KDQN Local News Archives

FLIP-FLOP IN NUMBER OF PART-TIME VS. FULL-TIME STUDENT IN AR TWO-YEAR COLLEGES 1/27/12

We’re fortunate to have CCCUA as a part of community, and, according to a report released yesterday by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, more part-time students were enrolled in the state’s two-year colleges last fall the full-time students. Education officials say they believe this is the first time the number of part-time students at two-year colleges have outnumbered full-time students.

You might be surprised to know that the total number of students enrolled in Arkansas colleges last fall was 3 shy of 176,000 – a 17% increase since just five years ago, largely attributed to the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship and other state programs instituted to get more students into college.

SECOND GENERATION REPRESENTATION 1/27/12

Arkansas State Representative Nate Steel is certainly no stranger to southwest Arkansas, and, in addition to his role in Arkansas Congress, Steel will now serve as his father’s successor as attorney for the city of Nashville. George Steel, Jr. announced a while back that he would be stepping down as the city’s legal representation, and, this past Tuesday, Nashville’s City Council voted unanimously to slide Nate into that role as his father makes his way out.

DEAL SEALED AT UNION TIRE 1/27/12

With at vote of 1,006 to 141, United Steel Workers at Cooper Tire in Texarkana voted in favor of a 4-year contractual agreement the company presented to union workers Wednesday. Cooper Tire employs 1,700 workers, 1,500 of which are members of the union. Cooper officials say they plan to invest greatly into the Texarkana plant, which is one of two unionized Cooper plants; the other being in Findlay, OH, where 1,050 union workers were locked out of the plant in late November.

HOPE FOR FORESTRY COMMISSION POSITIONS 1/27/12

A legislative panel voted yesterday to recommend restoring 20 of the positions the Arkansas Forestry Commission laid-off recently; still a mystery, however, is how to do it – specifically, how to fund it. The agency’s director, John Shannon, submitted a proposal that calls for the restoration of all firefighting positions; additionally, Shannon’s plan called for a person to manage the agency’s federal grants.

One method on the table to fund the positions is an increase in the state’s forest fire protection tax from 15 cents an acre to 20 cents per acre; some, however, are doubtful that’s a viable option. Negotiations will continue. State officials are still awaiting internal audit findings, as well as reviews by the US Department of Agriculture.

HOME SALES TAKE ANOTHER DIP 1/27/12

Homes sales in Arkansas took another slide in the month of December, and the average price of a home rose for the fourth consecutive month. The Arkansas Realtors Association says 1,785 homes sold across the state in the month of December, compared to 1,903 in December of 2010 – a 6 percent decline in comparison. Also, the average price of sale was just under $148,000, as compared to under $145,000 a year ago.

Association members are hopeful for a rebound in the housing market and believe they are seeing small signs of a possible recovery. They say continued low mortgage interest rates are crucially important to sustaining a recovery, keeping the American Dream of home ownership alive for increasingly struggling families.

FATAL SHOOTING IN RESPONSE TO VEHICLE ACCIDENT SOUTH OF TEXARKANA 1/27/12

Yesterday afternoon, Texas officials responded to a 911 call about an apparent drunk driver on Kings Highway in Texarkana. Eventually, the driver went off the road and struck a tree. A game warden, a local school district police officer and the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the incident. Upon their arrival, the driver of the wrecked truck was firing shots up in the air. Officers remained behind their patrol vehicles and used a megaphone to instruct the man to put his weapon down. In a less then compliant manner, the shooter, 56-year-old Frank Schoen of Texarkana, lowered his weapon, pointing it in the direction of the officers as if he was getting ready to fire in their direction; as a result, the man was fatally shot by game warden Shawn Hervey.

It is uncertain how many times Schoen was shot. Three Texas Rangers joined the scene and will be responsible for further investigating the incident, which is customary when officer-involved shootings occur.

HANDS ON HEALTHCARE DE QUEEN HIGH SCHOOL 01/26/12

Bradi Kelley will present Hands on Healthcare to interested students tomorrow (Friday) at 12:15 in the high school library. Students who have a 2.5 gpa and are interested in the medical field are encouraged to submit an application for the February 14th program. The day will be full of hands on activities that expose students to many different health professions.

IP AWARDS LITERACY GRANT TO MDP SCHOOL 01/26/12

Students at Margaret Daniel Primary School in Ashdown will have new informational texts, thanks to a $6000 Literacy Grant from International Paper Foundation in Memphis. "The students are thrilled," says Mrs. Kay York, principal at MDP, who continues that the teachers "are happy to purchase and replenish books for all kindergarten and first grade classes."
York points out the need for "more non-fiction reading" to meet the requirements of the new Common Core Standards now in place that "require students to respond to more complex texts." Each classroom teacher at MDP, York states, "now has additional funds to enhance their present collection and provide the needed books."
Deano C. Orr, Executive Director of International Paper Foundation, awarded the check to Mrs. York by mail, along with his wish to hear about the students' accomplishments during the year.
Submitted by: Carolyn Henderson

ONE MAN’S TRASH TRULY ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE 1/26/12

A million dollar trash receptacle will be discussed in White County Circuit Court, regarding a partially-scratched off lottery ticket that was discarded by one and discovered by another. A lady by the name of Sharon Jones says she regularly goes through tickets discarded at a Super 1 Stop’s trash receptacles – just in case someone accidentally threw away their winnings. But that would never happen, right? Wrong. Jones recently pulled out a discarded lottery ticket associated with a million dollar prize and has created quite a ruckus. The store’s manager never had a problem with Jones’ dumpster diving, at least not until she hit the jackpot. Now the manager is suing Jones and claiming she took the ticket from station property without her permission. The winner will now be determined by a White County Circuit judge.

COOPER TIRE CONTRACT VOTE 1/26/12

Yesterday, union workers for Cooper Tire met at the Four States Fairgrounds Entertainment Center in Texarkana to hear the specifics of a contractual agreement drawn up by company officials. Today, the workers for Cooper Tire will be voting on the 4-year contract. The specifics of the proposal won’t be released until after the members vote. Voting began at 6 o'clock this morning and is scheduled to close this evening at 8 pm.

SWEPCO GETTING IN ON ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE 1/26/12

Southwestern Electric Power Company has signed the dotted line in a long-term purchase agreement of wind power. The company is purchasing more than 358 megawatts from projects in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The purchase is part of a legal settlement between SWEPCO and environmental organizations that evolved from negotiations centered around some of the controversy associated with the John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant in Hempstead County. The agreement call for SWEPCO to either construct or secure 400 megawatts of renewable energy by the end of 2014. SWEPCO services over 520,000 customers in three states and owns 73 percent of the Turk Plant.

MORE CONTROVERSY FOR TURK PLANT 1/26/12

Now that months of squabbling are over and the environmentalists are happy, the Turk Plant is riding a new train of controversy. A 26-year-old woman filed suit against the plant Wednesday for sexual harassment, unequal pay and retaliation allegedly suffered while working for a construction contractor at the plant. The complaint alleges that the woman was often sent home due to bad weather, while the rest of her crew were allowed to continue to work. She also claimed she was groped by workers and that plant employees made inappropriate comments to her on numerous occasions. Additionally, she alleges management reduced her hours and paid her less than males in the position. It’s now all in the hands of US District Judge Susan Hickey, as the case has been assigned to the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas.

PROPOSED SEVERANCE TAX HIKE LOSING BEEBE'S SUPPORT 1/26/12

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe is reconsidering his support for a proposed increase in the severance tax on natural gas. The Governor is now concerned that the increase might impact potential oil and naturural gas exploration in the southern part of the state. Former gas executive Sheffield Nelson has proposed an initiated act that would raise the severance tax on natural gas from 5 percent to 7 percent, and now Nelson’s supporters are in pursuit of over 62,000 signatures by July 6^th, in order to qualify the measure of placement on the general election ballot.

The estimated $250 million raised annually by the proposed measure would be earmarked for state and local roads. The Governor’s newfound reluctance is rooted in the interest of several companies in the oil and natural gas reserves in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.

RUSHED TAX REFUNDS CAN BE COSTLY 1/26/12

Tax season is right around the corner, and many tend to get in a big hurry to get their hands on any cash that might be coming back to them. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel wishes to remind Arkansans that patience is a virtue – and money in the pocket – for state consumers who decline offers of immediate cash during the refund process.

Advertised as a way for financially-strapped consumers to pocket the federal tax refunds immediately, Refund Anticipation Loans, otherwise known as RALs, and Refund Anticipation Checks, known as RACs, as well as other similar products are actually high-interest loans with substantial disadvantages. In 2010, about 20 million American taxpayers received either RALs or RACs. RALs are short-term, high-interest loans secured by a taxpayer’s expected tax refund. They are touted as a way to receive a rapid refund without waiting for the IRS; however, interest rates for such products typically exceed 100 percent.

Consumers who file their federal tax return electronically and have their refunds deposited directly into the bank accounts can receive refunds in as few as eight days. A taxpayer without a bank account can receive a refund from the IRS in the form of a prepaid debit card – also a fairly quick turnaround. Additionally, many taxpayers care file federal returns for free and void the fess associated with RALs and RACs.

More information is available at irs.gov, including information about free electronic tax filing programs for those who qualify. The IRS Free File program is offered to taxpayers who earn less that $57,000 in annual adjusted gross income. According to the IRS, more than 70 percent of Americans qualify to utilize free tax preparation software.

SWEPCO Donates to Margaret Daniel Primary School 01/25/12

Margaret Daniel Primary School and its students recently received two generous donations from American Electric Power Company (AEP) and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO). Checks in the amounts of $1500 and $1000 were presented to the school by Mr. Robert Wilson, AEP employee and Ashdown City Fire Inspector.

The $1500 donation was designated to purchase letters for the new Margaret Daniel Primary School sign located at the entrance of the school property at Highway 32 West and Rufus Torrence Drive. The letters identifying the school complete the brick structure, which was made possible by a number of contributors, including the Groovy Grannies, who provided funds for the brick and masonry work, and Bradley Day, who procured the bricks and had them cut in Nashville, according to MDP Principal Kay York. She says now visitors “can easily locate our school from Highway 32.”

