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Award presented to top young rising stars in bluegrass music.
The band’s repertoire includes bluegrass standards, original tunes and arrangements of melodies from other genres of music.
The group’s most recent album, Roots, reached the top 10 of the Billboard Magazine bluegrass album charts.
Liam Purcell has led the band since 2014, playing mandolin and being the featured vocalist. He was mentored by banjo legend Pete Wernick and is accomplished on all bluegrass instruments.
Other band members include guitarist Rob McCormac, a noted ethnomusicologist and graduate of Appalachian State University.
Bassist Jacob Smith plays jazz and classical music in addition to bluegrass, and has earned a degree in music business.
Colton Kercher plays banjo in the band and is also a graduate of Appalachian State, and fiddler Sam Stage is the 2021 winner of the Rockygrass Fiddle Championship.
Doors open at 6 p.m., and seating is first-come, first-served. Admission is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Everyone age 18 and younger will be admitted free. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.kasu.org/tickets. All seating is general admission.
Ticket proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance. | 2022-05-13T15:27:41Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road will be next Bluegrass Monday Concert | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/liam-purcell-and-cane-mill-road-will-be-next-bluegrass-monday-concert/article_8107282f-d29c-5740-a164-eec5b0af54a9.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/liam-purcell-and-cane-mill-road-will-be-next-bluegrass-monday-concert/article_8107282f-d29c-5740-a164-eec5b0af54a9.html |
A car is charged Thursday at the electric vehicle charging station at 219 Monroe Ave.
JONESBORO — City Water and Light’s two electric vehicle charging stations are up and running in downtown Jonesboro, according to Slade Mitchell, CWL’s spokesman said Thursday.
The two stations – one at 219 Monroe Ave. and the other at the parking lot at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Union Street – have two ports each, Mitchell said.
An hour’s charge, which a vehicle can run on for 65 miles, costs $3.46, he said.
If a vehicle stays parked at a charging station after charging it gets charged 12 cents per minute for occupying the space, Mitchell said.
Between April 26 and Wednesday, Mitchell said, 16 vehicles have used the stations. He said he expects those numbers to improve as word gets out.
The stations cost $21,000 to install and CWL was reimbursed $18,900 from a state-run grant, Mitchell said.
“The rebate was higher because we put it on public property,” he said.
Some local businesses, such as hotels, have EV charging stations available, primarily for their regular customers, but City Water and Light and the City of Jonesboro have teamed up to place some chargers in public parking lots.
Mitchell said it’s possible CWL will install more charging stations in the future, but nothing is set in concrete.
Scott Hardin, public information officer with the state Department of Finance and Administration, said in an email Thursday, “We currently have approximately 2.75 million passenger vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, etc) registered in Arkansas. From that total, 2,094 of those vehicles are fully electric while 22,818 are hybrid vehicles.”
In 2020 the state had 1,303 electric and 18,242 hybrid vehicles. In 2019 the state had 781 electric vehicles and 13,861 hybrid vehicles, Hardin said.
In other news, the CWL Jonesboro Solar Park went online about a week and a half ago, Mitchell said.
The facility will generate an estimated 24,292 megawatt-hours of zero carbon emission during its first year of operation, according to a CWL release.
The plant, located on about 98 acres near Nestle Way and Great Dane Drive, will produce enough energy to power 1,600 homes, Mitchell said. The amount of energy will change over time he said.
Originally the project was due to be completed in February but was delayed by weather. | 2022-05-13T15:28:01Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Electric vehicle charging stations open | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/electric-vehicle-charging-stations-open/article_1fde4e99-b07e-5a00-b156-c65db16b38da.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/electric-vehicle-charging-stations-open/article_1fde4e99-b07e-5a00-b156-c65db16b38da.html |
JONESBORO — Voters within the Jonesboro city limits will decide a ballot issue as part of the May 24 primary elections.
If approved, Position 1 council members would be elected only by voters who live within their specific geographic wards, beginning with this year’s general election. The city’s 80 square miles are divided into six wards, and each is supposed to have approximately the same population.
Position 2 council members would continue to be elected citywide.
Council members are elected to four-year terms. L.J. Bryant, who proposed the change last year, said electing council members by ward rather than citywide would make it affordable for more potential candidates to run for the position.
Bryant, a business owner, spent $27,017 in 2018 to win a full four-year term, his campaign contribution and expenditure report showed.
David McAvoy is a leader of For Ward Jonesboro, an organization registered with the Arkansas Ethics Commission to campaign in favor of the proposal.
“I first became interested in the issue back in 2010 when I learned about some of the issues with at-large voting from people who had been pushing for a change to ward election here for years,” McAvoy told The Sun. “A lot of people don’t realize that with at-large voting the person you and your neighbors elect to represent the ward you live on is not guaranteed to represent you if someone else can get enough votes from elsewhere in the city. Your councilman should be elected by the people that actually live in the ward they represent. That’s democracy 101.”
McAvoy also cited the expense involved in campaigning for a council seat.
“ … That’s concerning both because of whose voices and concerns will be shut out of the process – ordinary folks without a lot of money – and because more money in politics is as a general rule always a bad thing,” he said. “It also means that as the city grows, it’s harder and harder to hold the person who’s supposed to be accountable to the issues in your neighborhood accountable.”
Roy Ockert Jr., a retired editor of The Sun, said in a recent column that he researched the issue in 2020 on behalf of then-Mayor Harold Perrin and found there had been at least three failed efforts to allow for by-ward voting between 1976 and 1982.
McAvoy points out that the proposal to elect half the council members by ward and the other half at large is a compromise.
“So if people aren’t comfortable with full ward, what I’d say to them is try this compromise out and see how it works,” McAvoy said. “At the end of the day, the guarantee of direct representation, of less money in politics and a more even playing field for regular people to make their concerns heard, and more attention to issues in our neighborhoods will be a benefit to all of us in Jonesboro.” | 2022-05-13T15:28:13Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Voters to decide changes in city election | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/voters-to-decide-changes-in-city-election/article_d4fc4060-d2c0-505c-9f74-0a5c76ecdeda.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/voters-to-decide-changes-in-city-election/article_d4fc4060-d2c0-505c-9f74-0a5c76ecdeda.html |
It's a shame
It’s a shame about the library. Parents no longer trust that their children are safe to roam the shelves! But the reason is not that the library is unsafe; it’s that religiously and politically motivated activists are furious that other sexual orientations and religions are represented.
They are happy to lie to the community to reach their goals, which is to rid the library of any material that doesn’t agree with their personal beliefs. Let me be perfectly clear: There is nothing sexually explicit in the children’s section of CCJPL.
When asked for examples of “sexually explicit material” in the children’s section, they will list "GenderQueer" (adult graphic novel section), "It’s Perfectly Normal" or "The Bare Naked Book" (parent/teacher section), or books from the teen section, which is separated from the children’s section by a wall.
Claiming that there is “pornography” rampant in the children’s section stirs outrage, which is all the censors want. They want you angry so that they can gain control of the content available to the entire community and make sure that it mirrors their views.
And it is working. No one is required to read any book in the library, but if we don’t stand up against censorship, what is available to our entire community will be threatened because of a small group of small-minded people who hope to force their beliefs on everyone in the community.
Ali Conn | 2022-05-13T15:28:55Z | www.jonesborosun.com | It's a shame | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/its-a-shame/article_b7a3751e-808f-5998-9079-fccf401a36b5.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/its-a-shame/article_b7a3751e-808f-5998-9079-fccf401a36b5.html |
Many pro choice activists say you should not get married or have children till the situation is "perfect."
If God did not want anyone to be here on this earth and alive at any given time they would not exist, and no one alive would be on this planet if we were born to parents that were "ready to have children" as many young people think today.
Most people would not be here, life is a gift from God, even if your parents were not "ready" to have you or not rich and perfect. Really no one is perfect, not everyone is rich and no one is ready to have a baby even if you think you are ready.
God prepares us and makes us ready to be parents in His perfect time and way, not ours. One last thing I would like to mention, this is the real world not la la land, and if everyone waited to have sex and get married, and wait till they were ready to have a baby and be a parent, the majority of people would never have sex or get married and the population of the world would be less than the entire population of the state of Vermont.
To change the world for the better we must see life as a gift of God, not a mistake, no matter what the situation was when we were conceived. Life is a gift of God to be treasured above all else.
Tania Stephens | 2022-05-13T15:29:01Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Life is a gift | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/life-is-a-gift/article_5e56d69f-67dd-5dee-a135-5868a63e4c3f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/life-is-a-gift/article_5e56d69f-67dd-5dee-a135-5868a63e4c3f.html |
Logical step forward
Every alderman - regardless of voting method or ward - is always beholden to every resident of the city, but no single alderman can fully know and balance every need in the city. Wards are not interchangeable. The ward with the most residential neighborhoods has different needs and requests than the ward which contains the largest industrial park, and so on.
The council body consists of two duly elected residents from each ward to do the work of understanding their own piece of the city, working with each other to balance the overall growth.
The proposed ordinance of a hybrid ward election brings this philosophy front and center, by ensuring residents can be certain they and only they got a say in one of their ward's representatives on the city council.
It doesn't get all of the money out of politics, but it gets some. It doesn't transform the city council into a statistical representation of all possible demographics, but it helps to level the playing ground for all campaigns. It's not a flying leap, it's the logical step forward.
Early voting is underway and runs through May 23 with Election Day, May 24. Consider voting for this proposal.
Zachariah Carlson | 2022-05-13T15:29:08Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Logical step forward | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/logical-step-forward/article_ef1cecb3-6b8a-5233-bc86-fa8f9a9080b1.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/logical-step-forward/article_ef1cecb3-6b8a-5233-bc86-fa8f9a9080b1.html |
Arkansas State shortstop Wil French throws to first baseman Jared Toler (4) for an out during a game against Troy at Tomlinson Stadium. The Red Wolves host Georgia State for a three-game series that begins this evening.
JONESBORO — Arkansas State has work to do to reach the Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament.
Ten of the league’s 12 teams will participate in the conference tournament, which begins May 24 in Montgomery, Ala. ASU begins this weekend’s home series against Georgia State in last place, but the Red Wolves aren’t out of contention for a berth in the tournament.
“A lot of teams are in different spots, whether you’re Texas State trying to win the overall or trying to be in the top seeding,” ASU head coach Tommy Raffo said Thursday. “Everybody has something to play for right now. It’s all up for grabs with six games left.”
ASU (11-32, 5-18 Sun Belt) trails Texas-Arlington (14-34, 6-18 SBC) and Louisiana-Monroe (16-31-1, 6-17-1 Sun Belt) for 10th place at present. UTA hosts Appalachian State this weekend, while ULM travels to South Alabama.
The Red Wolves and Georgia State (27-23, 12-12 Sun Belt) open the series today at 6 p.m. Saturday’s game also set for 6 p.m., followed by Sunday’s game at 1 p.m.
ASU tuned up for its final homestand with Tuesday’s 14-8 victory at Memphis, a game where the Red Wolves recorded a season-high 18 hits. Everyone in ASU’s lineup had a hit by the third inning.
The Red Wolves also had 12 hits Sunday in a 9-7 loss at South Alabama.
“We swung the bats well, actually swung them well on Sunday and it kind of carried over into Tuesday,” Raffo said. “South Alabama is a very good offensive club, top couple in the Sun Belt and we knew that, but we were really good on Tuesday. We jumped them right away and we kept it on for a couple more innings, really provided some confidence.”
Sophomore catcher Brandon Hager was 5-for-6 on Tuesday with his seventh home run of the season and four runs batted in. Hager is 10-for-16 over the last four games, boosting his season average to .293.
Redshirt freshman Cason Tollett, ASU’s No. 1 catcher going into the season, has been out more than a month because of concussions.
“He has basically done a really good job for us as far as being the go-to catcher in the lineup, batting cleanup, and also catching every game,” Raffo said of Hager. “He’s done a wonderful job. I’m really proud of that young man, how much he’s improved. He’s put us in a position to win some games.”
Outfielder Jaylon Deshazier leads ASU with a .294 batting average. First baseman Jared Toler leads the Red Wolves in home runs (nine) and runs batted in (34), while third baseman Ben Klutts has eight homers and 31 RBIs.
The Red Wolves’ starting pitching rotation includes Justin Medlin (1-5, 4.67 ERA) tonight, Will Nash (1-5, 5.88 ERA) on Saturday and Carter Holt (0-2, 5.94 ERA) on Sunday.
Georgia State has the Sun Belt’s top two home run hitters in Max Ryerson and Griffin Cheney with 19 and 15, respectively. The Panthers have belted 69 home runs as a team, 45 of which have come at the GSU Baseball Complex. They’ve hit 38 home runs in Sun Belt games, including 27 at home.
Of the 40 home runs yielded by ASU pitchers this season, only eight have been hit at Tomlinson Stadium.
“Their park is one of the smaller parks in the league, it’s actually smaller than Little Rock, I think,” Raffo said of Georgia State. “Don’t get me wrong, they have plenty of pop in their bats and they can really hit the ball, but obviously the Tom is different.
“I do think the Tom plays better in warmer weather in that regard, so I don’t know how the ball will play this weekend. There is a difference in the two parks, but again, they do have some quality hitters who can hit it out anywhere.”
ASU has four home games remaining. The Red Wolves close their home slate Tuesday night against Ole Miss, then travel to ULM for the final regular-season series May 19-21. | 2022-05-13T15:29:26Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Red Wolves still in contention for SBC berth | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/red-wolves-still-in-contention-for-sbc-berth/article_ab822a2f-907a-559b-9b99-4477cbe7a94b.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/red-wolves-still-in-contention-for-sbc-berth/article_ab822a2f-907a-559b-9b99-4477cbe7a94b.html |
FOA to stage classical ballet
JONESBORO — The Foundation of Arts will perform “Swan Lake,” a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875.
Generally recognized as one of the most loved classical ballets, “Swan Lake” was Tchaikovsky’s first, a timeless love story that mixes the magic, tragedy and romance of Russian and German folk tales into four acts.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. May 20, 6 p.m. May 21 and 23, and 2 p.m. May 22. The May 23 performance will be a pay-what-you-can event.
Tickets prices for other performances are $20 for adults and $17 for seniors, children, military personnel and Arkansas State University for floor and lower balcony seating. Upper balcony seating is $17 and $15 respectively.
To purchase tickets, call 870-935-2726, or visit foajonesboro.org or the Forum Box Office.
All performances will be at The Forum Theater, 115 E. Monroe Ave.
The FOA will also hold a second round of auditions for the musical “Godspell” which will be staged Aug. 5-7.
Auditions are set for 5:30 p.m. May 20 and 10 a.m. May 21 at The Arts Center, 328 S. Main St.
For audition forms and additional audition information, visit foajonesboro.org/entertainment/main-stage-productions/ | 2022-05-14T07:23:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | FOA to stage classical ballet | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/foa-to-stage-classical-ballet/article_24722985-c9bb-5061-9be5-c690b3388d82.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/foa-to-stage-classical-ballet/article_24722985-c9bb-5061-9be5-c690b3388d82.html |
Gallagher named HPMEC Writer-in-Residence
PIGGOTT — Matt Gallagher, from Tulsa, Okla., has been selected as the 2022 Writer-in-Residence for the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in Piggott.
The residency allows Gallagher to live and work in the community of Piggott for a month, sharing his knowledge and experience with local writers and working on his own writings. A detailed schedule of the residency will be available later in the year.
Gallagher is the author of the novels “Empire City” and “Youngblood,” a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review and Wired, among other places.
He’s also the author of the Iraq war memoir “Kaboom” and co-editor of and contributor to the short fiction collection “Fire & Forget: Short Stories from the Long War.”
In January 2017, Sen. Elizabeth Warren read Gallagher’s Boston Globe op-ed “Trump Rejects the Muslims Who Helped Us” on the U.S. Senate Floor and his work in March 2022 helping train a civilian defense force in Lviv, Ukraine, was featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.
He has appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show, and he was interviewed at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan by retired general David H. Petraeus.
A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia universities, Gallagher is a 2021-23 fellow with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, based in Green Country, Okla. He lives in Tulsa and works remotely as a writing instructor for New York University’s English Department’s Words After War, a workshop devoted to bringing veterans and civilians together to study conflict literature.
HPMEC is an Arkansas State University Heritage Site at 1021 W. Cherry St. Tours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday on the hour.
The residency is underwritten by Piggott State Bank. | 2022-05-14T07:23:55Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Gallagher named HPMEC Writer-in-Residence | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/gallagher-named-hpmec-writer-in-residence/article_56bcff23-580c-51f3-ba15-f52fb9ce5c93.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/gallagher-named-hpmec-writer-in-residence/article_56bcff23-580c-51f3-ba15-f52fb9ce5c93.html |
Juneteenth in Jonesboro plans underway
JONESBORO — KLEK’s Juneteenth in Jonesboro will return in 2022 bigger and better than previous years after a pandemic-caused a two-year hiatus. This year’s theme is “Overcoming Obstacles through Courage and Joy.”