The second donation of $1000 deposited in the Margaret Daniel Primary School Educational Foundation account will fund special projects to enhance learning. Thanks to the donation, York states, “Our classrooms are becoming equipped with an abundance of technology, including IPads which students can use daily to reinforce math and literacy skills.”

York credits AEP for “always being a wonderful community sponsor with various safety programs and materials for our children” and calls the company “a corporate friend, neighbor, and supporter of our school.”

Picture is of the new school sign for Margaret Daniel Primary School in Ashdown. Pictured are members of the Groovy Grannies who helped raise funds for the sign's construction: (l to r) Gloria Potts, Margaret Sizemore, Diane Wilson, Nan Beedle, Linda Turner, Charlotte Burnett, and Jerry Crow.
Submitted by: Carolyn Henderson

BMI Screening Scheduled for Ashdown Students 01/25/12

BMI (Body Mass Index) screening for Ashdown students will be conducted during the month of February, as announced by School Nurse Katherine Guidry. Students in grades K, 2, 4 and 10 will be screened the week of February 6-10. Sixth and eighth grade screenings will be conducted the week of February 13. Scoliosis screening will also be conducted at this time for 6^th grade females and 8^th grade males and females, along with their BMI’s.
Any parent needing to know the specific time and date their child will be screened can contact the school office. Any parent not wanting their child to participate in this state required screening can send a note to their child’s school office by February 6.
No reports will be mailed but can be obtained in the school nurse’s office on each campus after February 29, 2012.
Again, this is a state required screening, and any parent not wanting their child to participate can send a note to the school office. If any questions, please contact your child’s school nurse at these numbers: MDP – 898-4423; CDF – 898-4425; LFH – 898-4486; AJHS – 898-4419; AHS – 898-3562, ext. 1019.

Submitted by: Carolyn Henderson

DE QUEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL KICKING OFF SPRING BOOK CLUB 01/25/12

De Queen Middle School is kicking off its spring book club with Extra Credit by Andrew Clements.

Forty-eight students picked up their books this week and will attend their first meeting Wednesday, February 3.

Students will participate in round table discussions and Skype with a sixth grade class in Green Forest, Arkansas who is reading the same book. Students will discuss the book via webcams.
Future meetings will be held February 8 & 15.
Submitted by: Stephanie Strasner

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS REGIONAL READING FAIR 01/25/12

Five De Queen Middle School sixth grade students competed at the Southwest Arkansas Regional Reading Fair held at the De Queen Mena Cooperative in Gillham on January 12.

Edgar Espinoza placed first and Bryan Figueroa placed third in the sixth grade fiction category.

Silvestre Velazquez, Carter Faulkenberry, and Quinton Thornton participated in the nonfiction category.

Submitted by: Stephanie Stasner

BEEBE SUPPORTS FOREST FIRE PROTECTION ACT 1/25/12

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said yesterday he would support a measure to increase the state’s forest fire protection tax if state lawmakers actually passed it, but he expressed doubt, stating that the chances of actually getting such a bill across the finish line are pretty slim.

The current amount of 15 cents per acre is taxed to property of private forestland owners. The increase would likely call for a 5 cents per acre hike, which would generate approximately $700,000 in additional revenue annually. That amount would be used to restore 14 commission firefighting positions that were recently laid off due to financial troubles within the agency.

John Shannon, Director of the Forestry Commission, recently stated he believed property owners would support the tax increase, because they want strong fire protection. Governor Beebe would support it as well; however, he believes adding taxes to an already crippled industry might pose problems the state Legislature isn’t willing to take on. In the meantime, lawmakers continue to wait for the results of audits at both the state and federal levels to uncover exactly what led to these problems.

ARKANSAS UNEMPLOYMENT RATE STILL DROPPING SLOWLY 1/25/12

The numbers are in for the tail end of 2011, and the Arkansas unemployment rate once again made a slight drop to 7.7 percent in December. The rate in November was 7.9 percent; December makes the third consecutive monthly dip. Governor Beebe says it’s great to see the rate of Arkansas’ unemployed continuing to dip downward, but we’ve still got a long way to go in creating jobs for those out of work.

DEATH OF FOREMAN CHILD DEEMED HOMICIDE 1/25/12

The Little River Sheriff’s Department received an emergent call in the early hours of Monday morning regarding a 13-month-old baby. Deputy Kevin Cross and EMT Angela Cross responded to the call and administered CPR but were unable to revive the young child. While no information has been released as to how the baby died, its death has been ruled a homicide, according to initial autopsy findings by the Arkansas State Crime Lab. The name of the baby has yet to be released. The Arkansas State Police are continuing the investigation.

COOPER TIRE UNION NEGOTIATIONS SET FOR THURSDAY 1/25/12

Negotiations will once again be underway between Cooper Tire officials and union employees in Texarkana. All involved will meet at 8 am Thursday morning to hear specifics concerning the tentative contractual construct. The meeting will take place at the Four States Fairgrounds Entertainment Center in Texarkana; they are expected to vote on the contract Thursday evening.

ARKANSAS COURT ASSISTANT FUNDING STILL AN ISSUE 1/25/12

Arkansas Chief Justice Jim Hannah has plans to ask the state Legislature for money to keep paying 125 trial court assistants through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30^th. The fund that normally pays the assistants’ salaries is lacking, due to the collection of fines associated with traffic violations, as well as other court related fees. Governor Beebe has already kicked in just shy of $150,000 in three different installments over the past 3 months. It will take another $350,000 to pay the assistants through June. Salary sufficiency beyond that still has to be addressed.

donation made to the Foundation on behalf of the City of Foreman 01/24/12

FOREMAN- The computer lab at the Nelda Wilkinson Educational Center will soon reopen, thanks to a donation by Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas’ (CCCUA) Foundation and David Wilkinson, former mayor of Foreman and widower of Nelda Wilkinson, who also served as mayor until her death. Wilkinson has felt strongly for some time that the computer lab should be reopened with new equipment. Ten computers will soon be purchased and activated for the lab and both credited and non-credited or continuing education classes will be offered. Wilkinson, who served as mayor from February of 2004 until late 2010, says that this gift is a way of keeping his late wife’s wishes. “I want to give to keep the educational center going. It’s for my wife…to honor her memory,” he said. Heading up this project is Mike Cranford, Recorder and Treasurer for the city of Foreman. He is being assisted by the Information Technology Department of Cossatot. Together, they hope to have the lab functional before the end of the spring semester. “We want to do whatever we can for the city of Foreman,” said Cossatot Chancellor Steve Cole. “I look forward to our college reaching out to their citizens with the convenience of technology and with easily accessible education opportunities.” Pictured is Cossatot Chancellor Steve Cole, Executive Director of the Foundation Melanie Carlton, David Wilkinson, and City of Foreman Recorder and Treasurer Mike Cranford Submitted by: Alisha Lewis

COLT WINTER CLASSIC 01/24/12

Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas held the first ever Colt Winter Classic on Friday, January 20. Almost 900 high school agriculture students from across the state participated on the Sevier County Campus.

Students competed in Leadership and Career Development Events such as forestry, poultry, and livestock judging. “This was a very large event for our small community,” said Nicki Litchford, Agriculture Instructor and Event Organizer.

“Students from distant Arkansas high schools, such as Pocahontas, traveled many hours to come to our college. I am so proud of our staff and college students who made this event a huge success.”

Submitted by: Alisha Lewis

TWENTY FIVE BOOK CHALLENGE 01/24/12

We send our children to school to learn. So much of that learning is done through reading. Major steps are taken to insure that students can read on grade level by third grade. However, we must be doing more that just teaching our students to read. We must also make sure that they are capable readers. We must make sure that they can read not only for information, but also for enjoyment.

Due to research that suggests students read twenty five books a year, The Twenty-five Book Challenge has been created at Horatio High School. The Twenty-five Book Challenge encourages students to read at least twenty-five books a year. Students get to choose which books they read, but they must be on his or her reading level. A student receives proof that he or she has read a book by passing a book quiz. Every student that reads at least twenty-five books on his or her level gets to take a school day to enjoy a field trip to Magic Springs. Last year approximately thirty-three students enjoyed the trip Magic Springs.

Students at Horatio High School have again been put to the challenge.This year, money is being raised to help pay for the tickets so the students do not have to endure the cost.The ticket for admittance into the park is eighteen dollars per student. If you would like to sponsor a student or donate to this worthy cause, you can send money to Dianne Rosson care of Horatio High School P.O. Box 435 Horatio, AR 71842.

Submitted By: Darla Johnson

Friends of NRA representative, Greg Stephens speaks to the Rotary Club of De Queen 01/24/12

The January 23 meeting of the Rotary Club of De Queen had Greg Stephens speak about the programs that the Friends of NRA support and how they generate their funds. Greg is the Field Representative for the Foundation side of NRA that works with local volunteers to raise money for gun safety programs. As of this past Sunday the Arkansas members dispersed over $79,000 to various state groups to support safe hunting programs for youth. Some of the programs that received the grants are youth groups that have applied for the grants such as FFA archery programs, Boy Scouts, and 4-H shooting sports.

To continue this support the Cossatot Friends of NRA will be having their Annual Banquet March 3 at the De Queen Country Club to help raise money for the 2013 grant awards. Individuals interested in attending, helping with the banquet or sponsorship are encouraged to contact local committee members at 870-584-9557, or 870-784-0576.

Aleja Ramirez, right, accepts the Rotary Club’s Student of the Month certificate from President Karen Atkins at the Jan. 23 meeting of the De Queen Rotary Club. Aleja, a senior at De Queen High School, is active in the Interact Club, Future Teachers, the Art Club and is on the honor roll.She is the daughter of Maria and Casimiro Ramirez.

Training exercises paid off for one Howard County Sheriff’s Deputy who was given a run for his money – literally – at a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 332 and Buck Range Road. The vehicle was pulled over for speeding, as well as not having a license plate. The driver was arrested for driving on a suspended license. The passenger, who had initially given a false name, jumped out of the car and pushed Deputy Travis Turner out of the way before fleeing the scene on foot. Deputy Turner chased the runaway some 200 yards before catching up with him, wrestling him to the ground and placing him under arrest. With the assistance of several additional officers, the man was taken into custody. Deputy Turner was treated for minor injuries at Howard Memorial Hospital.