Special events will include the first-ever Juneteenth parade, which will step off at 11 a.m., June 18.
The parade will be hosted by KAIT News Anchor Jurnee Taylor and the Rev. Dr. Ray Scales, emeritus pastor of New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and founder of the Craighead County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade Committee.
Grand Marshals will be the first African American professors at Arkansas State University: Dr. Wilbert Gaines, Dr. Herman Strickland, Earline Smith, widow of Dr. C. Calvin Smith, and Velmar Richmond, widow of Dr. Mossie Richmond.
Organizations still have time to sign up to either walk or have a float in the parade. General registration is $30 with registration for nonprofits at $20. Parade registration is available online at www.klekfm.org/juneteenth. The last day to register is June 4.
Organizations still have an opportunity to receive naming rights to the Parade Grandstand, as well as other events for the Juneteenth in Jonesboro Celebration.
The Jonesboro Advertising and Promotions Commission is sponsoring the first-ever Juneteenth Fireworks display, which is set for the night of June 18.
Other events include a Sweet Potato Pie Baking Contest sponsored by Kool Kutts Enterprises, which is set for the evening of June 17. The entry fee for the contest is $10 per pie and registration is due by June 1. Registration forms and additional information are available on the KLEK website.
Those interested in having a vendor booth or being a sponsor should also register online. Vendors must register by June 1.
The Juneteenth in Jonesboro celebration is still evolving with updates and additional events to be posted on klekfm.org as they are organized. | 2022-05-14T07:24:08Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Juneteenth in Jonesboro plans underway | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/juneteenth-in-jonesboro-plans-underway/article_794e93fa-2b2d-503c-9646-6f749d5339c5.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/juneteenth-in-jonesboro-plans-underway/article_794e93fa-2b2d-503c-9646-6f749d5339c5.html |
JONESBORO — Democrat Shamal C. Carter has been forced to withdraw from the justice of the peace District Six race after realizing that the redistricting at the end of 2021 changed his current district.
He said that he now lives one street over from the district’s border line, so he should have been running for District Five instead.
Carter also said in a post on Facebook on Thursday that the last 48 hours had been overwhelming.
“Let me first start by thanking God for placing me in a position to be able to serve my community,” he said in the post. “It brings me a great deal of sadness and remorse to announce that I am conceding my race for justice of the peace District 6 for the quorum court. I would like to thank everyone for their support during this race and would like everyone to know the decision was not a personal decision but one that I had no control over. With that being said we still have one common goal and that’s making Craighead County stronger!”
The Democratic Party of Craighead County also posted on Facebook Thursday that following the redistricting, it turned out that Carter’s address was moved into another district and the problem only became apparent recently.
“Sadly, Shamal Carter is having to withdraw from the District 6 race,” it said in the post. “Shamal has thrown his support behind Daniel Parker and is going through the process of legally conceding his candidacy. We want to stress that Shamal has a great future ahead of him in our party and in local politics and we cannot wait until he runs again in the future.”
Carter, who is still position one on the preferential primary election ballot, said in an interview on Friday that even though he has been forced to concede due to errors, he would now be supporting his Democratic opponent Daniel Parker.
“Yes my name is still on the ballot, but I still want to see a Democrat hold the office and Daniel Parker is a good man and he has my full support,” Carter said, noting that he could not legally hold the seat now because his address is longer in the district.
“So, I will be supporting Daniel Parker 110 percent and I will even be donating my campaign funds to him,” Carter said.
If Parker wins the Democratic preferential election at the end of the month, then he will run against Republican incumbent Darrell Cook in November, however if Carter wins it could cause some issues that would have to be sorted out before November.
Craighead County Clerk Lesli Penny said on Friday that even though Carter had officially turned in his letter of withdrawal from the race, his name is still on the ballot.
Penny said that if he receives enough votes for the nomination, then they would have to use his letter of withdrawal to declare a vacancy.
“Unfortunately the way the law is written,” Penny said, “it is unclear on if his opponent would automatically receive the nomination, so further discussions would be needed to decide on how to proceed from there.”
Carter did say on Friday that he does plan to run again next time, seeking the the JP District Five seat. | 2022-05-14T07:24:32Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Carter forced to withdraw from JP District Six race | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/carter-forced-to-withdraw-from-jp-district-six-race/article_a15b5b08-4ebd-596a-9a42-87aa167be9b6.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/carter-forced-to-withdraw-from-jp-district-six-race/article_a15b5b08-4ebd-596a-9a42-87aa167be9b6.html |
JONESBORO — Jonesboro police investigated the report of gunshots being fired from a vehicle at about 3:54 p.m. Thursday in the 3600 block of School Street, according to a police report.
The report said the suspect, who wasn’t identified, fired multiple shots in the vicinity of a residence.
No arrest was made, according to the report.
A 28-year-old Jonesboro man reported Thursday night that someone stole a firearm and other items from his residence in the 1400 block of Links Circle. Taken were a Remington 12-gauge shotgun and $145 in cash.
A 49-year-old Paragould man told police Thursday evening that a 29-year-old Jonesboro man made unauthorized purchases using his debit card in the 4800 block of East Johnson Avenue. The purchases amounted to $1,036.
A 38-year-old Jonesboro man said Thursday afternoon someone entered his vehicle in the 1400 block of East Nettleton Avenue, stole items and used his debit card to make purchases. Taken was $100 in cash and the purchases were made for at least $125.
Black Oak Gin, 212 S. Main St., Black Oak, told Craighead County deputies on Thursday afternoon a trailer was stolen at the business. The 2014 rice trailer is valued at $7,500. | 2022-05-14T07:24:50Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Gunfire reported on School Street | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/gunfire-reported-on-school-street/article_6b43be34-2b04-5b9b-9899-de4b0377a64f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/gunfire-reported-on-school-street/article_6b43be34-2b04-5b9b-9899-de4b0377a64f.html |
Rector falls in 2A baseball
BEE BRANCH — Rector suffered an 11-1 loss to Bigelow in Friday’s second round of the Class 2A state baseball tournament.
The Cougars (18-8) were one of three teams from the 2A-3 conference scheduled to play Friday. Riverside was scheduled to face Woodlawn and Buffalo Island Central, which defeated Mountainburg 4-1 in the first round Thursday, was set to play Melbourne in games later in the day.
In the Class 1A tournament at Arkadelphia, Hillcrest suffered a 9-1 loss to Mount Ida in the second round Friday. Manila lost 16-9 to Danville in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament Thursday.
ASU’s Rogers hires assistant
JONESBORO — Arkansas State women’s basketball head coach Destinee Rogers announced the hiring of Ari Wideman as assistant coach Friday.
Wideman spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at San Jose State (2018-22). For the Spartans, she primarily coached the team’s point guards and was responsible for opponent scouting. Off the court, she led the daily operations of the program’s community outreach.
Before returning to her home state of California, the Chino Hills native spent nearly two years on the women’s basketball staff at Prairie View A&M, where she served as a graduate assistant and was involved in all aspects of game-day operations. She lettered four seasons at Nevada (2010-14) and finished her collegiate career ranked third in program history with 383 assists while being named an All-Mountain West performer as a senior. | 2022-05-14T07:25:43Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Sports roundup | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/sports-roundup/article_3fd948e8-7e4e-5323-a234-6ef3ddb1896f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/sports-roundup/article_3fd948e8-7e4e-5323-a234-6ef3ddb1896f.html |
Arkansas Medical Partnership launches mobile unit
LITTLE ROCK — The Health Careers Workforce Mobile Unit, a new traveling medical education facility, is hitting the road to educate students across the state on the various career opportunities in health care.
The launch of the unit was announced at a press conference in Little Rock. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences-led program is managed by the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership with support from the Community Health Centers of Arkansas.
The purpose of the mobile training facility is to visit schools in rural communities to increase understanding, awareness, interest and connection to health career opportunities. Students learn about available health care careers through simulation experiences and visits with health care professionals, including UAMS medical students.
The interactive experience provides students with information on the education requirements needed for entry into specific medical fields, how many years of training are required, the average cost of programs and the institutions that offer medical training and then guides them through the admissions processes and scholarship opportunities.
“In addressing the health care gap in Arkansas, we need to pursue innovative approaches like the Health Careers Workforce Mobile Unit,” said Mellie Bridewell, president of ARHP. “Through the variety of resources that this facility offers, we have a proactive strategy in directing students toward careers in health care, helping to alleviate the growing demand for quality treatment.”
“What we are excited about is that this project is the culmination of focused collaboration between several organizations, and we understand that is crucial in providing excellent localized health care,” said Rex Jones, MBA, chief executive officer of ARHP. “Through these partnerships, we believe we have established the groundwork for future programs that will further help underserved communities in Arkansas.”
The unit has an exam room, two blood draw rooms and state-of-the-art equipment. Career counselors are available both on-site and virtually to connect interested students to customized college and career path preparation.
Through the partnership, multiple possibilities are being explored to utilize the mobile unit for junior and senior medical students to participate in providing care, or additional training, to rural and underserved communities, or to assist in promoting health professions to junior and high school students. There will also be an option through the AHEC Scholars program at UAMS for a senior elective that will allow students to accompany the unit’s staff at visits.
To schedule a visit, contact Nathan O’Fallon at nathan@arruralhealth.org or call 870-939-8772. | 2022-05-17T17:30:17Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Arkansas Medical Partnership launches mobile unit | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/arkansas-medical-partnership-launches-mobile-unit/article_520fcdde-7307-5d22-8a6a-7d32adeac0c8.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/arkansas-medical-partnership-launches-mobile-unit/article_520fcdde-7307-5d22-8a6a-7d32adeac0c8.html |
Nettleton, Valley View students win in statewide competition
LITTLE ROCK — Economics Arkansas Board Member John Wooten recently presented awards to Nettleton Junior High and Valley View Elementary students.
Student teams at each school finished first place in The Stock Market Game in their respective junior high and elementary divisions in the Northeast Arkansas region.
Both teams participated in the year-long competition, an investment simulation facilitated nationwide by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Foundation. Economics Arkansas, a nonprofit educational organization that trains educators on how to incorporate economic and personal finance concepts into the PreK-12 classroom, hosts the statewide program each year.
The competition challenges students in grades 4-12 to grow a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio over the course of each fall and spring semester or the whole school year.
The winners of each session receive cash prizes, awards, and traditionally, public recognition during an awards luncheon at the end of the school year. Economics Arkansas has not held an awards luncheon since 2019 due to COVID-19.
A complete list of winners can be found at www.economicsarkansas.org. | 2022-05-17T17:30:30Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Nettleton, Valley View students win in statewide competition | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/nettleton-valley-view-students-win-in-statewide-competition/article_0c37695b-c20f-55dd-b339-96277071c657.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/nettleton-valley-view-students-win-in-statewide-competition/article_0c37695b-c20f-55dd-b339-96277071c657.html |
PBS and library to host literacy event
JONESBORO — The Public Broadcasting Service is teaming up with the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, 315 W. Oak Ave., for a literacy-based taco party from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday on the Madison Street lawn.
This Family Fun Day is a Read to Succeed event with PBS. Families who attend will get treated to tacos for lunch followed by a reading of “Dragons Love Tacos.”
The library will use their interactive television located on the side of the bookmobile to display the words of the book so that families can follow along on the screen. Each child will also receive a take-home bag that includes a copy of the book as well as some activities.
Each family will also receive a take-home taco kit so they can make tacos together at home.
“We’re so excited to partner with PBS for this event. Bringing people together to share the love of books, food and fellowship is something we are committed to,” CCJPL Youth Services Manager Carol Moore said.
The goals of the event include helping parents learn how to ask their children questions about books that they are reading, encouraging parents to read to their children, and getting kids and parents excited about reading together.
There will also be several nonprofit organizations on hand starting at 12:30 p.m. to help families learn more about local organizations.
In the case of inclement weather, the event will move to the library Round Room. | 2022-05-17T17:30:36Z | www.jonesborosun.com | PBS and library to host literacy event | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/pbs-and-library-to-host-literacy-event/article_d6cf64f7-2f38-50bf-9c30-b23b09236be3.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/pbs-and-library-to-host-literacy-event/article_d6cf64f7-2f38-50bf-9c30-b23b09236be3.html |
Megan Ferguson works inside the newly-renovated 911 dispatch center in Jonesboro Monday afternoon.
JONESBORO — They may not be in the line of fire, but 911 dispatchers face intense, life-threatening situations over the phone, Ronnie Sturch, Jonesboro’s 911 director, said Monday.
“When they sit down in that chair, they’re there for eight hours,” Sturch said. It can be both mentally and physically demanding.
Two people are involved with each 911 call. The call taker answers the phone and keeps the caller on the line while relaying information to a dispatcher, Sturch said. The dispatcher contacts the appropriate police, fire or ambulance service, providing directions and key information gathered by the call taker.
Over the past few months, the city has invested more than $450,000 in new console equipment and updated tools. The city will host an open house at 3 p.m. today to give the public a rare chance to see Jonesboro’s “first first responders” in their environment. The 911 dispatch center is in the rear of the Justice Complex, 410 W. Washington Ave.
“We’ve invested not only in the console positions, but in the seating that they use in there,” Sturch explained. “We had to go to a higher grade chair because, No. 1, they’re used 24 hours a day seven days a week, 365 days a year. We had to pay a little more for those type of chairs, but they’re worth it. It’s got the nice lumbar supports. It’s got everything. It’s designed to try to help the well-being of our dispatchers.”
Sturch said it’s a rare moment when dispatchers can take a break from the phones and radios.
“Last year, we handled over 60,000 911 calls. You do the math and there will be a lot of times there will be 911 calls coming in and before they can hang up, they’re still ringing. As soon as they hang up, they’re answering another one.”
On top of that, the center answered about 180,000 non-emergency phone calls.
“So, you’re answering almost a quarter-million phone calls,” he said.
Sometimes, the callers can’t speak English, posing a barrier for most people. The city contracted with a company that specializes in translating for emergency calls in 180 different languages. Those calls are rare, but just as important as any other, he said.
Sturch credits the 9-1-1 TV shows with raising the public’s awareness of the demanding and important work that dispatchers do.
“Unfortunately for many years, people thought of 911 dispatchers, ‘all they do is sit there and answer the phone; anybody can do that,’” Sturch said. “There’s a difference in answering a phone call from someone who needs to talk to your customer service department … There’s a lot of difference in that than there is in when you answer that call you’re hearing, ‘My three year old is upside down in the pool. What do I do? Or I’m trying to get my husband awake or my father awake or my wife awake, what do I do? That’s not the ordinary call that anyone else is going to get.”
He said call takers often try to talk callers out of committing suicide or otherwise harming themselves, while at the same time getting help to them. And not everyone can handle the strain.
“One person came in, a new trainee and she’d worked a week, she came in, and I’ll never forget, and she said, ‘I can’t do this,’” Sturch recalled. “She said, ‘the people in that room are made of steel.’ She said, “I can’t do this, and I know I can’t.” | 2022-05-17T17:30:48Z | www.jonesborosun.com | 911 dispatchers 'made of steel' | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/911-dispatchers-made-of-steel/article_686baa16-152d-55e6-818a-b5bd5a820430.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/911-dispatchers-made-of-steel/article_686baa16-152d-55e6-818a-b5bd5a820430.html |
JONESBORO — The Poinsett County Library board will quit paying rent at the Lepanto branch after this month, according to Vanessa Adams, director of the Craighead County Jonesboro Library (CCJPL).
Angie Lacy of the Harrisburg library said recently that previous leaks from the roof caused a buildup of mold in the building. The damage from the March storm added to the leaks.
Tri-City Area Cultural Council, an arts and humanities council based in Marked Tree, is buying the building that the library is housed in, but the building was uninsured, Poinsett County Judge Randy Mills said last week. He said the Tri-City Council had a federal loan that it was paying on since 2002. He was unsure why the organization didn’t pay insurance on the building.
“If they didn’t pay the insurance, they should get a notice of cancellation,” Mills said.
He said the woman who takes care of it said she never got a notice to pay a premium or a notice of cancellation.
Adams said the library will move its contents to a storage unit in Marked Tree until a new place is bought or rented to house the library.
Until a new place is found, the CCJPL will provide its bookmobile on Mondays from about 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. in Lepanto, Adams said.
She said the Poinsett County library board would have to raise the funds to purchase or rent a new building. Adams said she is currently looking for an older house to use for the library that could be placed on a historical register so that grant money could be sought. | 2022-05-17T17:30:54Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Lepanto library vacating damaged building | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/lepanto-library-vacating-damaged-building/article_8027549b-1dac-5a67-aec0-c5ae1ede6a62.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/lepanto-library-vacating-damaged-building/article_8027549b-1dac-5a67-aec0-c5ae1ede6a62.html |
JONESBORO — A Jonesboro man was arrested Friday night after police said he used the 2004 GMC Sierra he was driving to ram a 2018 Hyundai Elantra driven by a 30-year-old Bono woman at the 3300 block of Caraway Commons, according to a Jonesboro police report.
A 5-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy were in the woman’s vehicle.
Police arrested Jairo Adolfo Garza, 32, of the 3300 block of Caraway Commons, on suspicion of aggravated assault on a family or household member, second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree criminal mischief and a failure to appear warrant.
Garza is being held on a $35,000 bond at the Craighead County Detention Center.
In other JPD reports;
A 34-year-old Jonesboro man told police Saturday morning that someone entered his vehicle in the 2200 block of Race Street and stole cash. Taken was $2,000 in bills.
A 17-year-old male was arrested Friday evening after police said he pushed a 20-year-old woman and physically assaulted a 44-year-old man and threatened to kill him in the 1000 block of Belt Street. The teen is being held on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, third-degree domestic battery and third-degree assault on a family or household member.
A 26-year-old Jonesboro woman told police Friday evening that someone broke into her residence in the 900 block of Warner Avenue while she was in jail in Hot Springs. Taken were a television and gaming devices valued at $3,255. | 2022-05-17T17:31:06Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Man rams woman's car with truck | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/man-rams-womans-car-with-truck/article_caec5acd-fca4-5dd0-b121-3f166733b8a2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/man-rams-womans-car-with-truck/article_caec5acd-fca4-5dd0-b121-3f166733b8a2.html |
JONESBORO — New coronavirus cases in Arkansas last week increased by 13 percent compared to the previous week, while active cases rose by 31 percent, a Sun review of reports from the Arkansas Department of Health found.
At the same time, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals continued to decline and fewer people died between May 9 and Sunday.
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. In Arkansas, the death toll since the pandemic reached the state hit 11,418 on Monday.
The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days, The Associated Press reported. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out.
Craighead County recorded 63 new cases in the previous seven days, up from 46 the previous week, while Greene County had 20 new cases, down from 41 the previous week. Pulaski County accounted for 300 if the 1,394 new infections statewide, followed by Washington County with 171 and Benton County with 152.
Hospitalizations had dropped to 44 statewide by Sunday, only three of whom were being treated in Northeast Arkansas facilities.
The health department reported 74 new cases on Monday, including five in Craighead County.
Craighead – 63 new cases, (increase of 27 from last week); 96 active cases (increase of 31); 329 total virus related deaths (unchanged).
Greene – 20 new cases (decrease of 21); 52 active (decrease of 26); 173 deaths (unchanged).
Jackson – 0 new cases (decrease of 15); 19 active cases (unchanged); 63 deaths (unchanged).
Lawrence –13 new cases (increase of 2); 23 active (increase of 9); 78 deaths (unchanged).
Poinsett – 16 new case (increase of 8); 15 active (decrease of 6); 127 deaths (unchanged).
Mississippi – 17 new cases (increase of 10); 22 active cases (decrease of 3); 210 deaths (increase of 1).
Cross – 2 new case (decrease of 1); 6 active cases (increase of 2); 83 deaths (unchanged).
Clay – 4 new cases (decrease of 16); 19 active cases (decrease of 6); 93 deaths (unchanged). | 2022-05-17T17:31:18Z | www.jonesborosun.com | State virus cases rise by 13% in week | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/state-virus-cases-rise-by-13-in-week/article_e30dc0e5-cd18-58ac-918f-5fb1a73108b3.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/state-virus-cases-rise-by-13-in-week/article_e30dc0e5-cd18-58ac-918f-5fb1a73108b3.html |
Arkansas State third baseman Ben Klutts throws to first base for the final out of the seventh inning in Sunday’s game against Georgia State at Tomlinson Stadium. Klutts belted his 10th home run of the season in the Red Wolves’ 5-4 loss to the Panthers.
JONESBORO — Arkansas State closed its home baseball schedule Sunday with its seventh consecutive loss in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Red Wolves pulled into a tie with back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning, but Georgia State scored in the eighth to regain the lead and the Panthers went on to defeat ASU 5-4 to complete a series sweep at Tomlinson Stadium.
ASU (11-35) announced Monday that tonight’s scheduled non-conference home game with Ole Miss (31-19) has been canceled by the Rebels due to “travel and scheduling circumstances.” Both teams begin conference series on Thursday as the Red Wolves travel to Louisiana-Monroe and the Rebels host Texas A&M.
At 5-21 in the Sun Belt, the Red Wolves remain last in the league standings. Only 10 of the league’s 12 teams will go to next week’s conference tournament in Montgomery, Ala.
ASU battled back from an early 3-0 hole to tie Sunday’s game 4-4, but relief pitcher Seth Clark (5-0) kept Georgia State (30-23, 15-12) from falling behind with nine strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Catcher Brandon Hager recorded two of the Red Wolves’ six hits, while left fielder Jaylon Deshazier drove in two with a double in the fifth. The two RBIs moved Deshazier into sole possession of seventh all-time at ASU in career runs driven in (127).
In his final outing at Tomlinson Stadium, senior Carter Holt pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits before handing off to Tyler Jeans with one out in the sixth. Jeans (3-5) tossed the final 3 2/3 innings, striking out four and allowing one run on four hits.
Holt faced the minimum in the first two innings before the Panthers struck first with three runs in the third, aided by a fielding error. ASU pulled within 3-2 on a two-run double by Deshazier, but left the bases loaded.
Helped by another error, Georgia State added a run in the top of the sixth to stretch its lead to 4-2.
The Red Wolves tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back home runs by Klutts and Brandon Hager, their 10th and eighth long balls of the year, respectively. GSU responded with a run in the top of the eighth on a pinch-hit RBI single by JoJo Jackson.
Clark retired ASU’s final eight batters after giving up the seventh-inning home runs.
The Red Wolves dropped Saturday’s game 7-4 despite three hits from Jared Toler. ASU fell 10-2 on Friday as Klutts belted a home run and had two of the Red Wolves’ three hits.
ASU finished with a 7-17 home record and its lowest winning percentage (.292) at Tomlinson Stadium, which opened in 1993. | 2022-05-17T17:32:13Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Panthers finish sweep of Red Wolves | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/panthers-finish-sweep-of-red-wolves/article_b5eaba34-193a-5cab-9cdf-92164d681675.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/panthers-finish-sweep-of-red-wolves/article_b5eaba34-193a-5cab-9cdf-92164d681675.html |
Annual Clover Bend reunion returns
The annual Clover Bend Historic District Memorial Day Celebration will be held this year after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.
The event will kickoff Friday night, May 27, with the bean and cornbread supper, followed by a silent auction. The silent auction will feature items donated by local businesses and individuals. Proceeds from the auction will go towards maintenance and upkeep of the school, as well as to the Clover Bend Volunteer Fire Department.
On Saturday, May 28, the day will kick off at the Alice French Bell Tower for the singing of the National Anthem, followed by recognition of the Clover Bend classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972, which will be inducted into the 50-year club. Lunch will include smoked pork steaks with all the trimmings, prepared by the volunteer fire department.
The Clover Bend Schools were established in January 1938 as a consolidation of schools from the surrounding 20 miles. The school consolidated with Hoxie and closed in 1983, creating the Clover Bend Historic District. Comprised of a main building, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a cottage devoted to vocational home economics and a vocational agriculture building, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 17, 1990.
Since being listed as a historic place, a farm house, barn, chicken house, smokehouse and an outdoor bathroom have been added to the 13-acre site to recreate the FSA appearance.
The annual Memorial Day Reunion exists to showcase these successes and the students who attended the school. Visitors gather about the Alice French Bell Tower for the singing of the National Anthem to symbolize the official start of the reunion.
The Clover Bend event is ran solely on donations, as are the repairs and upkeep expenses for the school and volunteer fire department. To make a donation for the silent auction contact the Clover Bend Historic District’s Facebook page. Monetary donations may be mailed to: Clover Bend Historical Association, P.O. Box 672, Walnut Ridge, AR 72476. | 2022-05-18T17:41:57Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Annual Clover Bend reunion returns | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/annual-clover-bend-reunion-returns/article_dc82ee4d-3441-5dcd-b37d-b66b5bc00791.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/annual-clover-bend-reunion-returns/article_dc82ee4d-3441-5dcd-b37d-b66b5bc00791.html |
Joe Clayton, a recent homeschooled graduate, signed to play basketball for Williams Baptist University on April 29 at WBU. He has also signed to play in the Williams worship band.
Clayton, who played for the Little Rock Flames Homeschool Group, said he is very excited to play basketball at WBU and feels blessed to be able to continue playing the sport he loves for another four years.
Little Rock Flames Homeschool Group Head Basketball Coach David Sims stated that Clayton was the varsity team’s most valuable senior during the 2021-2022 season.
“He has one of the sweetest three-point strokes you’ll ever see,” said coach Sims. “Perfect rotation, great form on the set and release. When he’s hot, the other team has to shut him down or they will lose.”
Clayton said that playing ball with the Little Rock Flames gave him the opportunity to play basketball in a highly competitive homeschool league.
“The amazing coaches invested so much into me and had a desire to see me improve,” Clayton said. “In the nearly 50-game season, I learned how to be a better teammate, how to be coachable and overall improve my skills.”
During his senior year, Clayton helped his team win first place in January at the district tournament held in Monroe, La., with his three-point shots that helped the team close a 15-point deficit going into the fourth quarter.
Clayton also helped carry the team to a second-place win at the regional tournament in Frisco, Texas, in February and a third-place finish at nationals in Springfield, Mo., in March.
When asked about his most treasured highlight from his high school career, Clayton said, “There’s way too many to just pick one, but I’d have to say when I hit a last-second three-pointer to send the state championship game to overtime in my senior season. I’d also have to mention getting the opportunity to play in the National Homeschool Basketball Tournament.”
In addition to committing to WBU’s basketball and worship band programs, Clayton is also the recipient of a President’s Scholarship based on his academics. Among those on hand for his signing were WBU head basketball coach Josh Austin and Bill Jeffery, director of student music ministry.
Clayton is the son of Van and Terri Clayton of Walnut Ridge and the grandson of Phil and Phyllis Simmons of Black Rock. He has two sisters, Cassidy Clayton and Samantha Weir, as well as a brother-in-law, Ryan, and nephew, Nolan. | 2022-05-18T17:42:03Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Clayton commits to Williams Baptist | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/clayton-commits-to-williams-baptist/article_da56b51d-d453-55fe-ba0b-96f8bf01d65a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/clayton-commits-to-williams-baptist/article_da56b51d-d453-55fe-ba0b-96f8bf01d65a.html |
Commodity distribution scheduled for LawCo
A commodity distribution for Lawrence County is scheduled for Wednesday, May 25, from 9 a.m. until noon, or until food supplies are gone.
The distribution will be a drive-thru distribution and will take place at the National Guard Armory, located at 1121 Southeast Front Street in Walnut Ridge.
According to Keith Livesay, USDA Coordinator for the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, persons receiving the USDA food must reside in Lawrence County. Recipients must also meet the income guidelines that have been set for the emergency food assistance program.
At the time of the distribution, information cards will be filled out for all recipients. Recipients will need to provide the following information: name, address, family size and combined monthly income of the household. An appropriate form of identification such as a driver’s license, social security card, or picture identification card must be shown.
Recipients will only be allowed to pick up commodity foods for themselves and one additional household. To pick up food items for a shut-in, elderly person or other qualified household, the person picking up the food must have a signed Authorization Slip with the following information on it from the person he or she is picking up for: name, address, family size and combined monthly income of the household receiving the food. Case workers picking up for large groups must make prior arrangements with the USDA Coordinator.
Commodity foods are distributed on a first come, first served basis. For more information about the distribution of commodity foods, questions concerning eligibility for this program, contact Livesay at the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas by calling 870-932-3663. | 2022-05-18T17:42:09Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Commodity distribution scheduled for LawCo | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/commodity-distribution-scheduled-for-lawco/article_11f0fa6f-7199-5304-9921-0b19db88fc26.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/commodity-distribution-scheduled-for-lawco/article_11f0fa6f-7199-5304-9921-0b19db88fc26.html |
Lori A. McElroy
By Steve Gillespie TD Staff
State Sen. Blake Johnson, from Corning, is being challenged in the May 24 Republican Primary by Curtis Hitt, of Paragould.
The Republican nominee will face Libertarian candidate Alfred Jefferson Holland III, of Greene County, in the general election in November.
Johnson has represented Senate District 20 (now Senate District 21) since 2015. The newly drawn district includes Greene, Clay, and Randolph counties, and the Northeastern portion of Lawrence County, including Walnut Ridge and Hoxie.
Johnson is chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs. He also chairs the Legislative Council Highway Commission Review and Advisory Subcommittee. He is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Joint Performance Review Committee and the Joint Energy Committee. He is on the Joint Budget Committee and the Arkansas Legislative Council.
Johnson is a farmer. Before his election to the Senate he served as an alderman in Corning. He is an Arkansas State University graduate, and he and his wife, Tricia, have a son and a daughter. Johnson and his wife are members of the First Baptist Church of Corning.
Hitt has been a practicing attorney for 25 years. He started his law practice as a state prosecutor. He is the owner of a small general practice law firm in Paragould, and has twice been appointed by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson as a special justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court. By appointment of the Arkansas Supreme Court, he currently serves on the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners. Hitt also has taught classes at the Arkansas Police Academy as a Certified Law Enforcement Instructor and has taught a Constitutional law class as an adjunct professor at Arkansas State University.
Hitt serves on the Greene County Tech School Board. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the Greene County Bar Association and Greene County Republicans.
Hitt earned his bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University and his juris doctor degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. He and his wife, Shauna, have a son and a daughter. They are members of Grace Baptist Church in Paragould.
Each candidate was asked by email to share what they consider to be the top three most important issues they will have to deal with as Senator that will impact residents of District 21. Both were asked to try to limit their answers to about 100 words for each of the three issues. Longer responses were cut to be closer to 100 words due to space constraints.
Issue No. 1
Johnson: “Fighting the liberal agenda and pushing back on the Biden administration’s intrusion into state’s rights and personal liberty, while continuing to defend our conservative values – like protecting the unborn and defending the Second Amendment.”
Hitt: “There is no more important concern than life. My opponent from Corning claims to be “100 percent pro-life,” but his record suggests otherwise. He twice dodged opportunities to address Texas-style anti-abortion legislation, first voting instead to go home, and later merely voting “present” (counted as “no”). Hundreds of babies have been aborted since his dereliction of duty. Also contrary to the pro-life platform, my opponent has voted to reduce staffing regulations in nursing home facilities. While such legislation made nursing home corporations proud, any nursing home resident or loved one would agree such a vote opposes the sanctity of life because reduced staffing invariably increases the risk of nursing home neglect.”
Johnson: “Growing jobs and creating opportunities for economic development by improving our highways and infrastructure, expanding our workforce, and being a bold voice for our rural communities in Northeast Arkansas.”
Hitt: “The battle for our children’s minds has become an issue, and education is at the forefront of our concerns, as it should be. I am against teaching Critical Race Theory and Gender Identity instruction in our schools. While preserving literary classics like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and while being faithful to present the truth of history, including the abomination of slavery, we must protect our students from an ideology that insists white people are oppressors, black people are victims, or our founding institutions and framework are inherently racist. The subject of gender identity, if it becomes an issue for a student, should be addressed at home by the parents as they see fit, not by educators pushing any social agenda.”
Johnson: “Phasing out the income tax, reforming our tax code, cutting red tape, and lifting outdated regulations to create more opportunities for small businesses.”
Hitt: “I will push for lower taxes. Arkansas has nearly a billion dollars in surplus funds, which sounds great, until we recognize it as evidence that we were taxed too heavily in the first place. That the government will now redirect those funds is little consolation since we, the people who earned those revenues in the first place, have lost the individual freedom to decide for ourselves whether to save it or spend it as we like. My Opponent trumpets the recent reduction in our state income tax, but neglects to admit that he supported six of seven tax bills in 2019 ... I would like to eliminate the sales tax on farm parts and used cars and wipe out the state income tax entirely.” | 2022-05-18T17:42:15Z | www.jonesborosun.com | GOP Senate candidates list top issues for Dist. 21 | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/gop-senate-candidates-list-top-issues-for-dist-21/article_681e0168-377c-5890-817d-81a1d170c471.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/gop-senate-candidates-list-top-issues-for-dist-21/article_681e0168-377c-5890-817d-81a1d170c471.html |
The Lawrence County Quorum Court met in regular session at the Lawrence County Courthouse on May 9 with eight members present. Court members were addressed during the meeting by several concerned citizens to discuss their issues with current county road conditions.