Yesterday we told you of the death of Donald Hux, who was shot by officers in Union County after murdering a relative of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Amy Huckabee of Arkadelphia, and her husband, Sandy Huckabee. Hux was Amy’s ex-husband and had sent threatening letters to her from prison. Huckabee told police in August she feared for her life, and police in Arkadelphia issued a warrant for Hux but could not arrest him, due to his then incarceration in Texas. Hux then served more time in Louisiana and had been released just last Thursday. Hux also kidnapped Huckabee’s three children who were, thankfully, left with Hux’s parents before he was killed by officers. Hux had written Huckabee a letter recently that stated she would want to kill herself to get relief from the problems he planned to cause her. Now the problems are left with Huckabee’s three parentless children.

Members of a legislative panel exploring the state Forestry Commission’s financial difficulties expressed support in Little Rock yesterday for restoring the 30-plus firefighters that have been laid off, but, given that it’s completely a matter of the bottom line, the question now is: how?

Governor Beebe is requesting a $2.7 million supplement to keep the commission solvent through the current fiscal year, but the Governor is not providing any funding for the restoration of the positions. There are now talks of an increase in the forest fire protection tax. That tax is currently 15 cents per acre and is added to the property taxes of private owners of forest land. The fire protection tax currently generates approximately $2 million in revenue annually; a 5-cent per acre increase would generate an additional $700,000.

John Shannon, Director of the Arkansas Forestry Commission, says he believes landowners would support raising the tax, because they want strong fire protection. State legislators will convene for a fiscal session on February 13; non-budget bills require a two-thirds vote of both chambers to be considered during a fiscal session. Meanwhile, lawmakers are awaiting the results of both state and federal level investigation results to determine exactly what went wrong in the first place.

Yesterday afternoon, two men entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 621 Hickory in Texarkana and held it up at gunpoint – believe it or not, just like they do in the movies. The men entered the bank waving guns and criminally-adorned with pantyhose faces and black bandanas, perhaps a sign that we really do let our kids watch too much TV (tongue in cheek). The men ordered everyone to get on the ground, jumped over the counter and made threats of physical harm to anyone who caused trouble. One customer even had a gun put to his head at one point. The entire episode is said to have taken place in just under five minutes. The robbers made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, and the matter is still under investigation.

Well, apparently the moons were out of alignment over the weekend, causing inebriates all over town to come out and roam around like zombies. According to the De Queen Police Department, five separate incidents of public intoxication made the books within hours of each other.

The first incident occurred as Officer Levi Browning was patrolling west on Collin Raye Drive nearby the hospital, when he noticed a man walking east. Officer Browning stopped to visit with the man and immediately noticed the smell, the look and the sound, as the man was unsteady on his feet, his eyes blood-shot and watery and his speech slurred. With a portable breath test result of .233, the officer delivered the gentleman to the Sevier County Jail, where he was charged with public intoxication.

Later, Corp. Bobby Bagley was dispatched to EZ Mart, when a man pulled up on a motorcycle that had obviously been drinking. When Corp. Bagley arrived, the man was lying on the sidewalk and obviously drunk. When asked how much he’d been drinking, he said, “a lot.” The gentleman claimed he had gotten into an altercation with three other guys at a party and that he left to get away from them. He was waiting at the store for a friend to come get him. His portable breath test rang in at .083, so he, also, took a ride to the Sevier County Jail and checked in under a charge of public intoxication.

Corp. Bagley was later called to the Emergency Room, where a drunk male was reportedly causing problems. The man showed all the signs of inebriation and was hanging on to the payphone to keep himself on his feet. After a warrant check, this gentleman had a county warrant for his arrest, so he, too, was delivered to jail and joined the party.

Corp. Bagley was also dispatched to a bit of a catfight at 815 West Gilson Street. Apparently, someone came to the female resident’s door early Saturday morning and, when she answered the door, the female on the other side grabbed her and initiated a fight. Corp. Bagley was able to catch up with the attacker a block away, and, after taking notes and pictures of the injuries that amounted to no more than scratches, the attacker was delivered to the jail and charged with third degree battery.

The final incident occurred around the Hispanic tienda just behind Stage downtown. Sgt. Chad Bradshaw responded to a call with reports of a drunk causing problems. When Sgt. Bradshaw arrived, the drunk man had already left; however, he was spotted close by. The man confessed to drinking six beers and was taken to join the likes of him at the county jail.

Just a reminder that, while the rest of us are going about our day or night, minding our own business and depending on local law enforcement officers to serve and protect, whether we see them or not, that’s exactly what they’re out there doing. So many thanks to Police Chief Richard McKinley, Sheriff Monte Stringfellow and all their officers and staff who respond to questionable activity on the streets and help keep the rest of us safe.

At the Chalice Cupboard Last Year 01/23/12

During 2011 the De Queen Chalice Cupboard food ministry assisted residents of Sevier County by distributing 9,536 pounds of food. The twelve months of last year recorded 765 people, 413 adults and 352 children and youth, receiving help with food--averaging over twelve pounds per person.

During 2011 food weighing 9,662 pounds was received by the food pantry at 315 North 5th Street. Of these items a total of 3,972 pounds were given by churches, organizations, businesses, families and individuals. And thanks to the added financial support received, it was possible for the Chalice Cupboard to purchase many other needed food items, weighing 5,240 pounds, to make our distributions of food more generous, well rounded, and consciously nutritious.

An accident had traffic slowed near Ben Lomond for a while on Saturday, when an SUV was making a left turn into a private drive and was t-boned by a tri-axle dump truck that attempted a pass.

Trooper J.D. Jones with the Arkansas State Police, who worked the accident, said there were only minor injuries in an accident that could’ve ended very tragically. Officials use this incident as a valuable reminder to drivers as to the importance of using turn signals and slowing to proper speeds when turning on and off of roadways, as well as a reminder to observe all driving conditions and to proceed with extreme caution when passing any vehicle.

Hispanics comprise a sizeable portion of our area’s population, but, despise an ever-growing presence in Arkansas communities, Hispanic Americans are largely absent from government offices in our state – something that some Arkansas politicians predict will change over the next few years.

According to the 2010 US Census, the Hispanic population doubled between 2000 and 2010, climbing from 3.2 percent of the state’s population to 6.4 percent. That percentage represents over 186,000 people, 44,000 of which turned out to vote in the November general election in 2010 – 5.6 percent of the total number of Arkansas voters.

A pioneer on the Hispanic candidacy front is 50-year-old Diana Gonzales Worthen of Springdale. Worthen is the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and back on January 14^th announced candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the District 7 Senate seat. Worthen runs a program at the University of Arkansas that provides professional development to teachers. This is her second bid for a legislative seat.

Worthen believes Hispanic voter turnout will see an explosion in the immediate future. The most interesting demographic is the kids, the schoolchildren that are American citizens, about 90 percent of which have been born here, and they’re coming of age to vote. Worthen believes Hispanic Americans are becoming increasingly comfortable with the political process and thoughts of running for various offices.

It was just inside of a year ago when Vonderrick Smith allegedly beat his one-month-old son to death, establishing the incident as one of the more notable and infamous crimes known to our area. It was January 31^st of last year that Baby Kason was presented to emergency personnel at an Idabel hospital. Kason was then delivered to Dallas Children’s Medical Center where he remained in intensive care until passing away on February 15^th.

Based on interviews with the baby’s mother, as well as others, it was discovered that Smith regularly beat the baby and his mother in retaliation for the mother not obtaining marijuana and painkillers for him. Kason’s injuries were severe. As a result, Smith was charged with second-degree murder.

Last week, Smith appeared in Sevier County Circuit Court, where he was granted a mental evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. Proceedings have been put on hold until the evaluation is completed at the State Hospital in Little Rock.

A 21-year-old Ashdown man pled guilty in Little River Circuit Court last week to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in late 2010. Curtis Michael Glen Gulley was 20-years-old at the time the complaint was filed by the girl’s mother. The charge is a Class D felony of sexual assault in the fourth degree and carries a potential penalty of up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

The young lady claimed Gulley was aware of her age throughout their numerous encounters. Gulley also confessed to knowledge of the girl’s age. The young lady had the pregnancy terminated at a facility in Shreveport. Gulley will appear for sentencing on February 14^th.

36-year-old Donald Hux of El Dorado is dead after losing a gunfight with Union County authorities on US Highway 82 just west of El Dorado last night. Authorities were in pursuit of Hux after the husband of his ex-wife, Amy Huckabee, was found dead earlier in the day. Mrs. Huckabee, a cousin of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, was kidnapped by Hux, along with her three children, after Hux broke into their Arkadelphia home and shot her husband, Sandy Huckabee, while he was sleeping. Amy and her three children were then taken from their home; however, the children were dropped off at the home of Hux’s parents in southwest El Dorado.

After authorities killed Hux in their open fire confrontation on the highway, the body of Amy Huckabee – already feared dead – was found shortly thereafter. Hux was no stranger to the law and most recently pled guilty in October to a misdemeanor assault charge in Caddo Parish in Louisiana, where he was charged with two counts of attempted aggravated sexual assault. More details are expected to be released sometime today.

This past Friday, First National Bank of De Queen formally announced the soon closure of its location in downtown De Queen. De Queen Region President of First National Bank Tony Ray says the decision has not been taken lightly or without considerable research and earnest debate. The bank is excited about and continues to support the revitalization of the downtown area but says their decision is based on what is in the best interest of the bank, as they continue to strive to serve their constituents in seventeen communities in southwest Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma.

The bank takes great pride in their exceptional ratings for strength and stability among private financial rating services. Such ratings are not easily attained, and First National feels their customers and the communities they serve are confident the bank will continue their earnest pursuit of achieving nothing less than this level of stability.

After years as a fixture in downtown De Queen, the 3^rd Street location is scheduled to close as of March 30^th. First National will continue to offer full-service commercial and retail banking at the Collin Raye Drive location.

MILLWOOD PARK RANGER TEACHES STUDENTS ABOUT CAREERS IN NATURAL RESOURCES 01/20/12

Matt Pfiefler, Natural Resource Specialist and Park Ranger at Millwood State Park in Ashdown, wants students to realize all the possibilities in a career in Natural Resources, as well as understand about how Millwood State Park and Lake operates. He also demonstrated water safety behavior and information and explained to the students how the water supply from Millwood Lake is used.

Pfiefler visited the sixth grade social studies classroom of Kim Miller at Ashdown Junior High School on Jan. 13 as part of the Learning for Life Career Exploring and Student Success Program, an affiliate of Boy Scouts of America.

Pfiefler has worked at Millwood State Park for just over two years, where he presents water safety, forestry and wildlife related programs for schools, scout troops, and visitors. He graduated from Arkansas Tech with a degree in Wildlife Biology and began his employment with the U. S. Geological Survey working in Forestry. He has experience working with the Bureau of Land Management in the Grand Canyon and in the Mojave Desert, where he was part of the effort to reseed native vegetation on the land after the massive 05-06 fire.

The next big activity at Millwood State Park will be the annual Wings & Things Festival this spring. For more information, about the festival and other park activities or to schedule Pfiefler to speak to a group, call Matt at 501-340-1460 or the Millwood State Park office at 870-898-3343.
Submitted by: Carolyn Henderson

On January 19, 2012, Wickes High School students were fortunate to have two published authors visit their English classes. The day began with Whit Gentry, author of the novel Revenge, who discussed ways to develop characters and what motivated him to write. After lunch, Karen Gammons, author of Prince Andy and the Misfits: Shadow Man, shared how she began writing and what inspired her to write her first novel. She surprised the students with a personalized, signed copy of her novel. Caleb Gammons, son of Karen Gammons and soon to be published, performed an entertaining short skit for the students. Each author ended the visit with a question-and-answer session. The visits were arranged by Mrs. Amy Wedehase, Wickes High School English instructor.

Caleb Gammons demonstrating a writing technique with 7^th grader, Isaac Counts

Karen Gammons signing a book for freshmen Dyllon Broach

Submitted by: Amy Wedehase

Nine students from Ashdown schools in grades 4-8 won five first-place and three second-place trophies at the Southwest Arkansas Regional Reading Fair held at the De Queen Mena Education Cooperative in Gillham on Jan. 12-13.

A total of 123 participants from ten schools competed by grade levels in Fiction and Non-fiction categories, where 30 first, second-, and third-place trophies were awarded. Ashdown tied Horatio for the most trophies with eight.

Fourth grade winners for Ashdown in Non-fiction were Savanna Tropp – first place and Colby Dellinger – second place, and Anthony Knudson won first place and Colby Thoms won second place for Fiction. The fifth grade winner for Ashdown was Weston Lawrence with a first place win in Fiction. All are students at L. F. Henderson Intermediate School.

Partners Grace Gwin and Logan Henry, students at Ashdown Junior High School, were the sixth grade second-place winners in Fiction. Callie Redfearn won first place in the seventh grade Fiction category, and eighth grader Ty Cobb won first place in Non-fiction.

Participants are judged on comprehension of both the book and the author in an interview and through their visual tri-fold presentations. They are required to not only read the book and present knowledge about its content, but also to research the author and his purposes and to make connections to self and world.

This is the first year for the De Queen Mena Co-op to host a Reading Fair competition, according to Susan Nelson, Reading Specialist at the DMEC site. Its obvious advantage, according to Nelson, is its correlation to the requirements of the newly state-endorsed Common Core Curriculum, which will be actively in place in grades K-12 in Arkansas schools by 2014.

“It is project-based and more student-focused,” Nelson points out when linking it with Battle of the Books, the other literacy competition sponsored by the Co-op each year for grades 1-12. “We will still have Battle of the Books, but we are hoping that especially the older students will move towards the Reading Fair,” which she points out is “relevant” and requires speaking, presentation, research and evaluation. Photo Album

A preliminary hearing regarding Jaci Rae Jackson and her mother, Wendie Nicole Cox, has been set for March 13^th in relation to the August 14^th, 2010 house fire of Cox’s home in Haworth, OK; the mother/daughter duo have been charged with second-degree arson in belief they set fire to the house in order to claim an insurance payout.

Jackson faces additional charges in both Oklahoma and Arkansas connected to the five stolen horses from the SAU campus in Magnolia on November 2^nd of last year. Jackson’s attorney made formal contact with District Attorney Mark Matloff in hopes to begin the negotiation of a plea deal for Jackson. Matloff said there would be no such deal during this trial. Both Jackson and Cox are out on bond and await – as do many – their upcoming appearance before judge and jury.

Surveys and solicitation over the phone serve as one of the greatest annoyances in a day and age where access to our homes is seemingly far too easy and information abuse rampant, but, sometimes, those conversations bear worthwhile fruit and actually make a viable contribution to your very own circle of society.

Folks in Little River County are going to have a soon opportunity to do just that, as the Arkansas Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control are working with the Little River County Coalition to identify and access health needs and habits, using an assessment process known as the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is conducting the survey and plans to visit with 800-900 residents across the county. Little River County officials are encouraging area residents to participate in the survey and to provide honest and forthright responses. Any identifying information will be erased from the report, and the results will provide a snapshot of the health of the county that will provide a wealth of information and assistance to area healthcare agencies, which affects care, applicable programming and funding. The survey is slated to begin February 1^st and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete by phone.

Arkansas currently has 32 hospitals across the state designated as trauma centers. According to State Health Director Paul Halverson as yesterday’s Joint Budget Committee hearing yesterday, that number is set to almost double this year. The statewide system is financed by a 56-cents-per-pack hike in the cigarette tax, as well as an increase on smokeless tobacco tax, which took effect back in March of 2009. The tax generated almost $62.5 million last fiscal year, of which $33 million went into the trauma system. The remaining tax revenues fund more than 20 additional health-related programs in Arkansas.

There are a number of reasons folks put off college enrollment. Whether high school graduate, returning student or adult considering giving it a shot, everyone’s circumstances are different. There’s no doubt that making a commitment to higher education is no small gesture, but the staff and faculty of CCCUA wish to remind you that it is possible. As a matter of fact, the folks at CCCUA take great pride in the fact that they take great strides to meet the needs of incoming students.

Of all the reasons you might have to not get in class this semester, they say fear should not be one of them. CCCUA encourages prospective registrants that have, so far, fallen prey to procrastination to make your move today.

CCCUA has extended late registration for the spring semester through 3 o’clock this afternoon, Friday, January 20^th. You can give the college a call at 800.844.4471 or visit their website at cccua.edu.

Beginning next week, the cost of first-class stamps will increase 1 cent, making the cost of sending a letter 45 cents. This marks the first rate increase we’ve seen in just over 2 ½ years.

The Gap meeting started at 5:30. De Queen High School Principal Roger Busse and literacy coach Pam Tollett presented achievement data to 33 members of the task force. Mr. Busse discussed the eleventh grade literacy exam that is state mandated. Scores from this caused De Queen High to be in school improvement year five. However, scores from the exam in the spring 2011 have placed the high school in “safe harbor”. This means, if the eleventh grade literacy scores meet AYP again, the high school will no longer be in school improvement for literacy.

The 2011 junior class test history shows that when the students were in the seventh grade, 61% scored proficient on the literacy portion of the Benchmark exam. When the same class was in the 8^th grade, 68% scored proficient. Last spring, 72% of the juniors scored proficient.

The 2011 junior class testing population consisted of 133 students. Eighty percent of Caucasians, 65% of Hispanics, and 80 % of African Americans scored proficient on the exam. Statistics show that 54% of females and 46% of males scored proficient. Sixty-seven percent of economically disadvantaged, and 78% of non-economically disadvantaged scored proficient.

De Queen’s students have shown improvement on the literacy exam since 2006. The literacy exam was administered in 2006 and 37% of the students scored proficient in the combined population category. Scores in the combined population category continued to increase: 2007, 42% were proficient; 2008, 52% were proficient; 2009, 53% were proficient; 2010, 54% were proficient. In 2011 scores increased from the previous year by 18% with 72% scoring proficient. Mr. Busse stated that this was a huge gain. He attributed the gain to excellent teachers along with intervention projects that are in place at the high school.

Mr. Busse and Mrs. Tollett’s presentation showed how De Queen’s eleventh grade combined population compared to the state last year. De Queen had 72% score proficient when the state average was 64% scoring proficient. “De Queen has an excellent school system,” Mr. Busse added. The No Child Left Behind Act that has caused so much debate doesn’t always portray how well schools are improving. When De Queen’s economically disadvantaged of 67% scored proficient in 2011, the state average was 52%. In the non-economically disadvantaged group, De Queen had 78% score proficient and the state average was 76%. Test data is available at http://Arkansas.gov on the Hive link.

De Queen High School has adopted “Engineering Excellence by Emphasizing Literacy” as their mission. Students at De Queen High are required to read the equivalent of 25 books per year, keeping with High Schools That Work requirements. Also, tenth and eleventh graders are lexile tested four times a year to monitor reading progress. Teachers continue implementing the Literacy Lab comprehensive reading model. The high school has literacy based cross curriculum units each nine weeks. Formative assessments and data are used to target struggling readers and writers. De Queen high has double blocked literacy periods for some students. The high school also incorporates a pull out program for small group tutoring. Teachers use a learning center approach to teaching English that targets students’ strengths and weaknesses while monitoring comprehension.

Mr. Busse also stated that teachers are available for before and after school tutoring. The help is available and students simply have to show up for tutoring. De Queen High has a no fail homework policy. The high school offers Advanced Placement, Gifted and Talented Program, CCCUA concurrent classes, Secondary Education classes, Medical Professions Education, Automotive Service Technology, and Automotive Collision Repair Technology.