Judge John Thomison discussed the amount of money that has been allocated in Lawrence County for gravel for county roads, and stated that the weather has also been an issue that the road department has no control over. Judge Thomison concluded that he and the road department will do what they can with the manpower they have available.
Court members approved the Drug Court Grant Fund 3527 for the amount of $4,996.16. The total will be divided between travel expenses, $3,431.16, and supplies, $1,565, for the Adult Drug Court System.
The Quorum Court also created a fund and budget for a juvenile officer through ordinance 3526, for a total amount of $15,000. All present members voted in favor of the ordinance. Justices also approved paying the APERS amount for full-time deputies that will be receiving $5,000 from state funds.
Court members agreed to pay off comp time for jailers, with the amount not exceeding $20,000. In addition, they discussed giving the jailers a 50 cent per hour raise to help with jailers leaving to take jobs in other counties due to the pay. All members voted in favor.
Also during the meeting justices discussed Ordinance 2022-08, which addresses paying for roof repairs to the Lawrence County Courthouse using the Coronavirus Relief Fund instead of the ARPA Revenue Replacement Fund. All members voted in favor of the ordinance.
An ordinance transferring $15,000 in funds from the County General Fund to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department budget was approved. The funds were received from an insurance check for a wrecked patrol vehicle. All members voted in favor.
Justice Junior Briner presented the budget report, which included the lease on the leased road graders. The lease has gone up to $262,000 due to value of equipment. By voice vote the motion carried.
Minutes from the previous meeting and a treasurer’s report were provided in advance and approved. | 2022-05-18T17:42:21Z | www.jonesborosun.com | LawCo residents address county road issues with Quorum Court | Times Dispatch | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/lawco-residents-address-county-road-issues-with-quorum-court/article_60bb750e-be17-5a32-99a4-5363951aa930.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/lawco-residents-address-county-road-issues-with-quorum-court/article_60bb750e-be17-5a32-99a4-5363951aa930.html |
Billy Eugene Maxwell, 88, of Black Rock passed from this life on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at his residence. He was born on Sept. 6, 1933, in Smithville to the late William H. and Lydia Alene Simpson Maxwell. He was united in marriage to Mary Lou Smith on Dec. 28, 1962, in Powhatan.
Bill was a former superintendent of the Black Rock School District for 27 years and had a total career time with the district of 35 years. He was an active member of the Black Rock Methodist Church, served as chairman of the board of directors of Lawrence Memorial Hospital Board of Governors, served as recorder of the town of Black Rock, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Arkansas Education Cooperative, served as a board member of the Lawrence County Exceptional School, served as a treasurer for the Northeast Arkansas Angus Association, a member of the Masonic Lodge, and a member of the Black Rock Lions Club. He also proudly served in the United States Army during the Korean War.
In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; two brothers, Donald and Wayne Maxwell.
Bill is survived by a brother-in-law, Jerry Smith of Piedmont, S.C.; sisters in law, Lois Colbert of Imboden; Jearldean Davis of Annieville; and Patricia Smith of Imboden; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held today, May 18, from noon. to 2 p.m. at Cox Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. with Cindy Bragg and Rev. Dennis Calaway officiating. Intermet will follow in Powhatan Cemetery under the direction of Cox Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge
Honored to serve as pallbearers will be Steve Doyle, David Harmon, Michael Smith, David Foley, Gary Spencer and Dickie Smith. | 2022-05-18T17:42:28Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Billy Maxwell | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/billy-maxwell/article_ecd55471-a329-5f57-bde6-feb5371dcc30.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/billy-maxwell/article_ecd55471-a329-5f57-bde6-feb5371dcc30.html |
Robert Warden
Robert Bryan Warden, 68, of Hoxie, passed away Saturday, May 14, 2022, in the NEA Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro.
He was born April 4, 1954, in Walnut Ridge, to the late Robert F. Warden and Edith Sue Bryan.
He attended Walnut Ridge Elementary and Middle School and graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tenn. He continued his education at John A. Gupton Mortuary College in Nashville, Tenn., to become a third generation mortician in the family for the Bryan Funeral Home in Hoxie. He was united in marriage to Gayla Ann Ellis on Dec. 28, 1973.
Robert was a businessman, instructor and talker. He had a quick wit, sharp humor and a free opinion to give. He had a natural talent to learn and do just about anything he pursued. He was the owner and operator of the Bryan Funeral Home in Hoxie, the H & W Annex of Lawrence Memorial Park, the Warden Mini Storage, the former “Attic Arms and Alley Arms” gun shops, and head photographer and editor at Warden Photo. He was the coroner for a decade for the citizens of Lawrence County. He was an eighth degree Black Belt in the Tang Soo Do Karate system, a former chairman of the Hoxie Housing Board, and a former Deputy Reserve Officer for Lawrence County Sheriff’s office. He was also a licensed Pilot, Scuba Diver, and Extra Class Ham Radio Operator “N5TUR”.
Robert enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, water skiing and snow skiing. He knew code on computers and always had his T.V. on watching cartoons. He loved his pets and his toys, shooting guns, flying low in his airplane, going fast in his Challenger, and driving probably over a million miles on his motorcycles throughout his life as he traveled across the United States. He was active in the community with many charity events and yearly volunteered to be Santa Claus for a local church. He was a member of the Lawrence County Radio Club, Lions Club, Bikers for Bikers and the First Baptist Church in Walnut Ridge.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents; parents; and his uncle, Jack Warden.
Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Gayla Warden; one daughter, Amanda M. Warden Klipfel and Jason; one son, Robert Christopher Warden and Crystal; two grandsons, River Alexander and Maximus Bryan Warden; a sister, Jackie Cox and JR; six nieces and nephews; and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral Services will be today, May 18, at 2 p.m. in the Bryan Chapel with Bro. Jake Guenrich officiating. Pallbearers will be Chris Warden, Jason Klipfel, Blake and Brett Cox, David Abbott and Bobby Gardner. Honorary pallbearers are Junior Moody and Jack Dunham; and the late Tom Sturch and Paul Long. Interment will follow in the Lawrence Memorial Park.
Visitation was Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m. in the Bryan Chapel.
Online Registry www.bryanfh.com | 2022-05-18T17:42:40Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Robert Warden | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/robert-warden/article_bedf9527-254a-5f57-bf4e-a5459d25d5d3.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/robert-warden/article_bedf9527-254a-5f57-bf4e-a5459d25d5d3.html |
Rowdy Morgan
Rowdy Joe Morgan, 81, of Smithville, passed away peacefully to his heavenly home on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at his earthly home with his family by his side.
He was born on May 15, 1940, in Powhatan to Charles Morgan and Amanda Dow Morgan. Rowdy was a minister of the Baptist belief and pastored numerous churches during his 46 years of service for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles Morgan and Amanda Dow Morgan; and a brother, Charles “Bud” Morgan.
During this life Rowdy was a minister, an army veteran, a dozer operator, a factory worker, a mail carrier, a cattle farmer and a cowboy. Above all, he loved people.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Wilma Morgan of the home; three sons, Dr. Charles Morgan II (Tami) of Smithville; Perry Morgan (Julie) of Imboden; and Benjamin Morgan (Leah) of Portia; special great-granddaughter, Maddie Joe Morgan also of the home; six brothers and sisters, Betty Fry of Walnut Ridge, Frank (Berta) Morgan of Southhaven, Miss., Helen Wright of Portia, Sharon (Mike) McAvoy of Jacksonville, AR, Ed (Sherry) Morgan of Powhatan, and Tina Johnson of Walnut Ridge; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers are: Angus Morgan, Charlie Morgan, Cory Morgan, Terry Boothe, Jeffrey Boothe and Kevin Morgan.
Visitation was Tuesday, May 17, from 6-8 p.m. at House-Gregg Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge.
Funeral services will begin at 10 a.m. today, May 18, at House-Gregg Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge with Dr. Charles Morgan officiating. Burial will be in Powhatan Cemetery under direction of House-Gregg Funeral Home of Walnut Ridge and Lynn.
For lasting memorials, the family requests that donations be made to the Powhatan Cemetery. | 2022-05-18T17:42:46Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Rowdy Morgan | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/rowdy-morgan/article_dcbf6819-8bb9-55bb-90a9-ee763f0e9f32.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/rowdy-morgan/article_dcbf6819-8bb9-55bb-90a9-ee763f0e9f32.html |
Morning sunshine followed by isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. High 89F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
Shenna Maria Burnside, 50, of Hoxie, died Friday, May 6, 2022, at her residence.
She was born Aug. 20, 1971, in Batesville, to Daniel John Grant and Linda K Hodge Grant. She was a homemaker her whole life and a loving daughter, wife, sister and mother. She was of Baptist belief.
Shenna was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Linda; and her husband, David Burnside.
She is survived by her daughters, Ariel Allen and Holly Burnside, both of the home; sister, Wendy (Scott) Huskey of Strawberry; and other loved ones.
A memorial has been planned for Thursday, May 19, from 5-7 p.m. at House-Gregg Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge. | 2022-05-18T17:42:52Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Shenna Burnside | Obituaries | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/shenna-burnside/article_2d40dcd5-e1ff-5a7c-b28a-2bab1572c127.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/times_dispatch/obituaries/shenna-burnside/article_2d40dcd5-e1ff-5a7c-b28a-2bab1572c127.html |
Arkansas Hunger Relief names development director
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance recently announced the promotion of Bobbi McDaniel to development director.
Bobbi has been with the Alliance for three years working in development and with the SNAP Outreach team. She replaces Mary Bea Gross, who retired at the end of April.
As development director, Bobbi coordinates the Alliance’s fundraising efforts, fosters relationships with partners and donors, and manages the development team.
“Our work with Bobbi has a long history. She and her husband Dustin chaired Serving Up Solutions for us in the past and she’s been working with us on a part-time basis since 2019,” Alliance CEO Kathy Webb said in the press release.
“In her time with us, Bobbi has proven to be a dedicated and compassionate employee and I am thrilled she’s joining us full time as development director. As head of our upcoming 15th anniversary Serving Up Solutions event in June, she’s already surpassed our fundraising goals. We look forward to working with Bobbi in strengthening donor support and developing ways to show our appreciation to those who make our work possible.”
Bobbi has been involved with various charities and foundations since moving from Jonesboro to central Arkansas in 2009. She is a past board member of the Arkansas Foodbank, Women and Children First, the Arkansas Repertory Theater and Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, where she served as its president.
Among other awards and recognition, in 2010, Bobbi was honored with the Domestic Peace Award for the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She was recognized with the Arkansas Patron of the Year Award from Argenta Community Theater in 2013 and named a Soiree “Woman to Watch” the following year.
Bobbi is married to former Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, and they have three children who are currently pursuing their educations at Oklahoma City University, the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and Harvard University in Boston. | 2022-05-19T16:20:48Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Arkansas Hunger Relief names development director | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/arkansas-hunger-relief-names-development-director/article_5f399678-840b-5ffd-a6a1-0929042296c0.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/arkansas-hunger-relief-names-development-director/article_5f399678-840b-5ffd-a6a1-0929042296c0.html |
Bouldin
Travis Clayton
Bouldin named interim dean of science and math
JONESBORO — Arkansas State University Provost Alan Utter has announced that Dr. Jennifer Bouldin will become the interim dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics later this summer.
Currently the associate dean for the college and a professor of environmental biology, Bouldin will step in following the retirement in August of current dean Dr. Lynn Boyd.
“We all wish Dr. Boyd the best in her retirement, and I am very appreciative of Dr. Bouldin agreeing to lead the college this fall as our interim dean,” Utter said.
Bouldin joined A-State in 2002 as a member of the staff at the ecotoxicology research facility and was named the director four years later.
Named associate professor in 2012 and then full professor in 2016, Bouldin was named the associate dean of the college in 2021.
A specialist in the area of aquatic toxicology and the use of laboratory test organisms to predict the effects of agricultural runoff on downstream ecosystems, Bouldin’s research is of particular interest across the region as it relates to the mitigation of agricultural runoff within receiving structures, specifically vegetated ditches and constructed wetlands.
Boyd joined Arkansas State as the dean of the college and professor of biology in April 2019. | 2022-05-19T16:20:54Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Bouldin named interim dean of science and math | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/bouldin-named-interim-dean-of-science-and-math/article_f7b83ea6-9afc-589d-a942-94e0eeda9f04.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/bouldin-named-interim-dean-of-science-and-math/article_f7b83ea6-9afc-589d-a942-94e0eeda9f04.html |
Kutty
Kutty presents at national meeting
BATESVILLE — Dr. Raman Kutty, class of 2023 internal medicine resident, represented the White River Health System residency program at the American College of Physicians National Meeting in Chicago.
Out of 4,000 applicants worldwide, his project was one of only 10 to be selected. The project focused on expired prescription drug potency.
With prescription drug prices rising, Dr. Kutty hopes that his team’s work will help reduce the cost to patients across the country.
“We have a really unique opportunity here to get to the root of the issue,” Kutty said. “Everyone has old medications in their medicine cabinet and we all wonder if they’re still good or not. If medicines stay good for longer than we thought that’s a huge savings for everyone,” he added.
The internal medicine residency program has welcomed five classes of 10 residents to the program. The first class of residents graduated from the program in 2021, with the second class expected to graduate this month.
Six physicians from these classes have either joined the staff or signed letters of intent at WRHS. Physicians include Drs. Michael Andryka, Doreen Kamoga, Wyatt Lydolph, Mitchell Keel, Shoaib Khan and Edwin Suarez. | 2022-05-19T16:21:00Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Kutty presents at national meeting | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/kutty-presents-at-national-meeting/article_dc91c962-fcfa-5a8f-a779-9c90e38a7ec2.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/kutty-presents-at-national-meeting/article_dc91c962-fcfa-5a8f-a779-9c90e38a7ec2.html |
Social Security resumes in-person services
LITTLE ROCK — Socal Social Security offices are now offering more in-person appointments and have resumed in-person services for people without appointments.
Rather than walking in, customers are encouraged to schedule appointments online at www.ssa.gov/ onlineservices or by calling 1-800-772-1213 or their local office.
Offices tend to be the busiest first thing in the morning, early in the week, and during the early part of the month.
Phone lines are least busy before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. local time, later in the week and later in the month.
Given that many of the people served by Social Security the offices are requiring masking regardless of local guidance, physical distancing and self-health checks for COVID-19 symptoms.
Masks will be provided if needed.
Most services are also available online with a personal my Social Security account available at www.ssa.gov/myaccount, or by dialing the toll-free number.
Those with hearing impairments may call the TTY number, 1-800-325-0778. | 2022-05-19T16:21:06Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Social Security resumes in-person services | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/social-security-resumes-in-person-services/article_9224ae80-fa69-524b-99b4-bed78fe24372.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/social-security-resumes-in-person-services/article_9224ae80-fa69-524b-99b4-bed78fe24372.html |
Swindle promoted at AgHeritage
LITTLE ROCK — AgHeritage Farm Credit Services recently announced the promotion of Blake Swindle of Benton to senior vice president and chief operating officer.
Swindle, who joined AFCS in 2001 in the credit department as a credit analyst, has worked in various aspects since. His most recent role was senior vice president and chief commercial lending officer, a position he has held for the past two years.
“AgHeritage has experienced robust growth over the last several years. As such, it’s imperative we have the appropriate level of leadership resources and structure in place that’s commensurate with our scale, model and risk. Blake’s proven leadership and years of experience are exactly what we need in a chief operating officer to continue to advance,” Greg Cole, CEO of AgHeritage said in the press release.
Swindle’s new responsibilities will include capital markets/agribusiness and retail lending. Branch managers along with the capital markets/agribusiness department will report to him.
Swindle is a graduate of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with a Bachelor of Science in Finance as well as a Master of Business Administration.
AgHeritage Farm Credit Services provides credit and related services to more than 6,300 farmers, ranchers and producers or harvesters of aquatic products in 24 Arkansas counties.
Branch offices are located in Batesville, Brinkley, Lonoke, McGehee, Newport, Pine Bluff, Pocahontas, Searcy and Stuttgart. | 2022-05-19T16:21:12Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Swindle promoted at AgHeritage | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/swindle-promoted-at-agheritage/article_776cf652-32ff-508c-b64e-806f557c7fe9.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/swindle-promoted-at-agheritage/article_776cf652-32ff-508c-b64e-806f557c7fe9.html |
Downtown Newport, Arkansas will explode with art, music, literature, and film when the 13th Annual Delta Arts Festival brings 200 visual artists, 40 authors, 27 concerts and 10 film screenings on Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4.
A two square block area will feature 16 separate venues with authors, artists, musicians, and film, all in a convenient walking distance. The festival has grown into the largest multi-disciplinary event in Arkansas.
The majority of the visual arts booths contain fine art, yet a great selection of woodworking and craft arts will also be part of the visual arts portion of the show. Artists from Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas will be displaying and selling their work during the show. The festival will also feature four free adult workshops, four free youth workshops, and a youth art contest.
Children’s books, romance, non-fiction and more will be displayed and sold while patrons have the opportunity to interact with writers. Authors are coming from Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri to participate. Many of the authors will be reading from their favorite works over the two days. The literary portion of the show will feature two workshops for aspiring writers.
Music will pour from four stages at the festival. Blues, country, rock, heavy metal, gospel and Christan music will all be part of the eclectic mix of the festival. Solos, duos, and full bands will all play during a two-day, 27 concert extravaganza. Bands will provide music lovers with a day and a half of great music. Two music workshops will also be offered to anyone who is interested.
The Delta Arts Festival is working with the Arkansas Cinema Society to provide a screening of up to 10 films during the two-day festival. Short films, student films, and feature length films will all be part of the screening. The festival will also feature at least one workshop dedicated to a component of film production. The film screenings will be held in the new Jane Parnell Performing Arts Hall in downtown Newport.
Five restaurants and a number of food trucks will offer great food during the festival. More information is available at the website www.deltaartsfestival.com or on Facebook @deltaarts festival. | 2022-05-19T16:21:24Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Delta Arts Festival to return June 3-4 | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/delta-arts-festival-to-return-june-3-4/article_6ea34d29-2b78-5cf2-9bb8-af89c0aae904.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/delta-arts-festival-to-return-june-3-4/article_6ea34d29-2b78-5cf2-9bb8-af89c0aae904.html |
Dr. Richard Stevenson, a cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeon, has relocated his office to the campus of NEA Baptist Clinic/NEA Baptist Hospital at 4802 East Johnson Avenue in Jonesboro.
After practicing cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in Shreveport, Louisiana as an associate professor of surgery at Louisiana State University Medical Center for seven years, Dr. Stevenson returned to his hometown of Jonesboro over 25 years ago and performed surgery at both Jonesboro-area hospitals for many years.
“The chance to relocate my practice to the NEA Hospital complex gives me access to state-of-the-art equipment and the opportunity to perform some procedures that, up till now, were not available to me,” Dr. Stevenson said.
In addition, Dr. Stevenson continues to provide care for residents of communities outside of Jonesboro by maintaining his satellite out-reach clinics in Walnut Ridge, Pocahontas, Piggott and Paragould.
When asked for his reasons for operating out-reach clinics, Dr. Stevenson said: “It frequently is easier for me to travel to those communities than it is for a patient or a family to drive 45 minutes to Jonesboro, wait 15-20 minutes to see me, consult with me for the amount of time needed, and then drive back home. At that point, their day is gone. If I do the traveling, the patient doesn’t waste their entire day seeing a doctor.”
Appointments to see Dr. Stevenson can be made easily by calling 870-933-8770 or by referral from a primary care provider.
To learn more visit hsa jonesboro.com. | 2022-05-19T16:21:31Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Dr. Richard Stevenson relocates office | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/dr-richard-stevenson-relocates-office/article_912442f4-d88a-5624-9a13-87b4c7c5f7ef.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/dr-richard-stevenson-relocates-office/article_912442f4-d88a-5624-9a13-87b4c7c5f7ef.html |
Wind increasing. A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph..
CASSA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, is needing volunteers in Jackson County to help stand up for abused or neglected children.
“Become a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and you can change the story for a child in foster care,” said Jackson County CASA Coordinator Emily Loggains.
For more information, visit www.gatewaycasa.net. To become a volunteer, call 870-503-5781. | 2022-05-19T16:21:49Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Volunteers needed for Jackson County CASA | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/volunteers-needed-for-jackson-county-casa/article_fffe04c5-3868-5c2d-91d9-2f869bbad6a9.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/volunteers-needed-for-jackson-county-casa/article_fffe04c5-3868-5c2d-91d9-2f869bbad6a9.html |
It’s possible that just by reciting that tiny fraction of important work, I’ve spurred you to think of other examples, from Watergate to the exposure of corruption or malfeasance or toxic pollution or some other community harm where you live. And that’s my point: Journalists are constantly finding and exposing the truth in ways that, ideally, spur us to improve our lives, communities, government, and democratic system as a whole. They have a lot of power – they can destroy the career of public officials and private-sector leaders – and certainly some of them have their faults, obsessing over feuds and conflict and giving them more attention than they deserve. But overall, I’ve found journalists as a whole and investigative journalists in particular to be intelligent, compassionate, and people of integrity. | 2022-05-19T16:21:55Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Why good investigative journalism matters | Newport | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/why-good-investigative-journalism-matters/article_c52c6806-0260-5353-a413-682610175d18.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/newport/why-good-investigative-journalism-matters/article_c52c6806-0260-5353-a413-682610175d18.html |
Man gets 15 years in prison for rape
JONESBORO — A Jonesboro man pleaded guilty Monday to rape and sexual indecency with a child.
Circuit Judge Cindy Thyer sentenced Jeffery Borden, 65, to 15 years in prison and five years of suspended sentence. He was also fined $1,190.
On Oct. 5, 2020, two women contacted Jonesboro police and told them that Borden had taken their three daughters, ages 11, 12 and 14, to go and eat and then swim at the Fairview Inn on Oct. 4, according to a probable cause affidavit by Detective Bill Brown.
“The fourteen-year-old female stated that Borden picked her up with the other two juveniles in the vehicle and went to Red Lobster to eat and while there Borden ordered a Bud Light Tall and offered the juveniles a drink,” the affidavit reads. “The juvenile female then stated that they went to Target where Borden was buying the fourteen-year-old juvenile a bathing suit. The fourteen-year-old juvenile stated that Borden made her try the bathing suit on and show him what it looked liked. The fourteen-year-old juvenile told Borden that the fitting rooms were closed and he said that he would be on the lookout and to just go in and try the bathing suit on and show him. The fourteen-year-old juvenile said when she came out in the bathing suit Borden talked about how good she looked in it and while she was walking off said that he would like to turn her upside down and lick her like a popsicle.”
The affidavit states that Borden also bought the 14-year old juvenile a white bra and panties, a white unitard that buttons between the legs and a blue jean dress that buttons in the front, as well as makeup for the other juvenile females and a drinking card game.
The affidavit continues, “The juveniles stated that after they were finished swimming they went to Borden’s room and when they arrived Borden told the fourteen-year-old juvenile to put the unitard on and started to take video and photos of her wearing it. The fourteen-year-old juvenile stated that when he took the pictures he would focusing on her private area. The juvenile females stated that he took pictures of them in the swimming pool also.
“The juvenile females stated that when they were playing the card game it had sexual quotes in it and he would have them read it. ... The juvenile females stated that after the game Borden started to wrestle with them and during this time he put the fourteen-year old-juvenile between his legs and locked them around her waist.”
According to the affidavit, the fourteen-year-old juvenile said he then forced her legs apart and rubbed her both on top of and under her panties.
“The fourteen-year-old juvenile stated that she was able to pull away when he did this and then sat on the bed away from him. Borden then went behind the juvenile and put his hands on her shoulders and asked if she was ready for round two and she stated no.”
Both the 12-year-old and the 11-year-old also reported that Borden had touched them inappropriately on top of their clothes, according to the affidavit.
Borden was given credit for 579 days he has served in the Craighead County Detention Center. | 2022-05-19T16:22:07Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Man gets 15 years in prison for rape | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/man-gets-15-years-in-prison-for-rape/article_738cc090-7b59-5dd8-a648-fbbe00caea6b.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/man-gets-15-years-in-prison-for-rape/article_738cc090-7b59-5dd8-a648-fbbe00caea6b.html |
Samantha Forehand (from left), Brenya Sutton, Mallory Gushard, Chance Williams and Brandon Bishop rehearse on Tuesday night for the upcoming production of “Spring Awakening.” The play is set to open on June 3 at the Arkansas State University Pavilion in Jonesboro.
Kerigan Wilson / Submitted Photo
JONESBORO — Although it has been met with some controversy, “Spring Awakening,” produced by CenterStage Productions, will open on June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Arkansas State University Pavilion in Jonesboro.
A coming-of-age rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, “Spring Awakening” is based on the 1891 German play of the same name by Frank Wedekind.
Set in late 19th-century Germany, the musical, which utilizes alternative rock as part of the folk-infused rock score, explores the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer turmoil of adolescent sexuality.
According to a Facebook post by CenterStage Productions on May 2, “Spring Awakening” is one of the most revolutionary musicals of the 21st century, bursting with honesty, heart and hormones as youth in revolt search for truth and belonging amidst austere adults who refuse to hear them.
“Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical,” it said, ‘Spring Awakening’ explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with a poignancy and passion that is both illuminating and unforgettable. The musical is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock and roll focusing on late nineteenth-century students on their passage as they navigate teenage self-discovery and coming of age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion.”
However, Board of Directors Executive Director for CenterStage Productions Taylor Heinen said on Tuesday that it has been met with some push back by some members of the community, which she believes cost them their first venue.
The play, which will be directed by Heinen and Assistant Director Brad Meadows, does contain adult language and mature themes including sexual content, abuse and suicide and is intended for mature audiences. However, Hienen said that this is the first time they have ever gotten sure harsh feedback.
“Luckily, we have a lot of great people who are coming together and doing something they believe in,” Heinen said, noting that the cast and crew have had to raise the funds themselves for production costs including the $2,400 venue rental and $700 for costumes.
Henien said that ticket sales are going well, but CenterStage Productions Fundraising Director and Stage Manager Kerigan Wilson said there have been challenges with taking on “Spring Awakening.”
“We feel as though the entire cast and crew has stepped back and wondered,... Why are we doing this?... What are we doing this for?... And most importantly, who are we doing this for? The answer is actually quite simple. We are doing this show for the unspoken, the lost and the forgotten,” Wilson said.
“This show is for the ones who suffer in silence and scream for help, yet are not heard,” she said. “No one discusses the young women who have died from back alley abortions, or the victims of various forms of violence – such as domestic abuse, sexual assault or suicide. This show portrays the stories of millions of people around the globe in the face of those who wish to spread the plague of ignorance and silence those who are different.”
She said it is a story that speaks the truth on what goes through the minds and souls of young people, and it is a story that needs to be told.
“’Spring Awakening’ was created to change and save the lives of everyone who will give the story a chance,” she said.
She did admit that the play was a difficult piece to work with every day because of the intensity of the content. Although Wilson said that it is even more troublesome going into rehearsals and knowing that someone, somewhere, is living the harsh reality of the show.
“An adolescent boy could be struggling to understand his changing body and have no reliable adult to turn to,” she said. “A teenage girl could be sustaining sexual or domestic abuse and suffering in silence. Someone could also be contemplating suicide because they believe they are a disappointment to their friends and family.”
“The reality is that even though these issues are being discussed further in our society, there is a lot of progress to be made,” she said. “The hope is that this piece of art will serve to further the progress and save lives.”
Wilson noted that CenterStage Productions is comprised off the most compassionate and kind-hearted people, who fight for the greater good.
“Each member of the cast and crew has poured so much of themselves into ‘Spring Awakening’ and I am extremely honored to work alongside them. It is not just the stories of others we are telling, but our own as well. We have all sat together to discuss how profound it is that the content of the show is being discussed in our political climate; a documentary even came out about ‘Spring Awakening’ a few weeks ago,” she said. “As a result, we cannot help but believe that we were meant to put on this show. ‘Spring Awakening’ might be the wake up call that Northeast Arkansas needs to better teach people on the importance of being educated on various issues and showing kindness to others.”
“We strongly urge the Jonesboro community to come see ‘Spring Awakening’ and not shy away from the important conversations to be had after viewing the show,” Wilson said. “We desire to change lives, as well as ensure our viewers know they are loved and valued, regardless of where they come from or what they have been through.”
“It is important that people come see the play because there are valuable lessons to be learned,” she said, noting that the play might be set in 1891 Germany but the ideas remain the same.
“They had same struggles and challenges that we experience today,” Wilson said. “We have to realize that these issues are not just going on now but they have been going on for centuries.”
In fact, mental health plays such an important part to them that, Heinen said they will have mental health professionals and organizations at the event for those who need help including Clinical Social Work and Therapist Brooke Weaver, LCSW; A Lovely Pause; Northeast Arkansas Children’s Advocacy Center (NEACAC); Consolidated Youth Services, Inc; the Arkansas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention(AFSP), Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), the Suicide Hotline and many more.
Heinen said that they will be there to provide literature and options for mental health and other issues.
In addition to the opening performance, the production will be presented on June 4 at 7 p.m. and June 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets for “Spring Awakening” are on sale now for $17 each at https://www.ticketor.com/arkcsp or at the door as well.
For more information call Heinen at 870-530-9188 or email her at taylor. heinen1@yahoo.com. | 2022-05-19T16:22:28Z | www.jonesborosun.com | “Spring Awakening” set open at the being of June despite controversy | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/spring-awakening-set-open-at-the-being-of-june-despite-controversy/article_cd55a25b-c1c7-5afd-a88d-4771712952db.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/spring-awakening-set-open-at-the-being-of-june-despite-controversy/article_cd55a25b-c1c7-5afd-a88d-4771712952db.html |
The spread of economic disinformation
The amount of economic disinformation being disseminated in the print and broadcast media is increasing. Most of the erroneous information comes from OpEd writers, and TV talking heads. At times the disinformation is just a misreading of economic data, at other times the problems stem from a lack of knowledge about how the economy works, and, unfortunately, at other times ideology and politics lead some to intentionally mislead the public.
An example of misreading the economic data can be seen when critics of labor markets make the assertions that people simply do not want to work. This is not true. The participation rate, the percent of workers with jobs and looking for a job, has been rising from 2016 to the start of the pandemic in February of 2020, and has been rising for the past two years. What the quit rate is really showing us it that workers are simply moving to better paying jobs not leaving the workforce entirely.
Then why push the “people don’t want to work” scenario? One line of thinking is that it’s an attempt to avoid admitting that the wage rate in industries seeing high quit rates is simply too low. Any firm or industry can avoid the problem of too few workers by simply raising the prevailing wage rate.
An example of a misunderstanding of how our system works can be seen in suggestions coming out of the White House that another round of free COVID booster shots would not be available because the government simply does not have enough money to finance their production.
The government spends money into existence. Congress passes legislation authorizing expenditures, the Treasury instructs the Fed to make the expenditures, and the Fed in turn credits the appropriate firms account for the intended purchase. The Fed’s actions in crediting accounts are the processes by which we create money. Since the government creates its own money, the government has all the money it wants to make purchases. When it comes to another round of free COVID boosters, the real issue revolves around desire not ability.
When it comes to inflation, we’re seeing the blame game being played out. Everyone claims to be capitalist. We profess a belief in, and an admiration of, free markets and the prices they generate. The most ardent supporters of capitalism insist the government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. These same supporters cheer on any and all efforts to reduce government regulation claiming that it stifles economic growth, and that it distorts the production decisions of business firms and the spending decisions of families.
So now that inflation has reared its ugly head, who do we blame, capitalism, the marketplace, no we blame the government, we blame the President. This is where ideology, and politics, play a role in the spread of economic disinformation. If we’re being honest no one is totally sure exactly, what’s causing the rise in prices. We know what sectors are contributing to inflation, but we’re not sure why.
It could be a supply chain breakdown causing a mismatch between demand and available supply. It could be COVID related. We’ve been avoiding face to face services and pouring money into durable goods, again possibly causing a mismatch between demand and available supply.
Josh Bivens at the Economic Policy Institute thinks it partly a case of opportunistic profit taking on the part of corporations. According to Bivens, corporate profits should be about 12 percent of the cost of production, with labor cost’s accounting for 60 percent. But since the recovery began, corporate profits have accounted for 54 percent of the total rise in prices, with labor cost’s accounting for less than 8 percent. If Bivens is correct, they’re not just passing on higher resource costs, their taking advantage of this inflationary period to pad their profit margins.
The Pandemic caused a shutdown of the economy to a degree never seen before. Then, in an attempt to avoid the economic consequences we suffered after the Great Recession of 2008, the government engaged in extraordinary pandemic relief measures. We avoided mass home foreclosures, bankruptcies, and years of high unemployment, and engineered the fasted economic recovery in our history.
Could their efforts in stimulating the economy be partially to blame for the current inflation? Possibly. But would, the alternative have been preferable, would we really want a repeat of the post 2008 years? What we don’t need is to hype the inflation problem for political gain or media ratings. Every solution to a problem has some unavoidable side effects, whining about them is both childish and counter productive. What we are suffering through now pales in comparison to what we went through in the years after 2008. | 2022-05-19T16:23:23Z | www.jonesborosun.com | The spread of economic disinformation | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/the-spread-of-economic-disinformation/article_57c1c5b7-9b1f-5ba0-a42f-7d48eeecb033.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/the-spread-of-economic-disinformation/article_57c1c5b7-9b1f-5ba0-a42f-7d48eeecb033.html |
Arkansas State University football players lift head coach Larry Lacewell following a 1985 victory at then-Northeast Louisiana that clinched a Southland Conference championship for ASU. Lacewell, who won 69 games as ASU’s head football coach from 1979-89, passed away Wednesday.
JONESBORO — Larry Lacewell, the winningest head football coach in Arkansas State University history, died Wednesday.
Lacewell was 69-58-4 as ASU’s head football coach from 1979-89, also serving as athletic director. He led the Indians, as they were known then, to four consecutive Division I-AA playoff appearances from 1983-87.
Before coming to ASU, Lacewell was the defensive coordinator for a couple of national championship teams at Oklahoma. He left ASU to serve as defensive coordinator at Tennessee for two years, helping the Volunteers win a Southeastern Conference championship in 1990, then was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams as the Dallas Cowboys’ director of college and pro scouting for 12 years.
Lacewell, who was 85, was inducted into ASU’s Hall of Honor in 1987, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ASU Ring of Honor in 2001. He was honored by his hometown of Fordyce last August when the road leading to Bear Bryant Stadium was named Larry Lacewell Lane.
“He was a great man, an icon for Arkansas State football, a legend,” said former offensive lineman Tommy Walker, a 1983 ASU team captain.
Lacewell led ASU to Southland Conference championships in 1985 and 1986, the school’s last two football seasons as a member of the league, and was the SLC Coach of the Year in those years. His teams were known for taking on opposition such as Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, often throwing a scare into big-name foes.
In a 2006 interview, Lacewell said he was proud of the fact that ASU won five games or more every season from 1981-89, given the strength of the schedule every season.
“I had a close relationship – we all did – with Coach Lacewell. As far as I remember, I was the first person he signed at Arkansas State, and he was bigger than life to all us players as a coach coming in from Oklahoma,” former ASU quarterback Tim Langford said in comments to ASU’s sports information office. “Coach was obviously confident and talkative, but he taught us a lot of life lessons that we all remember. He was an outstanding motivator who taught us about football, but also discipline, hard work, perseverance and resiliency – lessons we still think back on even today. Coach Lacewell had a huge impact, loved Arkansas State and instilled in us a love for our teammates and molding a team.”
ASU’s I-AA playoff run included a 12-2-1 season in 1986, when the Indians defeated Sam Houston State, Delaware and Eastern Kentucky before losing to Georgia Southern in the national championship game. The Indians also advanced to the I-AA quarterfinals in three other seasons.
Lacewell had a background with the wishbone from his time at Oklahoma and installed the offense early in his tenure at ASU. He was also known for his ability to project a player’s development and make position changes, some of which led to NFL careers.
Offensive lineman Ray Brown, fullback Maurice Carthon and safety Elbert Shelley all played professionally after changing positions at ASU. Carter Ray Crawford and Charlie Fredrick played other positions before becoming All-Americans at noseguard for ASU.
Thirteen of Lacewell’s players went on to play in the NFL and 18 have been inducted into the ASU Hall of Honor, according to the university.
“Larry Lacewell was a great coach, mentor and motivator to many, and I was very fortunate to have been one of his players. It was always a highlight each fall at the Old Warriors Cookout to have Coach come and take center stage,” ASU Board of Trustees member Price Gardner said in comments to the school’s sports information office. “He was very good at maintaining relationships with his former players and will be deeply missed. He led the transformation of A-State athletics to a new level as AD with the scheduling of SEC and Big Eight opponents and achieving a great record of success in the 1980s. He was also a great ambassador for Arkansas State University, and we were fortunate to have him in Jonesboro.”
After his time at Tennessee, Lacewell was hired by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in a scouting role. Jones served as keynote speaker and former Oklahoma and Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer was also among the luminaries who visited Jonesboro in 2004 when ASU renamed its football locker room in Lacewell’s honor.
The Old Warriors Foundation, a group of former players, established ASU’s Larry Lacewell MVP Award four years ago. Walker said Lacewell ingrained in his players that ASU was their school and they should give back to it once they become established in their lives after college.
“All the accolades, all the things he did throughout his career, he always was an ambassador for Arkansas State football and the university,” Walker said. “We had the Old Warriors’ cookouts and that type of stuff, and he really thought of Arkansas State as his school that he developed and had a foundation for a winning program. I could tell you how time and time again he would accept phone calls from his former players no matter if he was with the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee or whatever. If you were an Arkansas State connection, he’d answer the phone and want to help you in any way possible.”
Steve Caldwell, who was an assistant coach under Lacewell, said his former boss always drew a crowd any time he started telling stories.
Walker recalled one of those instances when Lacewell was the featured speaker for the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
“He came up on the stage and he was talking about how I’m trying to be humble and that type of stuff, but I would like to show you a few of my accolades and he pulled out this sack under the desk and got out three or four Vince Lombardi trophies, and he said, ‘I don’t know if you know it, but I’m kind of a big deal,’” Walker said. “I got a big laugh out of that. That’s who he was. He loved to tell stories, he loved to laugh and make people happy who were around him. He never met a stranger. He loved to show people his Super Bowl rings, he let kids wear them and get their picture made with them, that type of stuff.”
Lacewell was born in Fordyce, where his father was a high school teammate of Bryant, and he played football at what is now Arkansas-Monticello. He first came to ASU in 1960-61, coaching football freshmen and the track team. Lacewell also coached at UAM, Kilgore College, Wichita State and Iowa State before going to Oklahoma in 1969.
Ron Carroll, the athletic trainer for Lacewell’s teams and now the university’s assistant AD for sports medicine, said he spent Wednesday thinking of different stories from his time with Lacewell.
One involved a young player who missed injury treatment and a staff meeting where one assistant coach wanted to dismiss the player, while another wanted to keep him.
“Coach Lacewell threw his papers up in the air, I mean literally up over his head, and they fell around him,” Carroll said. “He said, ‘Let me tell you, we want all these players to act like they’re 22 or 23 years old. He’s just 17, 18 years old. We have to give him a chance to grow up.’ He said, ‘If I hadn’t been given chances in my career, I wouldn’t be where I am today.’ To this day, I never have forgotten that about when you start to lose patience with some young player, that you want them all to act like fifth-year seniors, and they’re not.”
During Lacewell’s time as athletic director, ASU constructed First National Bank Arena, then known as the Convocation Center. He also raised funds for a new football administration building.
Former ASU sports information director Gina Bowman said Lacewell was the best boss she ever had.
“That was back in the time when there weren’t many females working there, and he always showed me great respect and taught me a lot about football,” said Bowman, who is retiring June 1 after 46 years at the university. “He had a great sense of humor. He always treated the players like they were his children. I know they’re all grieving today. Everybody will miss him. He won’t be forgotten.”
ASU is planning to light the library tower scarlet in Lacewell’s memory this evening. Information regarding a memorial will be available at a later date, according to a university press release. | 2022-05-19T16:23:29Z | www.jonesborosun.com | A-State coaching legend Lacewell passes away | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-coaching-legend-lacewell-passes-away/article_a2bab041-40ac-5897-8f37-b466ad1f6399.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/a-state-coaching-legend-lacewell-passes-away/article_a2bab041-40ac-5897-8f37-b466ad1f6399.html |
Valley View earned a berth in the Class 4A girls’ state soccer final by defeating Harrison 2-1 during Saturday’s semifinals in Little Rock. The Lady Blazers will play Pulaski Academy in Benton on Friday morning at 10.
Lady Blazers finish strong to reach state final
JONESBORO — Valley View’s path to the state finals in girls’ soccer was anything but smooth.
The Lady Blazers endured a rocky start against a tough early schedule that they faced without junior standout Micah McMillan, who was out because of a high ankle sprain. After two losses in Missouri in early April, Valley View stood 3-9, an unusual record for a team that annually contends on a statewide level.
Even after rolling through the 4A-North conference unscathed, Valley View was only a couple of games over .500 entering the state tournament.
“It’s been a tough road,” Valley View coach Ron Teat said. “One of my kids said something the other day. It was funny because we were sitting there in the state tournament and we’re playing a first-round game, and they’re going, ‘Here’s Valley View, 12-10.’ One of my kids looked at me and said, ‘Coach, that doesn’t sound very good.’ I said, ‘I know, but it’s for a reason.’”
The Lady Blazers (15-10) have finished strong with 12 victories in their last 13 games, the latest being a 2-1 victory over Harrison in the state semifinals last Saturday in Little Rock. Valley View will play Pulaski Academy (20-0-1) in the Class 4A state championship game Friday morning at 10 in Benton.
Saturday’s semifinal victory moved Valley View into the state finals for the first time since 2014, when the Lady Blazers defeated Maumelle for their first state championship. The fact that the win came against Harrison, which has ousted the Lady Blazers from the state tournament four times since 2014, also added something, Teat said.
“There have been a lot of semifinal heartbreaks between 2014 and now,” Teat said. “Some of those girls who are on this team have been through some of those heartaches and through a COVID year where I thought we had a really good chance that year to make it to the finals.
“You look at those and you watch them celebrate, and it’s not a secret obviously that Harrison has been our nemesis many, many times. That’s really the first time in program history that we’ve been able to come out on the winning side against Harrison and to do that in the semifinals to get back to the finals, that was a little special.”
Five of Valley View’s eight in-state losses came against teams that made the state finals in their respective classifications, including a 3-0 setback against Pulaski Academy in March. The Lady Blazers avenged a regular-season loss to Harrison with their semifinal victory over the Lady Goblins.
Teat said he had a heart-to-heart talk with his team’s seniors when things weren’t going well early in the spring.
“I was like, ‘We have two ways to go. We can buy in and we’re going to make it to the finals, or we can fold,’” he said. “Luckily they bought in and kept fighting, and we started peaking at the right time. Micah started getting well, which helped us offensively, and all of sudden here we are.”
Valley View opened the state tournament with a 2-0 victory over Prairie Grove. McMillan recorded a hat trick during a 5-2 victory over De Queen in the second round and scored both goals in the victory over Harrison.
In 12 games this season, McMillan has scored 18 goals. She finished with 29 goals and 21 assists last year, when she was the Best Under The Sun Player of the Year.
“It was only a matter of time that Micah was going to start becoming Micah again. When you miss the first nine or 10 games and you come back, even though mentally you’re ready to come back and be your old self, physically you’re not to that point yet,” Teat said. “You’ve missed almost two months of practice. She’s peaking at the right time, she’s getting her form at the right time. Her speed is coming back. That’s what I kind of noticed just in the past few games. She is starting to get that breakaway speed again.”
Juniors Ellie Higgins and Morghan Weaver are also keys to Valley View’s attack as the main midfielders, Teat said. Higgins has scored 11 goals and has a team-high 18 assists, while Weaver has 10 goals in 12 games.
Elizabeth Becklund, who has scored a team-high 22 goals, has enjoyed a banner freshman season.
“She’s a freshman that every other coach can’t believe she’s a freshman because of how physical she plays. She gives us a physical presence,” Teat said. “She’s going to win every one-on-one battle whether that’s winning the ball or she’s going to foul you and you know you had a battle on your hands. She’s played well.”
Senior Alex Brown is Valley View’s leader on the defensive end, Teat said, and senior Alexandra Tricarico has shined in extended playing time since the Lady Blazers lost junior Reese McCallum to an injury. Sophomore Josie Hargis has been a staple, Teat said, while senior Olivia Miles and sophomore Jax Carr have also played roles defensively.
Senior goalkeeper Molly Findley has 99 saves this season and 253 for her career.
Valley View also faced Pulaski Academy late in last season’s tournament, losing 1-0 on a penalty kick in the final eight minutes of the semifinals. The Lady Bruins went on to win their seventh all-time state championship last season, and the only blemish on their record this year is a scoreless tie with Class 5A finalist Searcy, which is also undefeated.
Pulaski Academy defeated Nashville 14-0, Shiloh Christian 3-0 and Brookland 6-0 to reach the state final.
“We know a little bit about them from last year’s semifinal heartbreak to years of playing against them. We know what to expect,” Teat said. “I think the key to the game is not letting them get up early so they can control the tempo or the pace. We have to find a way, like we did against Harrison, to score that early goal to give us a little bit of confidence and defensively stay sound. Ultimately it’s going to be a huge challenge for our defense to stay sound for 80 minutes, because they’re going to keep coming at us.
“Every coach says this, but we don’t have to be better than them nine out of 10 times. We just have to be better than them come Friday morning at 10 to almost 12. If we can do that, then I feel good about our chances.” | 2022-05-19T16:23:35Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Lady Blazers finish strong to reach state final | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/lady-blazers-finish-strong-to-reach-state-final/article_e2be1130-80d2-54cb-8d20-c4967acae5d5.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/lady-blazers-finish-strong-to-reach-state-final/article_e2be1130-80d2-54cb-8d20-c4967acae5d5.html |
Churches to begin 24th year of community service
JONESBORO — Fisher Street United Methodist Church, 301 N. Fisher St., has announced that the church will begin its 24th year of offering the Pasmore Summer Nurturance program.
The church will offer free lunches to needy children and adults from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday beginning June 1 and ending Aug. 6.
This has been a collaborative ministry for a number of years between Fisher Street UMC and sister Methodist churches including First UMC, Cornerstone UMC and Mount Carmel UMC. These churches have been committed to this joint united ministry since 1998. It could not continue without the commitment of all the churches.
Because of the pandemic, some changes in protocol and operations have been established.
The program this year will be curbside and takeout only. Sack lunches and small bottles of water will be distributed outside of the church. There will be no admittance to the church by the public. It will remain locked at all times. Only three to four volunteers wearing masks and gloves for safety will be permitted in the building to prepare meals.
When picking up meals individuals should stay in their cars or walk up. For safety as required by state regulations, walk-ups should remain six feet apart while waiting in line.
There will be trash bags and cans outside for trash disposal. | 2022-05-20T12:34:14Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Churches to begin 24th year of community service | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/churches-to-begin-24th-year-of-community-service/article_5f1f0fd5-509c-5b4b-8647-f2f6aa7ee98e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/churches-to-begin-24th-year-of-community-service/article_5f1f0fd5-509c-5b4b-8647-f2f6aa7ee98e.html |
First United Methodist Church to offer summer programs
PARAGOULD — First United Methodist Church of Paragould, 404 W. Main St., will hold Ready, Set, Read! June 20-24 for children entering kindergarten through the sixth grade.
A free summer reading program, classes will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Lunch will be provided.
The church will also offer Vacation Bible School from June 26-30 for children in preschool to the fifth grade.
Classes will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each evening. The theme will be Food Truck Party: On a Roll with God.
Preregistration is available online at fumcparagould.org/register. For more information, contact the church at 870-239-8541. | 2022-05-20T12:34:20Z | www.jonesborosun.com | First United Methodist Church to offer summer programs | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/first-united-methodist-church-to-offer-summer-programs/article_d00b301a-bb04-5898-8e4a-18954ea9bae7.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/first-united-methodist-church-to-offer-summer-programs/article_d00b301a-bb04-5898-8e4a-18954ea9bae7.html |
Pipe installation to temporarily close Hwy 230
ALICIA — The removal of old corrugated metal pipes and installation of new ones for a cross-drain on Arkansas 230 will result in a temporary closure of the highway.
Weather permitting, crews will close Highway 230 immediately east of Alicia at 8 a.m. Monday to replace the deteriorating corrugated metal pipes at the location. The cross-drain will be installed 3.3 miles east of Alicia extending east to U.S. 67.
The closure is expected to last four days. Drivers are advised to use alternate routes on those days.
Traffic will be controlled by signage, traffic barrels, barricades and message boards. Drivers should exercise extreme caution when approaching and traveling through all highway work zones.
Additional travel information can be found at idrivearkansas.com and ardot.gov, or ARDOT’s social media accounts @myardot (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). | 2022-05-20T12:34:32Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Pipe installation to temporarily close Hwy 230 | Announcements | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/pipe-installation-to-temporarily-close-hwy-230/article_bafb699c-9567-557f-bf65-23cf94783054.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/announcements/pipe-installation-to-temporarily-close-hwy-230/article_bafb699c-9567-557f-bf65-23cf94783054.html |
JONESBORO — A 53-year-old Jonesboro man told police Wednesday night that someone stole an outside air-conditioning unit and other items inside a residence in the 1500 block of North Easy Street.
He said the value of the items stolen was $17,850.
The Links Golf Course, 1424 Links Drive, reported Wednesday morning that someone broke into a building and stole tools, batteries and charger. The value of the items is $690. Damage to two doors and a window air-conditioning unit is listed at $300.
A 19-year-old Jonesboro woman reported Wednesday morning that someone broke into her vehicle in the 1700 block of Westwood Drive and stole items. Taken were an Apple watch valued at $400, two gold necklaces valued at $60 and several debit and credit cards.
A 59-year-old Jonesboro man told police someone broke into his residence, stole items and damaged property in the 400 block of North Fisher Street. Taken were a mountain bike valued at $100, $400 in coins, and damage was estimated at $300. | 2022-05-20T12:34:38Z | www.jonesborosun.com | $17,850 in items stolen from residence | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/17-850-in-items-stolen-from-residence/article_4eb2f9f8-c733-5f2b-952a-8e07b45a6aff.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/17-850-in-items-stolen-from-residence/article_4eb2f9f8-c733-5f2b-952a-8e07b45a6aff.html |
JONESBORO — Former Randolph County Judge David Jansen died Wednesday following a lengthy illness, Lawrence County Judge John Thomison said Thursday.
Jansen, 66, served as county judge for 16 years, retiring in April 2021 due to his illness. He took office on Jan. 1, 2005.
“It was a blow to me. He was a mentor to me and a great friend,” Thomison said. “He was an exceptionally hard-working county judge.”
He said he and Jansen worked together when floods hit Randolph and Lawrence counties in the past several years.
“Every flood is different. He helped me learn the ropes,” said Thomison, who has been county judge for six years. “He was a fountain of knowledge.
“And he was an exceptionally funny man.”
Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell said he worked with Jansen from January 2019, when he became sheriff, until Jansen’s retirement.
“I’ve known Judge Jansen for years,” Bell said. “I worked with him as an Arkansas State trooper during the floods.
“It’s a major loss. He was a pillar of the community.”
“Randolph County lost a good man,” former Craighead County Judge Ed Hill said Thursday. “He was a county judge I looked up to.”
He said Jansen was appreciative when Craighead County helped his county out during some of the floods.
Hill said Jansen was looked up to by other county judges.
“All the county judges thought the world of David Jansen,” Hill said. “We were pretty good friends. The county lost a good man. He stood tall.”
Jansen received the Diamond Award from the Arkansas Association of Counties upon his retirement.
Jansen was also close to the late Lawrence County Judge Dale Freeman, who died from injuries suffered in a car wreck in 2016.
Battling flooding in the county kept Jansen busy.
In November 2018 after another severe flood officials got the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help fund a study of the levees.
“It’s a start,” Randolph County Judge David Jansen said of the study at the time. “I want to figure out how to fix the flooding and make people happy on both sides of the river.”
Jansen organized the reformation of a levee district that collected taxes to help repair the system, but repairs weren’t completed when the flooding occurred again.
In 2017, 50 homes were destroyed and 150 damaged by flooding. Jansen ordered a curfew for Pocahontas as as result of the flooding.
Hope Gardens Funeral Home is handling arrangements, which had not been released as of Thursday afternoon. | 2022-05-20T12:34:51Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Ex-Randolph County judge dies | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/ex-randolph-county-judge-dies/article_2bedfa86-9a70-5cba-86a8-8af628a944a7.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/ex-randolph-county-judge-dies/article_2bedfa86-9a70-5cba-86a8-8af628a944a7.html |
JONESBORO — The Police Department is seeing several retirements and promotions in two major divisions this year.
Capt. Todd Nelson, commander of the Criminal Investigation Division, retired in February after serving in the department for almost 30 years.
He is being replaced by Capt. Jim Chambers, who has served in the Patrol Division and on the 2nd Judicial District’s Drug Task Force.
Chambers will oversee detectives, the department’s Street Crimes Unit and the officers in the DTF, as well as the Internet Crimes Against Children unit.
According to the department’s website, Nelson started his law enforcement career in the spring of 1993 as a patrolman. He was promoted to sergeant in 1999 and lieutenant in 2012. He served over the Quality of Life Division upon promotion. In 2019, he received his captain bars and oversaw the daily operations of the investigation divisions and special services. He served many years on the Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team and was assigned to be their commander in July 2020. He remained as their commander up to his retirement.
Capt. Scott Roper retired in April as commander of the Patrol Division
He began working at the Jonesboro Police Department in December of 1988. He was promoted to his current rank of captain in 2001. Roper is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University. He has commanded every division in the Police Department, was assigned to the Special Services Division in December of 2015 and transferred back to captain of the Patrol Division in 2019, according to the website.
Roper now serves as the City of Jonesboro head of Code Enforcement.
Capt. Scott Baker is now the commander of the Patrol Division.
Baker joined the department in 2000 and has served in CID as a crime scene investigator. He also served as a Patrol supervisor and was on the department’s Honor Guard for 14 years.
He’s a graduate of the National Forensics Academy in Knoxville, Tenn., and was promoted to lieutenant in 2019.
“Both are seasoned, veteran officers,” Chief Rick Elliott said of Chambers and Baker on Thursday. “They came up through the ranks. With their experience and leadership, they’ll do well.”
Three promoted
On Thursday, the department promoted two people to lieutenant and one to sergeant.
Lt. Royce Smith was hired in September 1999 and has served in Patrol and on the SWAT team. He will work in the Training Division.
Lt. Nathan Coleman joined the force in 2008 and will work in the Patrol Division. He previously worked in CID and Patrol. He is serving as president of the local Fraternal Order of Police.
Sgt. Jacob Daffron joined the department in 2011 and has served as a detective in CID and worked in parks enforcement. | 2022-05-20T12:34:57Z | www.jonesborosun.com | JPD sees changes with retirements, promotions | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/jpd-sees-changes-with-retirements-promotions/article_a4eaffb7-69df-5332-b6aa-70762d869806.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/jpd-sees-changes-with-retirements-promotions/article_a4eaffb7-69df-5332-b6aa-70762d869806.html |
JONESBORO — Running for prosecuting attorney in the six-county 2nd Judicial District is an expensive proposition. And for the three candidates seeking the position, much of the money is coming out of their own pockets, pre-election campaign contribution and expenditure reports filed this week by the candidates show.
Voters will select their preference on Tuesday. If no one gets a majority of the votes, a runoff will be held as part of the general election in November.
The winner will succeed Keith Chrestman, who was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to complete the unexpired term of Scott Ellington. Ellington is now a circuit judge. State law prevents Chrestman from running for the position.
The district includes Craighead, Greene, Poinsett, Clay, Mississippi and Crittenden counties.
Sonia Fonticiella of Paragould lent her campaign a total of $100,000 and collected $59,890 in contributions from supporters. As of Monday, her campaign had spent $61,078.69. Most of that spending has been done in the past month.
As early voting got underway, Fonticiella had $98,811.31 available for the campaign, according to her report.
Martin Lilly of Jonesboro infused a $30,000 personal loan into his campaign in February. His report shows he has collected $24,150 in contributions and spent $42,392.91. That left $11,757.09 available for the final week of the campaign.
Corey Seats of Jonesboro reported a total of $28,000 in personal loans to his campaign. Seats had also received $35,082 in contributions to his campaign. By Monday, Seats had spent $61,411.20 on his campaign. That left $1,670.80 for the final days of the campaign. | 2022-05-20T12:35:09Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Prosecutor candidates invest in own campaigns | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/prosecutor-candidates-invest-in-own-campaigns/article_84a736a9-d88d-5669-afc1-df6b7bb0805e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/prosecutor-candidates-invest-in-own-campaigns/article_84a736a9-d88d-5669-afc1-df6b7bb0805e.html |
Sultana disaster leaves mark on history
The Sultana was commissioned in 1863 in Ohio as a private wooden steamship and had sailed many river miles safely, mostly between St. Louis and New Orleans. It typically had a crew of 85 and was intended to carry 376 passengers. It often carried cotton and sugar, but also shipped Union soldiers to positions along the river.
The men were mostly Union soldiers, coming from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. Desperate to return home, they flooded aboard the ship, determined to leave the horrors of the war far behind. For these Union veterans, the voyage was to be a celebration, knowing they would be home within days. On April 24, the ship left Vicksburg, headed for Cairo, Illinois. But the ship struggled to leave port, weighed down by anywhere between 2,100 and 2,400 men, with the exact numbers lost.
At 2 a.m., just ten miles northwest of Memphis, disaster struck. The damaged boiler exploded. In an instant, a chain reaction caused two others to erupt. The explosions tore the ship apart, setting it aflame. The force of the blasts threw men into the water. Others followed, leaving the burning mass in a terrifying bid for safety. Some tried to rescue injured men from the murky depths. Some of the remains of the flaming ship continued to drift, running aground and sinking not far from Marion. The confusion and the screams echoed through the night.
As the ship sank, the waters extinguished the flames. Suddenly, the men were enveloped in blackness, struggling against the cold, inky waters around them. The screams of injured and desperate men were everywhere, until the waters claimed the screams as well. Some survivors were able to swim to shore. Less than 30 minutes after the blast, the Bostona, another steamship, saw the flames and the men in the river, and the crew worked to pull dozens of men out. Many burn victims who were recovered would die in the coming days from their injuries. Bodies floated along the river, some washing ashore. Frantic searches continued for days, with many ships joining in. In the end, the disaster claimed nearly 1,800 lives.
Dr. Ken Bridges can be emailed atkbridges@southark.edu. | 2022-05-20T12:35:54Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Sultana disaster leaves mark on history | Opinion | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/sultana-disaster-leaves-mark-on-history/article_d5e1e2d5-9bc7-50e4-9bbd-8e50e1e25217.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/opinion/sultana-disaster-leaves-mark-on-history/article_d5e1e2d5-9bc7-50e4-9bbd-8e50e1e25217.html |
The Valley View Blazers clinched a berth in tonight’s Class 4A state baseball championship game with Saturday’s 9-1 victory over Shiloh Christian. Valley View plays Harrison in the championship game tonight in Benton.
Blazers return to state title game
BENTON — While Valley View entered the Class 4A state baseball tournament among the favorites as the defending champion, returning to Benton for the title game was anything but a given.
The Blazers faced a longer road to the finals than they did last year, needing three wins instead of two, and their half of the bracket included two region champions. Plus, single-elimination tournaments can be tricky any time.
With all that in mind, Valley View coach Josh Allison made sure his players appreciated the moment after the Blazers ousted Shiloh Christian 9-1 in the semifinals last Saturday in Nashville.
“I told them by no means am I satisfied, but I told them how proud I was of them for being able to get back to the game,” Allison said. “I waited 16 years of my career to get there, and these guys even had a tougher road than last year and were able to do it. It says a lot about the kids we have and our coaching staff, our assistant coaches, to be able to come back and do it.
“You can get bad luck out of a state tournament, you can run into a hot arm. There are a lot of things that can happen, but to be able to get back to it again, it’s a huge accomplishment in itself.”
The Blazers (29-6) need one more victory for their second consecutive state title and the fourth in school history. They play Harrison (21-12) tonight at 7 in the 4A championship game, which will be televised by Arkansas PBS.
After rolling through 4A-3 conference play without a loss, the Blazers were a No. 3 seed on the state bracket after losing to Lonoke in the East Region semifinals. Their state opener was tougher than the final score suggests, as Farmington held a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Valley View unloaded on four Farmington pitchers for 13 runs in the sixth, capped by Slade Caldwell’s walk-off grand slam to seal a 15-3 victory. Allison said the box score doesn’t reflect the quality at-bats in earlier innings that helped the Blazers wear down the Cardinals’ starting pitcher.
“The sixth inning was when it exploded,” Allison said, “but the water was building on that dam in the third, fourth and fifth innings on some of our at-bats, eight, nine-pitch bats in hot weather, and we wore him down.”
And with that, the Blazers were off and running.
Valley View routed South Region winner Arkadelphia 12-5 in the second round, stealing 11 bases. Senior Preston Watlington pitched six-plus strong innings in the semifinals as the Blazers ousted Shiloh Christian.
“We kind of put it all together. We didn’t really score in bunches except for the one game, but we were really clean defensively and we threw the ball really well,” Allison said. “There were some tight zones, and we were able to compete by throwing strikes in those tight zones. Offensively we kind of stayed hot from the regional.”
Caldwell had a hit in five of his last 10 at-bats last weekend, driving in five runs to continue a dominant sophomore season.
He goes into the state championship game with a .511 batting average, nine home runs, 41 stolen bases, 46 RBIs and 60 runs scored.
On the mound, Caldwell has a 9-0 record as one of Valley View’s primary starting pitchers.
“He’s had a really good year,” Allison said. “His numbers are through the roof, amazing high school numbers for a kid in 35 games. He’s been really good and he’s an even better kid than he is a baseball player.”
Sophomore catcher Lawson Ward was 4-for-9 in the tournament’s first three rounds with two home runs and six RBIs. Ward is second on the team for the season with a .384 average and 40 RBIs.
“You’re kind of locked in as a hitter when you’re hitting 3-2 breaking pitches out, and he hit 3-2 breaking pitches two separate days and hit them out in the left-center gap,” Allison said of Ward. “He was locked in, he had a really good tournament.”
Junior outfielder Carter Saulsbury and junior designated hitter Tyler Hoskins also hit well in Nashville, Allison said. Saulsbury has a .371 average and 30 RBIs for the season, while Hoskins is batting .312 with 22 RBIs.
Senior outfielder/pitcher Grayson Becker is batting .361 with 31 RBIs and is also a threat to run with 27 stolen bases. Watlington has a .369 average with 21 RBIs; senior Kannon Jones owns a .338 average with 16 RBIs; senior Jackson Stotts has a .313 average, 25 RBIs and 26 stolen bases; and senior Cooper Lutz has a .455 average with 20 RBIs. Sophomore Carson Turley has 24 stolen bases.
Sophomore Eli Crecelius, who is 7-0 with a 1.68 earned run average, is a starting option on the mound tonight along with Caldwell and Watlington.
Valley View is facing its third 4A-1 conference foe of the state tournament after eliminating Farmington and Shiloh Christian. Harrison marched through the first three rounds by defeating Star City 14-6, Pulaski Academy 4-3 and league rival Huntsville 17-11.
“Obviously we’re going to need to play well,” Allison said. “They’re a good team and they hit the ball really well, but to be honest with you, we’re more worried about stuff that we can do and what we can control, controlling our emotions, having good approaches at the plate, throwing quality pitches. I would say we’re more worried about what we’re doing than who we’re playing, and that’s how we try to approach every game.” | 2022-05-20T12:36:00Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Blazers return to state title game | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/blazers-return-to-state-title-game/article_9725696e-03ab-57f2-8aec-c34f5002775a.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/blazers-return-to-state-title-game/article_9725696e-03ab-57f2-8aec-c34f5002775a.html |
The Tuckerman Lady Bulldogs celebrate after recording the final out of a 6-2 victory over East Poinsett County in Thursday’s Class 2A state softball championship game at Benton.
Tuckerman’s Makaylie Gist delivers a pitch during Thursday’s Class 2A state softball championship game against East Poinsett County. Gist was named state tournament MVP after pitching 6 1 / 3 innings in the Lady Bulldogs’ 6-2 victory.
The Lady Bulldogs held off East Poinsett County 6-2 Thursday at the Benton Athletic Complex for their second consecutive state championship. Tuckerman produced 13 hits and played error-free defense behind state tournament MVP Makaylie Gist, who limited EPC to four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
“This is an incredible feeling,” Tuckerman coach Matt Dillon said. “We didn’t think we’d be here, honestly, because it’s hard to get here, but we’ve played hard every day and these girls, there’s no quit in them.
“It’s just been an incredible ride this year and to be able to go back-to-back, who can say that? It’s awesome.”
The Lady Warriors loaded the bases with one out after Powell and Lucas were both hit by pitch.
“I’m just so proud of them,” he said. “Some people wait their whole life just to get there once and to have it back to back is an incredible feeling.” | 2022-05-20T12:36:02Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Lady Bulldogs repeat as state champions | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/lady-bulldogs-repeat-as-state-champions/article_5f91984b-16e9-5775-bc1b-1e0907379b5f.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/lady-bulldogs-repeat-as-state-champions/article_5f91984b-16e9-5775-bc1b-1e0907379b5f.html |
JONESBORO — Arkansas State women’s golfer Olivia Schmidt was named the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Golfer of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.
Schmidt becomes the first player in program history to win conference golfer of the year honors. She also adds First Team All-Sun Belt honors, the first such honors for an A-State women’s golfer since Aracelly Jimenez Rios was named Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Sun Belt in 2015-16.
With a stroke average of 72.75, Schmidt led the Sun Belt Conference and topped her previous program best of 73.48 from a season ago. Schmidt won two events during the season, the First Coast Classic and the Oral Roberts Spring Invite, becoming the fourth player in program history with two wins in a single season and the first since 2001-02. She finished top five in six of 12 events, including a tie for fourth at the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championship. | 2022-05-20T12:36:14Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Schmidt caps season with golf of year honors | Sports | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/schmidt-caps-season-with-golf-of-year-honors/article_f5e62616-6577-5107-bd4f-1a7ca2321c0e.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/sports/schmidt-caps-season-with-golf-of-year-honors/article_f5e62616-6577-5107-bd4f-1a7ca2321c0e.html |
Lorie Tudor, director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, addresses community members as motorists travel over a new railroad overpass Friday in Jonesboro.
Greene County Judge Rusty McMillon (from left), Paragould Mayor Josh Agee, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lorie Tudor, Arkansas Highway Commission Vice Chairman Alec Farmer and Walnut Ridge Mayor Charles Snapp participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the widening of Highway 412 on Friday. The project widened 14 miles of Highway 412 from Highway 141 in Greene County to Highway 67 in Lawrence County. Atlas Asphalt and Delta Asphalt of Arkansas were awarded the contract for $58.5 million. The project was finished under budget and three and a half months ahead of schedule.
Leaders celebrate partnership
JONESBORO — State and local partnerships are nothing new for Jonesboro, Lorie Tudor, director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said Friday. In fact, she said, Jonesboro invented the concept in the 1990s.
It was also a partnership that led Tudor and other officials to Jonesboro as they held a formal ribbon-cutting for two railroad overpasses, a project that Tudor said ArDOT and Jonesboro had been working on since 2013.
The Arkansas 18 (Highland Drive) overpass over the BNSF tracks is expected to save lives, motorists’ time and reduce air pollution, now that an average of 30 trains are no longer in the way.
“This is a great example of a great partnership, not only between ArDOT and the City of Jonesboro, but also with our congressional delegation … this was a three-party partnership. We all came together to make this happen.”
The project got a major boost in 2014 when the city was awarded a $1.2 million planning grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program, from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The city’s application thoroughly documented the need through statistics and pictures.
It estimated the blockages on Highland Drive cost motorists $5.5 million in travel time per year.
Those waiting cars also spew more than 7 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The crossing was blocked on average two hours per day by an average of 30 trains. An average of 14,000 vehicles crossed the tracks each day. The application pointed out that emergency vehicles were often among the traffic left stranded.
The proposal also showed that 3,904 people worked in the Jonesboro Industrial Park and Craighead Technology Park on the east side of the tracks. And it emphasized improved safety and transportation reliability for an estimated 1,400 Nettleton School students.
Tudor credited her predecessor, Scott Bennett, and former Mayor Harold Perrin for getting the project jumpstarted. She said she and current Mayor Harold Copenhaver “were able to bring it across the finish line.”
Alec Farmer of Jonesboro, vice chairman of the Arkansas State Highway Commission, also pointed out that the railroad traffic also taxed motorists on Nettleton Avenue, which carries about 7,500 vehicles through the area each day.
“I want to thank the residents of Jonesboro for being patient for these last two years while we made these improvements,” Farmer said. “It’s been an inconvenience, but I think the improvements are well worth it. It will be a benefit for a lifetime to come.”
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, praised local leadership.
“The continuity between the administrations to facilitate the completion of this project, I can’t say enough good about it and how this has come about,” Crawford said. “We were talking earlier about the tangible benefits of your taxpayer dollars. And if you look over here, this is it. This is your taxpayer dollars at work.”
Capital Paving and Construction, based in Columbia, Mo., built the $25.2 million project.
During her remarks, Tudor recounted the evolution of the partnership between Jonesboro leaders and state highway officials.
It dates back to when the city undertook an aggressive effort to pave all the streets that were annexed into the city in 1989 during the administration of Mayor Hubert Brodell. Voters approved a temporary sales tax to finance the road-building program.
“And they knew that the department had a long list of needs and not enough money to meet all those needs,” Tudor said of city officials. “So they came to the table and said, “we want to expedite these improvements, so we’re willing to put some funding toward these projects.’ And it did expedite it and that began a great relationship. And it also began what we call our Partnership Program. Jonesboro was at the cutting edge before we even thought about that.”
She said state and local partnerships have spread across the state in order to help ArDOT complete projects sooner.
The partnership isn’t over. Construction of a railroad overpass on Airport Road (Arkansas 351) is expected to begin later this year, Brad Smithee, ArDOT’s district engineer, said following the ceremony.
ArDOT officials traveled to Paragould later Friday to celebrate completion of the U.S. 412 widening. That project widened 14 miles of the major east-west corridor from Arkansas 141 to 67. Atlas Asphalt and Delta Asphalt of Arkansas teamed up for the $58.5 million job.
Goblins deny Blazers in 10 innings
Pulaski Academy tops Valley View in 4A final
Lady Eagles feature balanced lineup
Hearing set on changes to city's zoning code
Quorum court set to adopt BLE Studies by FEMA
New Brookland superintendent transitioning to new role | 2022-05-22T08:14:08Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Leaders celebrate partnership | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/leaders-celebrate-partnership/article_3cd65c73-7d84-56cd-a53c-fd08eefd17c4.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/leaders-celebrate-partnership/article_3cd65c73-7d84-56cd-a53c-fd08eefd17c4.html |
JONESBORO — Two Jonesboro men were arrested Monday morning after police went to one’s hotel room in the 2300 block of South Caraway Road.
Emanuel Cotton, 22, of the 2300 block of Biltmore Drive, was arrested on a felony warrant.
Zachary Westley Smith, 28, of the hotel room, is being held on suspicion of being a sex offender living near a day care and failing to register as a sex offender.
The two are being held in the Craighead County Detention Center awaiting a probable cause hearing.
Jonesboro police arrested a 32-year-old man early Tuesday morning after his wife said he pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her in the 1400 block of North Patrick Street. The man is being held on suspicion of aggravated assault on a family member and an out-of-town warrant.
A 46-year-old Walnut Ridge woman told Jonesboro police that her husband, who lives in Illinois, had stolen her debit card and credit card number and made purchases for $2,007.
A Bay couple told police their vehicle was broken into Monday afternoon in Craighead Forest Park and items were taken. Stolen were various credit and debit cards and $130 in cash.
A 24-year-old Jonesboro woman told police early Tuesday morning that someone entered her vehicle in the 1500 block of Red Wolf Boulevard and stole her wallet containing $500 in cash.
Kroger, 1725 S. Caraway Road, reported to police Monday afternoon that an 18-year-old man tried to cash a counterfeit money order for $1,000.
A 36-year-old Jonesboro woman reported Monday afternoon that someone broke the window to her vehicle and stole items in the 1200 block of South Church Street. Taken were a purse valued at $2,900, $1,000 in cash, a wallet valued at $100 and a debit card. | 2022-05-25T11:22:20Z | www.jonesborosun.com | 2 arrested at hotel room | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/2-arrested-at-hotel-room/article_d8b4e6c4-ebcf-5240-8954-6adbcd059271.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/2-arrested-at-hotel-room/article_d8b4e6c4-ebcf-5240-8954-6adbcd059271.html |
JP accused of arson
JONESBORO — Craighead County Justice of the Peace Jason Price was arrested Monday on suspicion of arson causing more than $500 damage.
Jonesboro Fire Marshal Jason Wills said Tuesday the fire occurred on Feb. 20 in the 200 block of Harold Cove at Price’s residence. He said Price turned himself in to authorities on Monday.
According to the Craighead County Detention Center’s inmate roster, Price was booked into the jail at 1 p.m. and was released on his own recognizance at 1:51 p.m.
“I’m not guilty, and it’ll all come out in court,” Price said Tuesday. He referred other comments to his attorney, Zach Morrison.
Price represents District 2 on the quorum court. He isn’t seeking re-election.
“We believe the truth will come out in time,” Morrison said on Tuesday. “He’ll be vindicated.”
Morrison said that Price’s status as a public official doesn’t change the fact that he’s presumed innocent.
According to a Fire Department report on the Feb. 20 fire, the blaze caused a total of $70,000 of damage to the residence and its contents
“The Jonesboro Fire Marshals Division is pursuing (the) Harold Cove as an incendiary fire.
“Information at this time supports facts that this fire is arson.
“The final hypothesis for the area of origin of this fire is the central hallway closet and hallway.
“The final hypothesis for the cause of this fire is human intervention. This fire is under investigation at this time.” | 2022-05-25T11:22:44Z | www.jonesborosun.com | JP accused of arson | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/jp-accused-of-arson/article_3fbdf07a-251c-59e8-bfde-e7412d8ee4c7.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/jp-accused-of-arson/article_3fbdf07a-251c-59e8-bfde-e7412d8ee4c7.html |
Ordinance to adopt BLE studies by FEMA brings debate
JONESBORO — The first reading of the emergency ordinance to adopt Base Level Engineering (BLE) Studies was read during the Craighead County Quorum Court meeting on Monday night at the Craighead County Extension Office in Jonesboro.
The meeting’s alternate location was due its annual meeting and dinner with Craighead County Extension representatives.
After the dinner, the meeting started at its normal time with the first reading of the emergency ordinance to adopt BLE Studies by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), because the Arkansas Legislature has delegated the responsibility to local governmental units to adopt regulations to minimize flood losses.
This ordinance resulted in much discussion among the court members.
According to the ordinance, FEMA has identified Special Flood Hazard Areas of Craighead County including unincorporated areas in the current scientific and engineering report, which is dated Sept. 27, 1991 and is entitled “The Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for Craighead County,” along with an effective Flood Rate Map (FIRM) of the same date.
The ordinance also states that FEMA has identified additional areas of flood risk within Craighead County in its most recent scientific and engineering reports entitled “Lower St. Francis Watershed BLE Analysis,” “Cache Watershed BLE Analyst” and “L’Anguille Watershed BLE Analysis.”
Therefore, the court was introducing and recommending the adoption of the new scientific and engineering reports for regulating development in specific FEMA Zones and in Local Special Flood Hazard Areas within the jurisdiction of Craighead County, where BLE is available.
The reading of the ordinance automatically trigger a response by Justice Darrel Cook who asked about the 1991 date on the report and map.
Craighead County Judge Marvin Day responded by explaining that although the 1991 map was still the map of record, the new map was available and that was why they wanted to adopt the new map.
Justice Terry Couch also had questions about the ordinance as he asked if the newer studies had been “done better” then the old BLE maps, noting complaints of his own about the one ones in use.
Day noted his complaints and explained a little about how the studies work, for example if a levee is in disrepair then it is viewed as if it doesn’t exist.
“There were areas we were concerned about,” Day said, “but there was little difference between the studies in those areas.”
Cook then said that he had looked at the maps, noting the new maps had his house in a flood zone but the old one didn’t.
Day noted that the new studies have already been completed using FEMA’s 2.0 Risk Estimator.
According to the FEMA website, FEMA is updating the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) risk rating methodology through the implementation of a new pricing methodology called Risk Rating 2.0, which leverages industry best practices and cutting-edge technology to enable FEMA to deliver rates that are actuarially sound, equitable, easier to understand and better reflect a property’s flood risk.
Day said that the maps would eventually be updated to the new ones on the federal level, as well.
“Yes the maps remove some areas and adds some areas,” Day said, “but eventually it will become the new map anyway,” noting that the new maps will help the residents of Craighead County make wise decisions.
Next up was the first readings of an ordinance updating the Craighead County Employment Policy for Military Leave and an emergency ordinance establishing the minimum cost amount per item purchased to be recorded as a fixed asset, which were both read without any follow up discussion.
Next was the appropriation ordinance for Fund 3537, FY21 Connect & Protect grant, which passed without issue and added lines for general supplies, small equipment and other miscellaneous.
The last item on the agenda was a resolution to reappoint Nancy Moring to the Equalization Board, which if passed would have reappointed Moring to an additional three year term starting on June 6, 2022, and expiring on June 6, 2025.
However, this resolution was tabled after Justice Steve Cline asked if Moring could even run for a third term.
Day said that they would double check and revisit the issue at the next meeting in two weeks.
As the meeting came to an end, Day announced that, after three separate consultant proposals on American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, the county had chosen AG Witt & Associates to help manage the over $21 million in ARP funding that the county had been granted.
Although Day noted that the county has received the first $10 million, he said the county wanted to hire the consultants to insure that the money is used according to the specified guidelines for the funds to help the county and its residents as much as possible through various projects from expanding county offices to community projects and helping non-profits.
“They were the most reasonably priced at $250 per hour,” Day said, noting that the accounting firm was the lowest priced of the three firms interviewed, with the other two being two and four times that amount per hour.
He also noted that AG Witt & Associates was founded and is led by James Lee Witt, who is a former White House Cabinet Member and FEMA director under the tenure of U.S. President Bill Clinton, which gives him useful experience in disaster management, coordination and recovery. | 2022-05-25T11:22:50Z | www.jonesborosun.com | Ordinance to adopt BLE studies by FEMA brings debate | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/ordinance-to-adopt-ble-studies-by-fema-brings-debate/article_342c31c5-9340-58b6-b0ae-f4d336186d45.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/ordinance-to-adopt-ble-studies-by-fema-brings-debate/article_342c31c5-9340-58b6-b0ae-f4d336186d45.html |
UPD to receive stipend, pay upgrade
JONESBORO — Police officers at Arkansas State University will receive the same $5,000 one-time stipend as other law enforcement officials in the state, as well as a new pay structure that will provide raises, university officials announced this week.
The University Police Department also will see its pay scales and benefits back on par with other agencies in the region and state with the adjustment.
“I appreciate what the chancellor and Dr. Frey have done for our officers,” UPD Chief Randy Martin said. “They have collaborated with the system and the state to make a vital change for our department.”
The one-time stipends signed into law in March for many agencies originally did not include sworn officers at universities, but recent changes have made it possible for A-State and other universities in the state to match the stipends provided by state, local and county law enforcement.
“Chief Martin came to me when we learned about the problem, and I’m very appreciative that we had immediate support from the chancellor and the system to work on the stipends,” Frey said. UPD reports to the Division of Finance and Administration, which Frey oversees.
“But with that solved, our base pay for our officers quickly became an equal issue in retention,” Frey added.
Locally and regionally, municipalities have voted to increase pay for their officers, resulting in the university losing several of its certified uniformed officers.
Beginning July 1, the starting salary for a uniformed officer will increase at A-State from $38,240 to $43,976, with an additional 5.5 percent shift differential for evenings and nights. The new salary is paired with available on-campus housing for officers and other benefits including family educational discounts for higher education to enhance UPD’s ability to recruit officers.
“As we’ve said in the past, we are looking for individuals with a commitment to community policing and an understanding of the important role our officers play in the educational experience of students,” Frey said. “Having a benefit of on-campus housing places our officers in the heart of our campus community, and provides them with a great place to live and work.”
Current officers will receive the $5,000 stipend, and future adjustments to salaries for existing UPD staff are being explored.
Throughout the pandemic, UPD has seen both workload increase and staffing decline. Last fall, the department changed from three shifts to two 12-hour shifts to meet the demand. Overtime hours have grown as officers departed for better pay opportunities in other towns or left the profession all together.
“These changes will help us find new officers, but it’s not as simple as hiring quality candidates for any police department,” Martin said. “If a replacement officer is untrained, they must attend and complete a 13-week training course at the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, and an additional 12 weeks of field training.”
The investment in bringing an officer to independent patrol status is an important reason for the benefit increases.
“If we are not competitive with our salaries and benefits, we are just training officers for other cities to recruit from us,” Martin said.
A-State provided a significant increase in 2019 prior to the pandemic, which helped UPD move close to full staffing, and resulted in much lower overtime hours. However, starting in early 2021, the department saw more departures and resulting overtime. Martin believes these changes will help him rebuild staffing. | 2022-05-25T11:22:56Z | www.jonesborosun.com | UPD to receive stipend, pay upgrade | News | jonesborosun.com | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/upd-to-receive-stipend-pay-upgrade/article_95f217a1-a593-5d14-8dd8-58abe11cb161.html | https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/upd-to-receive-stipend-pay-upgrade/article_95f217a1-a593-5d14-8dd8-58abe11cb161.html |
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