De Queen Public Schools fund the test fee for all juniors to take the ACT exam at least one time. This accounts for fluctuating scores each year. There are students that don’t plan to attend college and would otherwise not take the ACT exam according to Mr. Busse.

Mr. Busse went on to discuss how the high school promotes parent involvement through the DHS Edline Online Grading System. This allows parents to access their child’s grades. The high school also hosts Parents Make a Difference Night. Students and parents can attend ACT preparation classes together. The high school is involved in the district-wide parental involvement meeting. The school uses Alert Now and KDQN for announcements. De Queen High also has a program called CAPS, Career Action Planning Services to help students plan for their future. At the present, De Queen High School is in the planning stages of implementing national learning standards through Common Core State Standards. Over 40 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards.

The Lockesburg City Council met in regular session this past Tuesday evening, January 10. After approving the minutes and financials from the previous meeting, Wendy Clay updated the Council on the Lockesburg Library. Mrs. Clay stated that 2,494 people came into the library and 5,755 books had been checked out. They now have 5 computers online, including one child’s computer. The computers logged in 662 users. The library will be hosting an open house on February 11.

Mike and Valerie Gathright updated the Council on the Lockesburg Fire Department. The department received 156 calls and responded to 55 fires last year. Their 22-year-old repeater is both inoperable and irreparable; cost for a new one inclusive of battery back up will be just over $2,100. The department is also in need of new truck radios and other devices. Additionally, they need to purchase a new patient assessment monitoring system; approximate cost will be $3,500. The Council voted to proceed with the purchase of a new repeater for now.

The Council also voted to table the amended budget, as well as to table the Bank of Lockesburg Pledge issue.

Further tabling votes included the first council meeting of the year organization, Treasurer and Recorder training, as well as roof bids.

The Council then voted to pay bills and adjourned until their next regularly scheduled meeting.

New Scrapper head football coach Billy Dawson met with his new team members for the first time yesterday. Dawson talked with the team about being responsible adults and honesty. He pitched the sport as an opportunity to prepare for the workforce and life. Dawson plans to work with the players this spring and then will be on board full time once the new school year begins.

We recently told you of Dierks’ desire to restore a local ambulance service in their community, which would prevent the current wait of 20 to 25 minutes for an ambulance to arrive from Nashville. At Tuesday’s Howard County Quorum Court meeting, it was recommended an additional ambulance service serve the Dierks, Umpire and Athens fire department boundaries, while the Howard County Ambulance Service continue to provide service to all other sections of the county. Dale Weston, owner of Emergency Medical Transport, said it would take several weeks to purchase supplies for an additional ambulance. The Court voted 7 to 1 in favor of proceeding.

On the economic front, things have been tight and tightening for a while. While the job market has seen a bit of a comeback in recent months, it has been so slight it’s barely noticeable. Economists have been telling us that the ripple affect of the nation’s recession has yet to reveal itself in full force, and signs are everywhere that they are right.

State lawmakers in Little Rock are grappling with some stark realities this week, as budget hearings begin in preparation for the state’s next fiscal year that begins on the 1^st of July. We’re perfectly familiar with the Forestry Commission’s dilemma; though somewhat self-imposed, the agency has now made decisions – all based on funding – that affect both jobs and safety in Arkansas. Now that Governor Beebe’s budget proposal is officially on the table, the number crunching commences.

To start things off, state employees will go without a cost-of-living adjustment next fiscal year. Beebe told finance officials yesterday he was open to ideas as to how to provide such an adjustment for employees, but he didn’t see any possible way to cover the roughly $20 million expense without cutting some of the state’s services.

Beebe also announced yesterday the release of another $50,000 from his emergency fund to keep 120 trial court assistants across the state on the payroll through February. This is the third time Beebe has released money to help the fund that pays their salaries. That fund is dependent upon various court fees and traffic violations and collections that have dropped from $3.1 million to right at $2.5 million this past year.

Here in southwest Arkansas, we pride ourselves in the beauty of our area and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors. We’re most fortunate to enjoy so many lakes, managed wildlife area and parks. Yesterday, the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Little Rock District announced plans to reduce operations at 29 parks, including the closure of 13 campgrounds, which will save them just shy of $2 million next year. Approximately 500 of the state’s 6,000 individual campsites will go dormant. At this point, no parks in our area are targeted for changes.

Yesterday, President Obama denounced support for the continuation of work on the Keystone XL pipeline, and Arkansas’ Congressional delegation didn’t sit quietly. Senators Boozman and Pryor and Representatives Crawford, Ross and Womack all expressed their disappointment in the President’s decision in official statements released just following the President’s announcement yesterday.

How does this affect Arkansas today? Welspun Tubular, a Little Rock company, had 500 miles of pipe awaiting shipment for the pipeline, and, as a result of the President’s decision, had no choice but to immediately layoff some 60 employees. In addition to the loss of jobs, now all this pipe – hundreds of linear miles of it – will flood the market and reduce the cost of pipe, which may lead to more layoffs for the company.

How will this affect Arkansas tomorrow? The pipeline – when and if completed – would transport roughly 700,000 barrels of oil a day (passing not too far from here) from Canada to the Gulf Coast to support domestic refineries, as well as creating some 20,000 jobs. Canada is considering an alternative pipeline that would carry their crude to the West Coast, where it could be shipped to China for refining. Now that the Keystone XL project is stalemated, some see this as a decision to send yet more jobs to China while contributing to more layoffs and economic decay here at home.

Just before midnight last night, a resident of De Queen was forced off the road and rested upside down after an oncoming vehicle took a curve too wide, occupying both lanes of traffic. Monty Ferguson was traveling north on Red Bridge Road, when he came to a curve at the intersection of Red Bridge and Keiser. Ferguson was met by a southbound vehicle that forced him off the road, and, after traveling approximately 150 feet, Ferguson’s vehicle finally came to a stop upside down. Ferguson walked to a residence at 1864 Red Bridge Road to call the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, which is where he was found by Deputy Wendell Randall. Thankfully, Mr. Ferguson was alright but could only describe the vehicle that caused the accident as a dark-colored SUV. The SUV continued on and left Ferguson to fend for himself.

The Sevier County Democratic Committee met yesterday and set the pace for this year’s elections. Filing fees were set as the same for the previous year. The official filing period for candidates will open at noon on February 23 and will run through March 1.

Officer Echevarria of the De Queen Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Coulter Driver; the vehicle was occupied by two male subjects. The driver was identified as Gary Warford of De Queen, and the passenger was identified as Michael Bowers. Warford was arrested on warrants out of Sevier County; Bowers was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, after throwing a glass pipe out of the window when the stop was made. Both subjects were transported to the Sevier County Jail.

Officer Echevarria contributed to yet another arrest when he observed 18-year-old Jae Thigpen of De Queen driving a yellow Hummer; Officer Echevarria recognized Thigpen and knew the subject did not obtain a valid driver’s license. Corporal Bobby Bagley initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle, and, as the officers approached the vehicle, they could smell the odor of marijuana. Thigpen exited the vehicle with possession of a plastic bag containing a green, leafy substance. Thigpen was arrested and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance. A passenger, who was a juvenile, was arrested and charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, then was released to his parents.

February 9 marks the date for the Annual Chamber Awards Banquet and celebration. This year our guest speaker will be Mr. Chuck Barrett “The Voice of the Razorbacks”! Chuck is a dynamic speaker…and with the Razorbacks winning the Cotton Bowl, there could not be a better time to have Chuck with us!

Dinner will be your choice of rib-eye steak or chicken, salad, potatoes, vegetable, roll and dessert. Where else can you get a delicious dinner and hear from Chuck Barrett for only $30 per ticket?

We will once again have items available for silent auction, along with a few live auction items. Some of the auction items include a Bobby Petrino autographed football, a Mike Anderson autographed basketball, and a Dave Van Horn autographed baseball.

Tickets are available at the chamber office, Little River County Judges office, and Ashdown and Foreman City Hall offices. Also, there are 3 levels of sponsorships available is you would like to be a bronze, silver, or gold sponsor. For additional information, contact the chamber office at 870-898-2758 or email the chamber at director@littlerivercounty.org

The Horatio Board of Education met in regular session this past Monday evening. The Board voted to accept both the district’s board member zone plan and the district’s 2012 Master Plan. Additionally, they voted to contract with Guest Reddick for renovation plans that are scheduled to begin in June. The Board also voted to renew liability insurance with Bancorp South and to lease/purchase a rider floor scrubber from AmSan.

As matters of personnel, the Board vote to extend Superintendent Ward’s contract for another two years, with a renewed expiration date of June 30, 2014. They also granted employee medical leave and hired Abbye Turner as history teacher and Lisa Roberts as an ESL aide for the remainder of this academic year. In conclusion, the Board approved the previous meeting’s minutes and routine reports.

All of us know that children – from time to time – question parents or siblings about what would happen if they called 911 and hung up; it’s a basic temptation to the prank caller inside lots of kids. Law and emergency personnel take the 911 service very seriously and, typically, won’t allow citizens to abuse it.

One Hempstead County woman placed several hang up calls to 911 and had officials in a quandary. After several attempts to make contact with the woman, with no knowledge of what her circumstances might have been, 911 finally got the woman to answer, and, when she did, she simply told them she didn’t want to talk with them after all and hung up.

Deputies then traced the call to the residence (yes, kids, they can actually do that) and identified the woman. Upon arrival, deputies were overwhelmed with the stench of burnt marijuana, which explained the woman’s altered state of mind. She was issued two citations: one for the Obstruction of Governmental Operations another Misdemeanor Marijuana charge.

Well, it’s official – Nashville has hired Billy Dawson as head football coach, assistant athletic director and teacher. The school board met last night to vote on the matter and gave unanimous support to Dawson, who is no stranger to the school’s athletic program.

The district’s superintendent, Doug Graham, says he feels good about the decision and looks forward to Dawson’s return. Graham says his coaching record speaks for itself, but it was his ability to motivate people, his leadership and his relationship with the school and the community that led to his hiring. Out of fourteen applicants, Dawson was the only person interviewed; he is expected to begin his new post sometime in April, just in time for spring training.

While the majority of us will spend the day living out what it means to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, two Arkansas families are mourning the loss of their loved ones – our soldiers – who both fought and died to ensure that it remains so.

Sgt. 1^st Class Benjamin B. Wise of Little Rock was shot January 9^th when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire. 34-year-old Wise was a resident of Washington State, where he leaves behind a wife and children. His parents are Dr. Jean and Mary Wise from Camden, AR; Dr. Wise operates the Southwest Arkansas Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic in Hope, AR. These parents lost another son, Jeremy Wise, back in 2009, who was killed by a suicide bomber while serving in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL.

Hitting even closer to home, Todd Walker, a resident of Nashville, died Monday in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. 49-year-old Walker was employed as a helicopter pilot by a private company in Afghanistan. Military officials say that one of the blades of Walker’s helicopter came off in mid flight, causing the crash and killing all three people on board. Walker served as a pilot for Weyerhauser for a number of years, including service as a fire surveillance pilot as recent as this past summer.

The De Queen City Council met in regular session yesterday evening at De Queen’s City Hall. Mayor McKelvy began the meeting with an update on the highway department’s street sweeper that has been at work in town. The Mayor also discussed a tour of the Turk plant in Hope coming up this Friday, in which several members of the Council, as well as other local officials, plan to participate.

The Council then discussed a resolution to approve an extended contract with Manya Woods for prosecution services for the city.

Two houses have maintained the attention of the Council for the past couple of months. Tonight, the Council had before them resolutions to declare these two properties nuisances, which, ultimately, can lead to their destruction in attempt to keep area neighborhoods clean and safe. Addresses of the properties are: 722 West Vandervoort and 221 North 7^th. Owners of both of the properties were in attendance and presented their intentions of progress. The Council granted both parties 3 weeks to make notable progress and the expectation of a progress report at the next meeting on the evening of February 7^th.

District Judge Stephen Tedder presented his annual report on the District Court. Revenues are down some; however, in comparison to other districts, ours exemplifies notable health, both functionally and financially. Judge Tedder accounts the majority of the drop in revenue to the reduction of tickets written and fines collection associated with the reduction from two area Arkansas State Troopers to one.

The Council also passed a resolution formally substantiating end-of-year bonuses for city employees. After discussion of several of the city’s properties and matters of prospective property acquisition, the Council adjourned until their next meeting in February.

“Quick and Easy” original recipes. Beef recipes with ingredients commonly used or on hand

“Game Day” beef recipes. Recipes should be original and easy to prepare. These recipes will

5^th & 6^th grade competed in a Reading Fair held at the De Queen- Mena Educational Co-op. Students that won at the local level competed against students from other schools. Winners were-5th grade nonfiction 2^nd place Chenoa White. 5^th grade fiction 2^nd place Jade Short. 6^th grade nonfiction 1^st place Alyssa Gilbert.

L-R Chenoa White, Kaylee Sharp, Mina McAda, Jade Short, Alyssa Gilbert, Ali Pulliam, Lexi Simmons

De Queen Elementary Library will hold its annual Scholastic Book Fair January 23-27, 2012.

A family night event will be held on Thursday evening (Jan. 26) from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm — Everyone welcome! All purchases benefit our school!

Submitted by: Brenda Clowers

Last Friday, a sly couple made an attempt to make off with some meat products from the Lockesburg Grocery Store.

The store’s owner was in the deli area and noticed a young lady slipping a package of lunchmeat into her purse. Upon further observation, he noticed the couple retrieving a package of bacon from the store’s cooler.

When the couple made their way to the counter to checkout, no bacon was placed on the counter for purchase.

The owner then asked the couple to remain at the store while he made a call to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office. At this point, fear got the best of the thief, who, all of a sudden, had an urgent need to use the restroom. The owner agreed to let her do so.

Meanwhile, Deputy Brian Hankins arrives, and the thief had exited the restroom and was available for some discussion. While the young lady was explaining to Deputy Hankins that she had placed the lunchmeat in her purse while she was trying to find a check to pay for her groceries (and still with no appearance of the bacon the owner saw her swipe), a light bulb went off in the owner’s head. He then proceeded to the restroom in search of any items she might have offloaded as a part of her supposed urgent trip. With nothing visible in plain view, the owner then decided to lift the lid off the toilet, and, sure enough, there was the missing bacon.

The thief was then taken into custody and transported to the Sevier County Jail, where she was formally charged with Shoplifting.

Number crunching begins today at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock. Lawmakers return for the next session on February 13; however, budget hearings begin today for the state’s finance officials. Governor Beebe will be unveiling his $4.7 billion budget, which we’re told is relatively flat, outside of a $100 million increase for Medicaid and an additional $55 million for public schools. Another item on the agenda will be scrutiny of the Forestry Commission’s financial struggles that has drawn a lot of attention over the past few weeks.

Ice cream lovers everywhere will be glad to know that Arkansas’ own Yarnell’s Premium Ice Cream is slated to be back on shelves across the nation by sometime this spring. The Yarnell’s Searcy facility sold to Schultz & Burch Biscuit Company back in early December out of a bankruptcy auction. It was initially thought that Schultz & Burch, a Chicago-based snack company, would manufacture some of its snack product items in the Searcy facility; however, to the surprise of many, they have announced they will continue producing some of Yarnell’s same products, with the same formulas and are even hiring some of the same employees – a win, win for Searcy’s economy and dairy lovers across the nation. Yarnell’s was an 80-year-old manufacture of ice creams, frozen yogurt and brought the nation’s first fat-free, no sugar-added line of “guilt free” frozen desserts.

Those who take to the skies on a regular basis will likely be glad to hear that American Eagle is replacing all of the turboprop passenger planes that fly in and out of Texarkana Regional Airport with new jets. Though an upgrade for passengers, the replacement is actually being executed as a cost-cutting measure for American Eagle, a subsidiary of American Airlines that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late November. The new jets will offer the company lessoned maintenance costs and improved travel efficiency. While the turboprops actually have a bit more room, customers usually like the jets better because of the nice, quiet ride, as well as the ability to fly above bad weather instead of through it. The change should be made by the end of the month.

Though not yet an official announcement, Nashville School District Superintendent Doug Graham has confirmed he has met with Billy Dawson, pastor of Nashville’s Immanuel Baptist Church, regarding the coaching vacancy in the district’s football program. Dawson coached at the school two years ago and announced to his congregation this past Sunday that, while he intends to remain at Immanuel, he has made the decision to take another position. An official announcement is expected following this week’s school board meeting. From 2005-2009, Dawson’s teams claimed three state championships, boasted a 65-4 record and averaged 44 points per game.

Marcus Richmond, candidate for the senate seat in Arkansas’ fourth congressional district currently held by Mike Ross, will be speaking at this evening’s Southwest Arkansas Tea Party Patriots meeting in De Queen. Marcus grew up in nearby Mena and currently resides in Harvey, AR in Scott County – a small community several miles southwest of Waldron.

Tonight’s meeting will take place at the De Queen Senior Citizen’s Center and will begin at 6 o’clock. The patriots will be serving coffee and finger foods and invite everyone in the area to attend.

Wickes seventh and eighth students recently competed in the DeQueen-Mena ESC Reading Fair 01/16/12

Wickes High School seventh and eighth students recently competed in the DeQueen-Mena ESC Reading Fair held January 13, 2012, at DMEC in Gillham. The Reading Fair, which provided students with the opportunity to share a favorite book through a storyboard display, was divided into fiction and non-fiction categories. A preliminary fair was held at the school, with two students from each grade and category advancing to the DMEC Reading Fair.

The following students represented Wickes High School at the DMEC Reading Fair: 7^th grade – Jonathan Castrejon, Abigail Taylor, Alissa Miles, and Chrystal Ramirez; 8^th grade – Eduardo Medina, Savannah Frachiseur, Brittany Jenkins, and Staci Billingsley. Winners were chosen based on knowledge of the book, the storyboard, and an interview. Wickes High School is pleased to announce five winners. They are:

7^th grade, 1^st Place: Jonathan Castrejon, Non-Fiction
8^th grade, 2^nd Place: Savannah Frachiseur, Non-Fiction, and Brittany Jenkins, Fiction
8^th grade, 3^rd Place: Eduardo Medina, Non-Fiction, and Staci Billingsley, Fiction

The winning storyboards are on display in the high school library. Wickes High School language arts instructor is Mrs. Suzanne Kesterson; library media specialist is Mrs. Roberta Youngblood.

Pictured L to R: Staci Billingsley, Brittany Jenkins, Eduardo Medina, Alissa Miles,
Abbi Taylor, Jonathan Castrejon, Savannah Frachiseur, Crystal Ramirez,
and Mrs. Suzanne Kesterson.

Last week, the national education journal Education Week announced their annual ranking of our nation’s schools by state. Arkansas scored well overall, but some question the specifics of the rankings. While Arkansas received high marks for its educational policies, the state received low marks on two areas that have long plagued the state’s education system: actual student achievement and the chance for a successful career with an Arkansas education.

The state was ranked 34^th in student achievement and 44^th in the chance for student success in a future career. Governor Beebe says he’s elated with the high marks but sees the need for Arkansas to persevere with its unrelenting efforts to improve areas where we’re still struggling.

Unlike many states, even in difficult economic days, Arkansas hasn’t cut funding in education, and Governor Beebe says that’s going to pay off in the years to come. Beebe has been working to increase funding for pre-kindergarten education, as well as implementing the STEM Works initiative, which places emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math. Beebe is also encouraging individual districts to seek out grants that would help fund more after school and summer programs that assist students with tutoring – something the state has been slow to implement so far.

Last week, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office apparently received numerous calls about a drunk roaming around town just north of the 70/71 Junction on the evening of the 11^th. Deputy Kristopher Hundley was eventually dispatched to catch up with the man that was later identified as 35-year-old Timothy Spray of Dierks. Deputy Hundley found Spray staggering down the white fog line on Highway 71 North in front of the cabinet shop. Spray proceeded to explain that he had been kicked out of vehicle and that he had been drug by the vehicle. Throughout their conversation, Spray was waiving around a bottle of pills in his left hand; when Deputy Hundley took a look, he discovered there were several different kinds of pills in the bottle. What’s more, Spray confessed to drinking four beers, as well as two shots of tequila. As they conversed, Spray kept wandering back into roadway, and Deputy Hundley had to repeatedly instruct him to stay out of the road. Once they arrived and settled into the Sevier County Jail, Spray described the vehicle he says he’d been kicked out of as a small blue four-door car. In the next breath, it was a Jeep Cherokee. Than it was a truck. Jailers decided to let Spray hang around for a while and formally check him in under a charge of Public Intoxication.

AR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEEDS MORE TIME TO RECOVER FINANCIALLY DISTRESSED DISTRICTS 1/16/12

Arkansas’ Education Commissioner, Tom Kimbrell, told the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee at the end of last week that the state’s Department of Education simply needs more time to correct financial problems faced by school districts that fall into the state’s care. Currently, when an Arkansas school district is deemed in financial distress, the state takes over leadership and is given two years to get the district back on its feet. Kimbrell says two years is sufficient time to discover and correct the actual financial difficulties, but that’s only half the battle. Often times, it is poor leadership that allows districts to get in that kind of shape, and, when completed with financial recovery, it’s securing local leadership stability that requires extra time.

In many instances, recovered and continued financial solvency requires replacing some personnel or at least extensive training and accountability. This is one of several hefty issues the Auditing Committee must tackle as a part of this week’s budget hearings.

Many folks are enjoying the day off today, but, when the majority of us crawl out of bed tomorrow morning and prepare to head back to work, 36 Arkansas Forestry Commission employees will have nowhere to go. As of last Friday, the pending layoffs in the state’s Forestry Commission crossed over from the realm of pending to the realm of reality. What does that mean for Sevier County ? It means that if a fire breaks out anywhere across our 21,410 acres that depend upon commission-funded protection, we’ll only have one firefighter upon which to call. State lawmakers say they hope to recoup the jobs sometime down the road. Local officials just hope that move doesn’t come too late.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has said he will ask the Legislature during next month’s fiscal session to approve $2.7 million in supplemental funding for the commission. $1.2 million would be applied toward the repayment of federal grant monies that were inappropriately used by the agency for ongoing expenses, and $1.5 million would help fund the commission’s operation through the end of the current fiscal year.

Governor Beebe says he wants answers as to who had knowledge of information leading to the agency’s $4 million shortfall that has forced these now in effect layoffs. Lawmakers will also be discussing this issue as a part of this week’s budget hearings in Little Rock .

Law enforcement officials are now in search of yet another person of interest in the death of one of five horses that were stolen from the SAU campus in Magnolia back in early November. 40-year-old William Webster Hamilton is now being sought out as one being involved with or at least having information related to the death of one of the stolen horses. Hamilton is described as 5 feet and 11 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds with dark hair.

Hamilton also goes by the names Billy Hamilton and Billy Mitchell; he also has a criminal history related to cattle theft and back child support pay. Hamilton was convicted in June of 2007 in Pike County for stealing and selling seven cows to a local sale barn, which gave him a payout of over $3,600. Two years later the case was reopened, because Hamilton failed to pay his fines. Additionally, Hamilton has also been wanted by Child Support Enforcement for past due child support in Howard County since July of 2009.

Apparently, Hamilton ’s name surfaced in conversation repeatedly during the SAU horse theft investigation, and officials working the case cannot locate him anywhere. If you have any information that might lead to Hamilton , you’re asked to call the SAU police at 870.235.4100 or Arkansas State Police Special Agent Hays McWhirter at 870.703.2065.

Mike Ross says he’s disappointed more Democratic candidates having thrown their hats in the ring for his seat, which is coming open following this year’s elections. Ross says one of the primary reasons he announced last July that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection was to give Arkansas Democrats in the newly redrawn fourth Congressional district plenty of heads up to get in the race. So far, only two Democrats have announced they’re seeking the party’s nomination, and four Republicans have said they’re running. Ross says he expects more candidates to join the race in the coming weeks. He says he’s simply not prepared to back any one candidate just yet; he’s giving more time for the field to settle.

Republican candidate for Mike Ross’s soon to be open seat Marcus Richmond will be in De Queen tomorrow evening as a part of the next Southwest Arkansas Tea Party Patriot’s meeting. Originally from Mena, Marcus currently resides in Harvey , AR – a small community southwest of Waldron. Though retired from the United States Marine Corps, he and his wife own a couple of small businesses, and they like to think that’s one way they can contribute to society by offering employment opportunities to Arkansans during difficult economic times.

You can meet Marcus yourself at tomorrow evening’s Southwest Arkansas Tea Party Patriots meeting. The meeting will take place at the Senior Citizen Center in De Queen at 6:00 pm . They’ll be serving coffee and finger foods, and everyone is invited to attend.

Mineral Springs Saratoga Schools have received $2000 from AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company to be used for technology in the district. Jennifer K. Meyer, SWEPCO’s External Affairs Manager for Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas, made the presentation on January 11^th.

MSSD superintendent Max Adcock said the money is greatly appreciated. “We are very happy to be able to partner with AEP SWEPCO to improve and upgrade technology for our students” said Adcock.

TECH CHECK "Mineral Springs Saratoga Schools Superintendent Max Adcock accepts a $2000 check from Jennifer K. Meyer of AEP SWEPCO


	Meteorologist Todd Warren from Channel 6 News visited with Horatio Elementary 1st grade on Wednesday. He talked to students about the water cycle, clouds, and severe weather. Horatio Elementary 1st Graders were featured on the 6:00 news during the weather segment.

Submitted by: Kim Leonard

The Foreman Board of Education had two meetings this past Monday evening. The first was a public session at 6:00 o’clock, when the Board invited the public to discuss the district’s 6-year master plan, which is due before the Arkansas Department of Education by February 1^st. With no public comments, the Board adjourned the public session and entered into regular session at 6:30 pm.

Mr. Barger, high school principal, gave a positive report to the beginning of the second semester, as well as a positive report to the basketball teams that have participated in several tournaments. Ms. Hunley, elementary principal, reported on last Friday’s four spelling bee winners and that the PTO will be donating several technology items with money raised from the Fall Festival. Additionally, Superintendent Sanders presented the Board with School Board Association approved material on reading audits.

The Board then formally voted to accept the 2011 Master Plan with a unanimous vote; they further approved the Certified Personnel Graduate Degree, Graduate Honor and Stipend Pay as presented by Mr. Sanders.

Mr. Sanders then reported the current enrollment of 569, comprised of 300 elementary students and 269 high school students, and, after approving the previous meeting’s minutes and financial report, the Board adjourned until their next regularly scheduled meeting.

Education Week magazine’s annual ranking of states in education policies and performance gave Arkansas schools the ranking of fifth out of the nation’s fifty states. Education officials in Arkansas are pleased with the announcement and think it speaks volumes of educational strides being made in our state.

The magazine’s report ranked Arkansas 10^th back in 2008, and we’ve continued to climb in rank since.

The nationally competitive rodeo team at Magnolia’s Southern Arkansas University has swallowed big gulps of grief in the wake of Jaci Rae Jackson and the November episode of stolen horses and senseless death of one. Now, a recent opportunity for one team member has helped bring a smile back to the team’s faces.

21-year-old rodeo team member Shaun Smith, of Emmet, has been selected to appear on CMT’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” The reality TV series sets up 11 city boys against 11 country boys to vie for the affection of a young lady by the name of Paige Duke from Lancaster, S.C.

Smith is the president of the SAU rodeo team and will appear on tonight’s episode of “Sweet Home Alabama” at 8 pm. Smith is a graduate of Emmet High School, where he was valedictorian for the class of 2009.

Next week, Arkansas lawmakers will gather for legislative budget hearings, where they’ll look into the specifics of the state’s Forestry Commission’s $4 million shortfall that has led to the laying off of 36 commission employees across the state. Governor Beebe says he wants auditors to find answers to the apparent misuse of federal funds with the agency. Beebe has also said that he will ask the Legislature to use $2.7 million from the state’s surplus to pay back the misused grants and keep the commission solvent through the end of the year.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe says next week’s balanced budget proposal will call for more than $100 million in additional funding for Medicaid, as well as $55 million for the state’s public schools. Beebe says these two items call for significant increases, but the budget is otherwise flat for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The Governor is scheduled to present his proposal on Tuesday during the first day of budget hearings. State lawmakers will convene for the next fiscal session on February 13^th.

We’ve all witnessed drivers making questionable moves out on the road, and, no doubt, we’re all guilty of making a blunder in judgment from time to time when behind the wheel. Sometimes those blunders cost us no more than a little embarrassment; sometimes they cost lives. That’s why it imperative that drivers maintain sound control of their vehicle, as well as an unimpaired attentiveness to what’s going on around them – in this case, literally.

The Sevier County Sheriff’s Department sends report today of one of the dumbest and riskiest moves one can make on the road. Recently, three cars were headed north on Highway 71 just a handful of miles south of Lockesburg. The driver of the middle car, a 19-year-old female, made the decision to pass the first car; the move was all perfectly legal, as lane dividers indicated permissible passing along the elongated straight stretch of highway. As the middle car was passing the first car, the third car kicked it in and passed both cars using the shoulder of the road, sideswiping the middle car. Fortunately, the only damage was a hurt shoulder, a hurt elbow and about $1,500 worth of damage.

But just think of all the other possibilities in which this scenario could’ve played out. You’ve got one car at – or likely just under – the speed limit, another car at a higher speed to make the pass and yet another car at excessive speeds hugging the shoulder drop off – all side by side on a two lane highway. Unbelievable!

By the way, the driver of the speeding third car that hit the middle car kept right on going. Sheriff’s Deputies were left with nothing but a description of a beat up black car.

For all you Arkansas scholarship lottery watchers and players, state lottery officials say a Powerball ticket worth $1 million big ones is still in the hands of one lucky winner somewhere. The ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in West Little Rock. The million-dollar prize is ready for the claiming; officials are simply waiting for the winner to come forward with the ticket. A dozen people have won prizes of $1 million or more since the lottery began back in September of 2009. The jackpot now stands at $66 million.

Officials in Howard County are crying, “holy cow” and asking for the help of area livestock owners in a problem that seems to be increasing along the county’s roadways. The Sheriff’s Department says they’re spending numerous hours each week responding to reports and complaints that cows are getting loose and roaming on county roads and highways. Howard County Sheriff Butch Morris is asking area livestock owners to make contact with his office to supply them with their contact and location information, so local officials can redirect reports directly to livestock owners, instead of spending so much time on location responding to calls themselves. Sheriff Morris says the number to call is 870.845.2626, and he thanks everyone, in advance, for your patience, understanding and cooperation on the matter.

Another encouraging announcement on the education from involves a pilot program taking position in Arkansas schools – the program is called STEM, which is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. The program will expand its presence across Arkansas schools by expanding into 15 additional school districts for the 2012-13 school year.

The STEM Works program seeks to education more students in fields that have the greatest need for qualified workers and have the greatest potential to enhance the state’s economy. Each district will participate in either Project Lead the Way, which focuses on engineering and biomedical sciences, or the New Tech Network, which incorporates all of the STEM subjects. Both use project-based learning to show students how concepts learned in the classroom apply in the workplace.

The Dierks Board of Education met in regular session this past Monday evening in the Dierks High School Library. After opening gestures, the Board approved the minutes from the December 13^th meeting, as well as financial reports as presented by the superintendent.

As a matter of unfinished business, the superintendent has received the grant application for a safe room. All the application requires at this point is his signature, and it can be submitted. Additionally, the Board unanimously approved the master facility plan.

The Board briefly entered executive session to discuss a matter of personnel. After returning to open session, Mrs. Cothren informed the Board about how a Weyerhauser grant in the amount of $22,000 would be purchasing 32 notebook computers for a portable computer lab and a few Kindles. Additionally, students are preparing for math and literacy target tests, and the ACSIP monitoring will occur on January 26^th. Junior high basketball tournaments are coming up soon, and Life Net will be bringing a helicopter and crew to do a program. A report was also given as to an upcoming EAST program concerning texting and driving.

Today’s younger generation enjoys some of the most advanced electronics ever known to mankind, especially when it comes to gaming. From iPods to iPhones to Wii and Xbox and the like, kids are accustomed to high def graphics, real life virtual situations and fascinating audio.

Arkansas has only a couple of larger settings for adult gambling gaming, and we’re finding out that the industry pulls in a rather fascinating amount of cash annually. Electronic Games of Skill (aka EGS) pulled in record-setting wager totals at both Arkansas casino-style gambling locations in Hot Springs and West Memphis .

Last year, total wagers at Southland Park surpassed $1.3 billion, with payouts exceeding $1.2 billion. At Oaklawn, wagers registered in at over $656 million, and payouts topped $612 million. Between the two locations, Electronic Games of Skill brought in a combined total of just shy of $2 billion.

The United States Department of Agriculture has announced plans to close 131 Farm Service Agencies across 32 states, with the largest number of closures in Arkansas , Tennessee and Texas . How will this affect Arkansas ? Sixteen closures are currently slated across our fair state. According to this recent announcement, FSA offices in Pulaski, Bradley, Fulton, Garland, Izard, Johnson, Logan, Benton, Faulkner and Lafayette counties will be shuttered. Additionally, the USDA plans to close five Rural Development offices in Izard, Faulkner, Hot Spring and White counties.

The USDA plans to hold public hearings in each county where closures are slated to occur. As we’ve seen with such hearings with the United States Postal Service, they’re seemingly token gestures to let local communities feel as if they’ve been given an opportunity to have a voice. In all fairness, however, some communities have actually been successful in keeping their post offices open.

US Senators Pryor, Boozman and Crawford have expressed deep concern about the USDA’s plans. The Senators all feel Arkansans are happy to move forward with fiscal responsibility at the national level but not on the backs of rural Americans. Senator Pryor said he would work diligently to ensure that communities have a fair opportunity to convince the USDA that their facilities should remain open.

The Farm Service Agency is now accepting applications for relief through the Livestock Forage Disaster Program. The program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers that suffered grazing losses for covered livestock on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetable cover or is planted specifically for grazing. As for now, the program is being offered in Lafayette , Columbia , Hempstead , Nevada and Miller counties.

Eligible livestock must have been owned, purchased or entered into contract to purchase during the 60 days before the beginning date of the drought and must have been maintained for commercial use as part of a farming operation.

Hawthorne Announces Bid for District 4 House of Representatives 01/10/12

ASHDOWN, Ark. – Fonda Hawthorne of Little River County, Ark. announced today that she will seek election to Arkansas House of Representatives for District 4 which consists of Little River, Sevier and part of Howard Counties.

Ms. Hawthorne has a long record of working for community and economic development in southwest Arkansas. She is currently employed as economic development officer for De Queen and Sevier County. “I believe I am uniquely qualified for this new district because of my past experience and my many relationships with leaders across the counties in the district,” Ms. Hawthorne said. “I believe jobs and economic development will be the most important issues in this election,” she said. Ms. Hawthorne is seeking the seat now held by Rep. Larry Cowling of Foreman, who is term-limited. “I’m excited about the opportunity to represent Sevier, Little River, and Howard Counties in the Arkansas House of Representatives,” Ms. Hawthorne said. “I look forward to working hard for this district to help provide jobs for our citizens and to improve services for residents of this rural district. I want to make sure that senior citizens and community organizations like rural fire departments have the services and resources they deserve.”

After a career with Southwestern Electric Power Company, Ms. Hawthorne was selected as executive vice president of the De Queen-Sevier County Chamber of Commerce. She went on to serve as chamber director and coordinator of small business and community development at the Little River County Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Hawthorne served as executive director of the Texarkana Regional Initiative, a regional economic development group that marketed communities in southwest Arkansas, northeast Texas and northwest Louisiana. At TRI, she developed a web site for the region, compiled data for member communities and marketed the region to prospective new public and private prospects.

In January, 2011, she was appointed as economic development officer for De Queen and Sevier County in a cooperative program that is funded by the City of De Queen, Sevier County, the Chamber of Commerce and the De Queen Industrial Park Public Facilities Board. She has attended Ouachita Baptist University, Texarkana Community College, East Texas State University (now Texas A&M – Texarkana) and Cossatot Community College UA. She is a graduate of Community Development Institute-Central, a three-year program that prepares leaders to help improve their communities. Ms. Hawthorne is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and earned the IOM designation. She is a member of the De Queen Lions Club, Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Great Southwest Board, Arkansas Economic Developers and has served on the board of the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Executives. Ms. Hawthorne is also active in community groups. She serves on community advisory committees for Domtar and Ash Grove Cement. She is a member of the Millwood Lake Citizens Focus Committee which is working to shape the future of the lake. She is a past president of Ashdown Rotary Club and a past president and Lion of the Year for the De Queen Lions Club.

She has been on the board of the Little River Fair Association and Little River County Extension Council. Ms. Hawthorne and her husband, Steve, who is a maintenance supervisor for Domtar, have two daughters and seven grandchildren.

The Sevier County Quorum Court met in regular session yesterday afternoon over what turned out to be a rather full agenda. Sevier County District Judge Stephen Tedder was in attendance to give a report as to revenues collected by the District Court during 2011. Judge Tedder informed the Court that collections were down from the previous year. One of the primary reasons for this being that there is currently only one Arkansas State Trooper assigned to our area, which limits the volume of tickets written. The number of tickets written in our area was down by 900, contributing to an $80,000 shortfall from collections in 2010. The Sevier County District Court collected just over $649,000 last year. Judge Tedder also informed the Court that, at the state level, court collections were down a total of 18% last year, so the drop is something experienced statewide.

Judge Tedder says his office is exploring several options to help improve the collection process this year, including the implementation of a credit card payment system, the assistance of established collection agencies, the interception of income tax returns and the continuation of an annual amnesty program.

The Court also discussed several options for use of a secondary radio frequency by the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office and area emergency personnel; these options remain under consideration. Also, Fonda Hawthorn, Economic Development Officer for both the county and city of De Queen, extended an invitation to the Court’s members to tour the Turk Plant on Friday, January 20^th.

The Court then approved the removal of the old computer server from the Circuit Clerk’s office inventory. The Court also adopted to maintain their routine meeting time of 2 o’clock in the afternoon on the second Monday of each month. Additionally, the Court locked 2012 salaries as set salaries for any incoming officials during 2013, after this year’s elections.

Another item on the agenda was the combination of a few of the county’s investment funds. The Court voted to combine two of three investment accounts, which could yield higher interest gains.

Roxy Stevens emphasized the need for county and city offices to keep as many expenditures in Sevier County as possible, whether actual purchases or use of services. Also, Judge Ray reported on the upcoming layoffs with the state Forestry Commission and the fact the Sevier County is losing one of two of its commission-funded firefighters. Judge Ray encouraged members of the Court to contact state officials to encourage an overturning of or resolution to the commission’s decision.

With no further business or discussion at hand, the Court adjourned until their next meeting, which is scheduled for Monday afternoon, February 13^th.

The statistics involving teens and alcohol in our state are somewhat surprising. On average, there are 3,800 alcohol and drug-related car wrecks in our state each year. 460 of them involve underage drinking with an average of 500 injuries or deaths. Hundreds of juveniles are arrested for intoxication in our state each year, and approximately 800 juveniles enter treatment programs for drug or alcohol treatment annually. Judge Tedder assures us that underage drinking is a problem in every community. A recently released pamphlet, issued by the Arkansas District Judges Council, is aimed at bringing definition to the legal consequences associated with teens and alcohol in Arkansas. Pamphlets are available to the public, and, if you’re interested in receiving a copy or copies to be distributed to area teen groups and organizations, copies can be obtained by calling 870.584.7311 or by stopping by 115 North 3^rd Street in De Queen, room 215.

42-year-old Angela Lowery, a convicted sex offender from Tennessee, has been bouncing around from place to place in southwest Arkansas, all the while fleeing officials in her pursuit. Lowery was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual