candidate profiles

CitizenDailyThe

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Vol. 156, No. 242©2010 The Daily Citizen

“ ”In a world of inhumanity, war andterrorism, American citizenshipis a very precious possession.

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLYAmerican activist, 1924

Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2010 $1

US-CHINA TIES STRAINED BY DISSIDENTObama’s push for China to release an imprisonedNobel laureate could disrupt relations.— PAGE 2A

Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854 www.thedailycitizen.com

BISONS PLAY HOST TO WEST ALABAMAThe HU football team hosted West AlabamaSaturday night in conference action.— PAGE 1B

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I N D E X

By Warren [email protected] three candidates in the

Searcy mayor’s race were askedby The Daily Citizen to elaborateon remarks they made previouslyabout their platforms this week.Because a poll taken by The DailyCitizen, published Oct. 3, showedalmost 40 percent of registeredvoters who intended to vote in theelection and who were contactedin the poll had yet to make uptheir mind, the candidates wereasked how they would appeal to

undecided voters.The race is non-partisan, mean-

ing none of the three have partyaffiliations on the Nov. 2 generalelection ballot.Discussions of issues in the

race has included revenue from theSearcy Advertising and TourismPromotion (A&P) tax, whichwas begun and ended last year.In a special election this year,voters declined to reinstate thetax. Currently there is just over$450,000 in revenue from the taxwaiting to be spent.

Belinda LaForceThe Daily Citizen:Mayor, you

have said in discussing the A&Ptax that the city still had “multipleneeds present.” What in your opin-ion is going to be the best way, spe-cifically to spend theA&P revenuenow on hand?LaForce: “With my previous

discussions with the Searcy ParksAdvisory Board it is my under-standing that their position is thatthe most pressing need is to pur-chase property for the future expan-

Candidates explain platforms

LAFORCE MORRIS REEVES

By Warren [email protected]— Liberty

might be a byword forsome or part of a slogan

for others, but for Lilia Rowley,38, freedom is as real as life gets.Born in Binalonan, Pangasinan,

Republic of the Philippines, Rowleywas working as a housemaid inHong Kong in 1998, sending badly-needed money home to her parents,when she was contacted by DanRowley. Using the “Heart ofAsia”paid website, Rowley had obtainedLilia’s address, written an introduc-tory letter, put a stamp on it andsent it off.

After six years of correspon-dence, the pair finally met whenLilia came to Arkansas on a fiancévisa in 2005. The two married in

2006. After a three-year wait asa permanent resident and $4,000in red-tape costs, Lilia was ableto complete the requirements tobecome a U.S. citizen, includ-ing a face-to-face interview inMemphis, Tenn., having bio-metric tests done consisting offingerprinting and photographing,studying for two months and thentaking a test.“One thing they asked me in

the interview and on the test was,‘Who is the president now?’”Lilia said with her characteristicgiggle.The study material consisted

of 100 questions but only 10 were

on the test. Needing to answersix correctly to pass, Lilia got aperfect 10.“‘That was easy,’ I told the

lady,” Lilia said. “It was justbasic.”The “easy” questions Lilia cor-

rectly answered included, “Whatdoes the U.S. Constitution do?”and “What are the rights in theDeclaration of Independence?”and “Where is the U.S. Capitol?”Then came the big question.“What is the promise you

make when you become a U.S.Citizen?”

HIGGINSON RESIDENT BECOMES U.S. CITIZEN

Lilia Rowley holds a prized possession — a U.S. flag presented to her at a city council meeting by Higginson Mayor Randall Homsley —as she sits in the Higginson City Park Thursday. Rowley was born in the Philippines and has recently become a U.S. citizen. Warren Watkins/[email protected]

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

CITIZENSHIPQUESTIONS1. What does the U.S.Constitution do?2. What are the rights in theDeclaration of Independence?3. Where is the U.S. Capitol?4. What is the promise youmake when you become a U.S.Citizen?[Answers in Page 3A.]

Philippines native first visited US in 2005

By Luke [email protected]—Many chil-

dren are finding themselvesin need of new families andresources are running thin,according to Ken Russell, afoster parent with ArkansasBaptist Children’s Home(ABC) in Judsonia.“The need is very great,”

said Russell. “We need more,we need people to step up tothe plate and get these kids aplace to stay.”Russell began foster par-

enting about seven years ago,soon after his youngest childleft home.“My wife, Vanessa, had

empty nest syndrome,”Russellsaid. “Shewas about to go nutsbecause she had nobody totake care of.”Thinking that foster care

would be a phase, Russellagreed to start taking in chil-dren.“But once we got into it, I

guess the good Lord put it inmy heart also,” Russell said.For six years, Russell and

his wife hosted children intheir own home. Then, theyfound out the previous hostparents at ABC, Don andJuanita Gay, wanted to retire,and the Russells decided totake over for them.“Since October, we’ve had

80 kids run through here,”Russell said. “That’s a tremen-dous amount of children.”The home works as a kind

Fosterhomesneeded

Many children,families struggling



Not-guiltyplea enteredin 4-personcar fatality

The Associated PressCONWAY—A not-guilty

plea has been entered by oneof two men charged with first-degree murder as a result ofa road-rage chase that endedwith the deaths of four familymembers in a car struck byone of the vehicles involved inthe chase.Bail for 38-year-old James

Holian was set at $500,000after he entered his plea Fridayat Conway before FaulknerCounty Circuit Judge CharlesE. Clawson.Holian, who lives at Cabot,

faces four counts of first-degree murder, along withthe man police identify as theother driver involved in theroad-rage chase—29-year-oldRussell Johnston of Vilonia.

Obama hits GOP education spending cut proposalBy Darlene SupervilleThe Associated PressWASHINGTON — Offering

voters a reason to keep Democratsin power on Capitol Hill, PresidentBarack Obama says Republicanswould cut education spending andput the country's economic futureat risk if they had their way.A quality education is para-

mount, Obama said. He suggested

that federal spending on educationis one area where he would notcompromise."What I'm not prepared to do is

shortchange our children's educa-tion," Obama said Saturday in hisweekly radio and Internet address.Obama has spent much of the

past two weeks contrasting a GOPproposal to cut spending, presum-ably including on education, with

the billions of dollars he's invest-ing to improve learning from kin-dergarten through college. Thatincludes money for public schools,community colleges and to helpmake it cheaper and easier forfamilies to afford higher educationfor their children.This week, Obama announced

a new public-private sector part-nership to help match community

college graduates and businesseswith jobs to fill.The White House also held its

first-ever summit on the state ofcommunity colleges.In his weekly message, Obama

acknowledged that the country fac-es tight fiscal times, but he said agood education is too important tothe country's future prosperity todo it on the cheap.

A • Sunday, October 10, 2010 The Daily Citizen

The Daily Citizen corrects factual errors promptly andcourteously. If you have a correction or clarification, pleasecall Editor Jacob Brower at (501) 268-8621 or e-mailhim at [email protected].

CORRECTIONS

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Mayor: Searcy candidates elaborate on platformsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

By Foster KlugThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON —President Barack Obama'spush for China to release animprisoned Nobel Peace Prizelaureate and rising economicand trade friction could aggra-vate U.S. efforts to win crucialChinese cooperation on globalhot spots.

Ever-delicate U.S.-Chinarelations had seemed to bewarming, with the coun-tries agreeing recently toend an eight-month freezeon military exchanges.But Obama's praise Fridayfor Chinese dissident LiuXiaobo's Nobel award willlikely further rattle Chinaat a time when the UnitedStates is stepping up pres-sure on Beijing over a cur-rency policy Washington

blames for job losses in theUnited States.

Thisrecentswingfromcallsfor cooperation to criticism istypical of a complicated rela-tionship that both countries callimportant for world stability.U.S. officials are trying, withvarying success, to press Chinaon economic and human rightsmatters without jeopardizingChinese support on Iranian andNorth Korean nuclear stand-offs, climate change and otherdifficult issues.

The Obama administra-tion says the relationship ismature enough to weatherdisagreements and to engagein blunt discussions. ButBeijing, wary of appear-ing weak at a time of risingnationalism and deep socialturmoil, often bristles at whatit views as U.S. interference.

US-China tiesstrained byNobel winner

No interviews yet, 2ASUpresident candidates toldThe Associated Press

JONESBORO — Twocandidates for the presi-dency of the Arkansas StateUniversity system have beentold to hold off coming toJonesboro for previouslyarranged interviews.

Thetwohadbeeninvitedbyan ASU search committee forinterviews next Wednesday.But Tom Meredith, a searchconsultant hired by the ASU

board, said he had been in con-tact with Richard Federinko ofDadeville, Ala., and WilliamB. Richardson Jr., of BatonRouge, La., and told them notto come.

Meredith told the ArkansasDemocrat-Gazettethat,insteadof interviews with the searchcommittee, he expects that theASU board will extend invita-tions to the pair to come to thecampus for interviews.

sion of our sports complexand Riverside Park, whileit is available. I believe itwould be in the best interestof the city to also hold publicmeetings to enlist commentsfrom the general public priorto taking to the city councilfor their final decision.TDC: What is the “team

of professionals” you saidwas needed for economicdevelopment? Are they inplace now or will they beput in place?LaForce: “I was refer-

ring to the Searcy RegionalEconomic DevelopmentCorporation, SearcyChamber of Commerce,Metro Little Rock RegionalAlliance, White RiverPlanning & DevelopmentDistrict,Inc.andtheArkansasDepartment of EconomicDevelopment which I havebeen associated with and/ora board member for the pasteight years. In addition tothose listed above, I wouldinclude the new AdvancingWhite County StrategicPlanning Committee, whichI serve as co-chair. I wouldalso mention that I have justcompleted my three years ofstudy and testing and earnedby Professional Communityand Economic Developercertification from theCommunity DevelopmentCouncil.”TDC: “How would you

approach undecided votersat this point in the cam-paign?”LaForce: “I could quote

facts and speak to the manyprograms, policies and ser-vices the city has accom-plished during my eightyears as mayor, but quitefrankly, I think it is veryimportant not to tell thevoter what they’ve alreadyexperienced, read or heard.Now is the time to addresstheir questions or concerns.I represent the entire city,where aldermen represent aspecific ward. So the voters’issues will be varied acrossthe city. There are issues thatare pertinent to our exist-ing business and industries. Iaddress issues as I am madeaware of them, whether bya citizen, a group, a depart-ment head or a member ofthe city council. I have and Iwill continue to address theissues and I’ll go to task forour citizens and our depart-ment heads.

“The city is a serviceorganization. The variousdepartments within the cityprovide those respectiveservices. The departmentheads and I are a team whichmeets monthly as a groupto discuss issues and com-municate as a whole andindependently as needed.

“I have been employedor elected to serve the citi-zens of Searcy for a totalof 34 consecutive years.I’ve proven myself reliableand dedicated to servingthe best interests of the city,and a person of integrityand honesty. I am the onlycandidate that has actualleadership experience in citygovernment. I am the onlycandidate that can providethe city with a continuance

of city operations with nodowntime for “learning theropes.” Why change horsesin mid-stream?”

David MorrisTDC: Mr. Morris, you

have said that as mayoryou would “help establishan environment that wouldpromote healthy discussionsregarding our city’s busi-ness.” Is this needed, in youropinion, and how would youdo it?Morris: “Open lines of

communications is the key.I’m running a very positivecampaign and I’m not goingto comment negatively onthe current operation ofcity government. I wouldinvite open communica-tions between the city coun-cil members and myself asmayor.”TDC: Do you think there

is a spirit of cooperation incity hall and the council?Morris: “After attending

regular meetings of the citycouncil for the past year andhalf, I see that on variousissues there appears to bemuch contention, discontentand lack of cooperation fromtime to time.”TDC: You said “stand-

ing committees and specialpurpose committees couldbe utilized in order to betterexpedite the city’s business”and that you would workwith them as mayor. To whatcommittees were you refer-ring?Morris: “I feel like a city

government should have abudget and finance commit-tee, a personnel committeethat oversees the variouspersonnel issues and citydepartments and a buildingand grounds committee ora property committee. A lotof the work could be doneworking through stand-ing committees prior to theregular city council meet-ings. Special needs commit-tees could be appointed toaddress various individualsituations that arise fromtime to time, therefore workcould be done before coun-cil meetings — investigativework, research work — look-ing into various options.”TDC: What committees

does the city have in placenow?Morris: “I don’t know. I

don’t know a complete listof them because I haven’tgone up there and asked forthem.”TDC: Concerning eco-

nomic development, yousaid, “We must place a great-er emphasis on retention andexpansion of existing localindustry and business inSearcy.” Please explain.Morris: “Over the past

several years a lot of exist-ing jobs have been lost inthe Searcy area and there-fore possibly, working withexisting business and indus-try, more of these jobs couldhave been kept in the Searcyarea. Working with variousbusinesses and companies,the Arkansas EconomicDevelopment Commissionand the Searcy RegionalChamber of Commerce pos-sibly could have prevented

some of the job losses.”TDC: What did Mayor

LaForce do concerningthis?Morris: “ I don’t know

what she did so I can’t com-pare to what I would do.”TDC: What specifically

is your economic develop-ment plan?Morris: “I’ve not got

a plan I’m going to revealto you today. I have a lotof contacts at the state andfederal level that I feel likeI could employ as mayorthat would hopefully helpus retain existing jobs and torecruit new industry.”TDC: How would you

approach undecided votersat this point in the cam-paign?Morris: “I would

approach them the same wayI approach other voters, bytelling them that as a formercounty judge, and havingworked with the ArkansasAssociation of Counties, Ihave experience that willhelp me to serve as mayor.”

Kyle ReevesTDC: You said you

would like to use the rev-enue from the A&P tax tofix the city’s pool and foreconomic development.What are the specifics ofyour plan?Reeves: “As of two years

ago the pool was costingthe city $117,000 a year tomaintain. I think we need tolook at the immediate needsof our citizens by fixing thepool’s liner.”TDC: Earlier you said,

“We need to downsize thecity budget.” Such as?Reeves: “I will pro-

pose an ordinance that sayselected officials can’t givethemselves a raise. The cityoffers full medical benefitsto aldermen, yet they don’teven work close to parttime.”TDC: How much would

that save the city?Reeves: “I don’t know.”TDC: What other bud-

get cuts do you propose?Reeves: “We need to cut

the mayor’s car allowanceand let the mayor drive acity vehicle. That wouldsave $6,700, I think. Moremoney could be saved bycombiningdepartments.Thestreet and sanitation depart-ments could be combinedunder the same departmenthead after Sam [Watson]retires. I’d institute a hir-ing freeze, letting the num-ber of employees downsizethrough attrition. We couldreassign employees. Thecode enforcement depart-ment could be combinedwith the fire departmentand save another $50,000-$60,000 in a departmenthead’s salary. Since mostof the code is based on fire

code anyway, it’s just logi-cal. I believe Jacksonvillehas a set-up like that. I’veheard that. I haven’t con-firmed that. I wish I hada copy of the budget. Iwant to look hard at ourIT [information technol-ogy] department and someof the contracts we have formaintenance and supportas well as our purchasingpractices.”TDC:How much money

would that save?Reeves: “I’m not sure.

My problem is not hav-ing access to all the num-bers. Until you get into ityou don’t know. As mayorI would be working withdepartment heads and see-ing the total picture fromthe inside. Another thingI’d like to cut is the alder-men going to the [Arkansas]municipal league. There isexpense with that for traveland hotels. That organiza-tion is nothing more thanan insurance company andlobbyist organization.”TDC: How much would

that save?Reeves: I don’t know

what the travel budget is. Itwas $10,000.TDC: What’s the total

in cuts to the budget youpropose?Reeves:About$250,000.

I don’t want to go into spe-cifics with you.TDC: Did you vote to

cut the budget while youwere on the city council?Reeves: “I would have

liked to, but no. I voted forthem but it was in commit-tee meetings that I broughtup these ideas.”TDC: How would you

approach undecided votersat this point in the cam-paign?Reeves: “What I am

doing is making sure thatthey know that I am theRepublican and David andBelinda were formerlyelected as Democrats andthat a vote for either one ofthem will be a continuationof what we’ve had for thelast eight years.”

PAUL R. CARTER COLLEGE of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONHARDING UN I V ER S I T Y, S E A RC Y, A R

October 11, 20106:30-8:30 p.m.

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RIALTO THEATRE268-6699

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Citiz nDailyThe

W E A T H E RToday: Mostly cloudy. Highsin the upper 70s. Westwinds 15 to 20 mph.Tonight: Mostly clear.Cooler. Lows in the upper40s. Northwest winds 5 to10 mph.Vol. 156, No. 256

©2010 The Daily Citizen

“ ”Mediocrity would always

win by force of numbers, but itwould win only more mediocrity.

ELLEN GLASGOWAmerican novelist, 1874-1945


TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010 50¢

POWER OUTAGES BELOW 1K AFTER STORMThe number of outages caused by a thunderstorm inArkansas was below 1,000 onMonday.— PAGE 2A


BALD KNOB BUILDING CONFIDENCEThe Bulldogs are gaining confidence as they hitthe practice field this week. — PAGE 1B

New historical marker unveiled

Senate hopefuls discuss lottery

Councilrace focuseson streets


I N D E X

Joe Difani Jr., left, and Joe Difani Sr. unveil the new historical marker near Whitney Lane in Kensett. The marker desig-nates an area where in May 1862 a small Confederate group consisting of Texas soldiers and some White County menrouted a Union foraging party on the road between Searcy and West Point. The battle prompted Union forces to postponemarching into Little Rock. The Difanis are descendants of Pvt. Lorenz Difani, one of the Union soldiers who died in thebattle. Luke Jones/[email protected]

SEARCY CITY COUNCILWARD 3 POSITION 2Incumbent: Jackie LilesChallenger: Don RaneyWard description: Southwest Searcyfrom but not including Searcy CountryClub to the sports complex and fromdowntown to the south city limits.

RANEYLILES

By Warren [email protected] two candidates in the race

for Arkansas Senate District 29were asked thisweek byTheDailyCitizen to elaborate on remarksthey made previously about theirplatforms.The race has no incumbent

as long-time Democrat Senator

John Paul Capps is term-limited.Republican Jonathan Dismangfaces Democrat Sandra Prater inthe race, which will be on the Nov.2 general election ballot.

Jonathan DismangThe Daily Citizen:

Representative Dismang, you saidthe Arkansas Scholarship LotteryCommission has “excessive sala-

ries” for its staff. What are yougoing to do about that?Dismang: “While the top

four paid employees cumula-tively make nearly $1,000,000 onan annual basis, which I believeis quite excessive, the ArkansasLottery Scholarship’s operationsand expenditures are autonomousof general revenues and not underthe direct control of the state legis-lature. However, as state senator, Ido believe that it is my responsibil-ity to help ensure that the lottery is

ARKANSAS SENATE DIST. 29Incumbent: NoneRepublican: Jonathan DismangDemocrat: Sandra PraterDistrict description: S. White Countyincluding, Searcy, Kensett, Beebe and ElPaso; also included is a gerrymanderedstrip of land from Kensett to PulaskiCounty to a point just west of Jacksonville

By Warren [email protected] two candidates in the race for

Searcy alderman,Ward 3 Position 2, wereasked this week by The Daily Citizen toelaborate on remarks they made previ-ously about their platforms.Jackie Liles is seeking to retain his

seat, challenged by Don Raney.The race is non-partisan, meaning

none of the candidates for city councilhave party affiliations on the Nov. 2 gen-eral election ballot.

Jackie LilesThe Daily Citizen: Alderman Liles,

you said you plan to foster economicgrowth in Searcy by making certain “ourcity ordinances do not hinder economicdevelopment.” What kind of ordinanceswould do that?Liles: “Anything like what we just

passed. We increased the fees on largescale developments. Similar to that. Ididn’t think we needed it. I didn’t thinkwe need the extra money. It’s gettingplenty. We’ve already got an ordinanceanyway with different type things likethat — fees.”TDC:You said, “a traffic study of our

city streets is needed” and so the streetscan be improved on “a regular cycle.”

DISMANG PRATER

Incumbent challengedin non-partisan contest


Photographerscome together

in SearcyBy Luke [email protected] more and more new faces pop up

in Searcy’s historic downtown, a pair ofwomen are documenting lives in a studioonArch Street.Zoe Portrait Art opened for business

Oct. 9 and isthe joint effortof MaggieH e n d r i xand CherylWeaver.W e a v e r

o r i g i n a l l yfound herselfin Searcy in1988 as a freshman at Harding Universityafter traveling from Ventura, Calif. Sincethen, she has moved away from the towntwice, but has ended up back here bothtimes.“It’s almost a joke now,” she said.

“Searcy kind of sucks you back in, even ifyou try to get away. But I love it here.”

State G&FC drops proposal to amend info processThe Associated PressLITTLE ROCK — A mem-

ber of the Arkansas Game andFish Commission says the panelhas voted to drop a proposal toamend its public-information poli-cies that had drawn fire from Gov.Mike Beebe andAttorney GeneralDustin McDaniel.

Commission memberEmon Mahony of ElDorado said the com-mission took theaction Monday ata special meetingcalled to considerthe matter. He saidthe matter was dropped

out of respect for Beebe andMcDaniel.

Lastweek, a three-member panel of thecommission recom-mended approval ofameasure thatwouldrestrict public access

to a vast amount of infor-

mation, ranging from potentially"embarrassing" information tonames of people who hold huntingandfishing licenses.McDaniel saidthe Game and Fish Commissionhad no authority to rewrite thestate's Freedom of InformationAct, and Beebe threatened to stripstate funding from the agency.

ZOE PORTRAIT ARTWhat: Photography studiofocusing on naturally litportraitureWhere: 213 W. Arch St.,Suite CWho: Maggie Hendrix andCheryl Weaver



No incumbent inDistrict 29 race withdeparture of Capps

A • Tuesday, October 26, 2010 The Daily Citizen

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Liles: “Yes, I think weshould. [Street DepartmentDirector] Sam [Watson] isdoing a good job but they’vegot him doing several dif-ferent things — working atthe airport and other things.I’ve been trying to get themto fix a cul-de-sac on Jamestown that floods and all itneeds is a drain off the cul-de-sac. Then there’s a cul-de-sac on Pioneer Acresthat does the same thing.The water goes down thereand blocks the natural drain.Sam just doesn’t have thetime, it seems like. I don’tknow if he’s over the streetsor the engineers is. I thinkthe engineer is. You reallydon’t know who to see aboutit. Sam can go around andcheck which streets are bad.The people picking up trashcan relay things to him, towhoever’s in charge of thestreets. Just like picking uplimbs and things like that.People picking up trash canrelay that to the boss up thereand it wouldn’t have to set inthe streets too long maybe.”TDC: You said the qual-

ity of life in Searcy is con-nected to keeping our taxeslow. So you’re against newtaxes?Liles: “We don’t need

no taxes right now, the waythe economy is. If anybodycomes up with a tax, want-ing to increase taxes, well I’dbe against it. It shouldn’t benecessary. We can cut backon some things and keep tax-es low. You need to do citygovernment efficiently andnot have to ask for taxes.”TDC: How should the

city attract new businesses?Liles: “We need to have a

reserve and when a businesscomes in we need to help thatbusiness as much as possible.We need to use some of ourreserve money to go visitfactories that are interested inus. We need manufacturingbusinesses, and if we get thatwe’ll have enough taxes tokeep our taxes low.When thegas people leave we’re goingto lose a lot of tax revenue.”

Don RaneyTDC: Mr. Raney, you

said “the city needs and willhave to join forces with theregional and state chamberorganizations and devel-opment agencies to attractindustry.” Do you think thisis already being done tosome extent? Has it beeneffective?Raney: “The city does

in fact support and workwith the Searcy RegionalChamber of Commerceand the Searcy IndustrialDevelopment Commissionbut the city, in my opinion,needs to help those entitiesmore and with the efforts toattract industries to this area.We have a great chamberboard and commission boardbut those two entities andthe city need to step handin hand with recruiting andefforts to attract businessesto Searcy. To that extent,Searcy needs to be in contactwith the state developmentagencies as well as workingwith the chamber and com-mission to be ready to landan industry here in Searcy.”TDC: You said, “It may

take improvements of utili-ties” for economic develop-ment. What improvementsare needed?Raney: “Any city who

wants to attract a new indus-try really needs land avail-able and ready on which isalready situated water andsewer service at the mini-mum. It is difficult if notimpossible to land a com-pany who wants to locatea new business or industryif the city or developmentcommission does not haveland available which alreadyhas utilities situated on the

site. That takes planning,funds and foresight to beready and I feel the cityneeds help the chamber andcommission any way pos-sible.”TDC: You mentioned

a “priority system” forimprovement of city streets“where the city engineerand street department” rec-ommend needs annually.Should the city council thenvote annually on streets thatshould be repaired?Raney: “It does as far as

I am aware with the prior-ity system being based onneed of the street and areasof the city. The council’saction is approval of the rec-ommendations made by thedepartment representativesfor the city. We have a goodengineering staff and streetdepartment and the coun-cil needs to listen to thosedepartments to understandthe needs of the city.”TDC: How would you

help growth and improve-ment in the city’s park sys-tem?Raney: “First and fore-

most with continued sup-port of the Parks andRecreation Department andCommission. Any assistancethe city council can give tothat commission and anyother group to continue theexpansion of our presentrecreation facilities is whatthe city council needs to bedoing at this time. We havegood facilities but someneed repair and replacementand with the growth in theactivities at those facilitiesand the number of peopleusing the recreation facilitiesof the city we need to createnew recreation facilities.”

running in the manner thatvoters had intended. I willwork with the LegislativeLottery Oversight Committeeto ensure that the lottery’sbudget works to provide asmany scholarships as pos-sible.TDC:You’ve promised to

prioritize the restoration of agrade-inflation provision to alottery bill. Why?Dismang: “This would

have resulted in increasedparental involvement inthose struggling schoolsand increased encourage-ment to ensure that thoseschools’ administrations wereadequately dealing with thisproblem.”TDC:Howwill you work

toward eliminating the tax oncapital gains?Dismang: “I was proud

to co-sponsor this legislationduring the last legislative ses-sion. I will continue to sup-port policies that encourageeconomic growth and easethe tax burden on everydayArkansans.”TDC:Howwill you work

toward decreasing sales taxon energy used by manufac-turers?Dismang: “Our manufac-

turers and small businessesare overtaxed. Regionally, weare one of the last states tohave a sales tax on manufac-turing energy. With Arkansasranking 40th in business taxclimate nationally, we mustmake our state more attrac-tive to potential investors.Working with our local andstate chambers ... I will pushfor the legislature to recog-nize the job creation oppor-tunities that would arise fromthe elimination of this tax.TDC: What would be a

fairer distribution method forthe severance tax?Dismang:“Approximately

20 percent of the severancetax is being collected fromroyalty owners. This meansa substantial sum of moneyis leaving our local economyand being distributed aroundthe scam. ... I will advocatethat this 20 percent taken fromour local citizens, be specifi-cally allocated to road repairin our impacted areas, notroad projects throughout thestate.”TDC:What is your opin-

ion of state employees whocollect retirement while alsocollecting a salary at the job

from which they retired?Dismang: “I have no prob-

lemwithanemployeemovingto a separate job and then col-lecting a deserved retirement.However, I do take issue withthose that are “tricking” thesystem only to return to thesame position.”

Sandra PraterTDC: Concerning the

ArkansasScholarshipLottery,you said “the business parthas worked well.” But do youthink there are exorbitant sal-aries being paid to the staff?Prater: “Yes. I think if

there is an administrativechange these salaries must bereevaluated. I believe moremoney should be directed forscholarships and not salaries.I think the legislature mayneed to take a more activerole in personnel issues.”TDC: You want more

scholarships from the lotterygiven to non-traditional stu-dents. How can you effectthat?Prater: “I think the

guidelines regarding non-tra-ditional students needs to berevisited. We should broadenour guidelines to encouragethe non-traditional students toreturn to school. This wouldbe beneficial in recruitingadditionalbusinesses toWhiteCounty by having a well edu-cated workforce available.”TDC: What do you plan

to do to promote workforceeducation in the district?Prater: “We need to work

with our local universitiesto ensure that the necessaryprograms and training isavailable to assist both newand existing businesses. Iwill encourage the ArkansasDepartment of Workforceto be actively involved withour local schools to ensurethat job training programs areavailable to meet the needsof the business community.We must work with our localindustries and help themmeettheir growing needs.”TDC: How can you help

make funds available to assistbusinesses for economicdevelopment?Prater: “It is vital to work

with the Governor’s officeto have funds available tohelp recruit new businessesas well as assisting our exist-ing businesses to expand. Wemust look at tax incentivesand tax breaks for our exist-

ing businesses to encouragesmall business growth andexpansion.”TDC: Concerning

improving state roads in thedistrict, how can the BlueRibbon Commission’s reportbe implemented?Prater: “First, the pres-

ent funding formula must beevaluated to ensure that themoney is being used for themost urgent transportationneeds. I think we must haveinput from all involved on therecommendations from theBlue Ribbon Commissionsreport which is due Dec. 1.I will work to ensure that the5 percent from the severancetax collected is distributedback to White County forrepair of roads and bridges.TDC:What is your opin-

ion of state employees whocollect retirement while alsocollecting a salary at the jobfrom which they retired?Prater: “If you retire, then

retire. I believe it is an abuseof the system. I do not thinkit is fair to those who in goodfaith apply for that job open-ing and then that person isrehired. While some changeswere made in the 2009 ses-sion in hopes of stopping theabuse, I believemore changesare needed.”

Council: Candidates focus on streetsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

JP District 3 Includes The Communities of Rose Bud, Romance, Sidon,Joy, Gravel Hill, Floyd, and El Paso. If You Are Unsure Of Your PollingLocation, The County Clerk’s Office Can Help: 501-279-6204

General Election Tuesday, November 2ndPaid Political Ad

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CORRECTIONS

Senate: Hopefuls discuss Ark. lotteryCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Searcy Public Schools Education Foundation Application

forHall of Honor Nominee

Criteria for Outstanding Educator (May Be Living or Deceased):• Longevity of Service• Popularity Among Peers and Students• Contribution to School and Community• Educational Background

Criteria for Outstanding Alumnus (May Be Living or Deceased):• School Activities and Honors• Post-High School Achievements• Contribution to Profession or Vocation• Contribution to Society

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Name of Nominee for Outstanding Educator_________________________________Address of Nominee___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________Years of Service______________Short Narrative on Why This Person Should Be Nominated:

Name of Nominee for Outstanding Alumnus__________________________________Address of Nominee___________________________________________________Graduation Year_______________Short Narrative on Why This Person Should Be Nominated:

Name, Address, and Telephone Number of Person Submitting Nomination:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please return the lower half of this form by November 1, 2010 to:Searcy Education Foundation

c/o Searcy Public Schools801 North Elm • Searcy, Arkansas 72143

Power outages below1,000 after Ark. stormThe Associated PressLITTLE ROCK — The

number of power outagescaused by a severe thunder-storm in central Arkansas isnow below 1,000.Entergy reported on its

website Monday morning thatabout900customers remainedwithout power following the

Sunday afternoon storm.Mostof the outages are in southwestLittle Rock where authori-ties say several trees wereblown down by high winds of

more than 60 miles per hour.About 14,000 customers werewithout power immediatelyafter the storm. The NationalWeather Service issued a tor-nado warning shortly before5 p.m. Sunday as the stormapproached the Little Rockarea — but no twister wassighted.

Report: College athletics riseThe Associated PressLITTLE ROCK—Anew

report says four of Arkansas'10 public universities fundedmore than 20 percent of theirathletic programs with staterevenue and student tuitionlast year.The Arkansas Department

of Higher Education report

found overall spending rose11 percent last year at thestate's two-year colleges andfour-year universities. TheArkansas Democrat-Gazettereported$116.7millionoverallwas spent on college athletics.SouthernArkansas Universityused state funding and tuitionto pay for 40 percent of its

athletic budget. At HendersonState the percentage was 35.4percent, at Arkansas Techit was 28.7 percent and atArkansas-Monticello it was22.7 percent.The report will be sent to

the Legislative Joint AuditingCommittee as required bystate law.

CitizenDailyThe

W E A T H E RToday: Mostly cloudy. Highsin upper 70s. Chance ofprecipitation 40 percent.Tonight: Thunderstorms.Lows in upper 50s. Chanceof precipitation 70 percent.


“ ”Electricity isreally just

organized lightning.GEORGE CARLIN

American comedian, 1937-2007



EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GETS GRANTArk. first responders will be learning how better torespond to hazmat-type emergencies.— PAGE 2A


LIONS AIMING FOR IMPROVEMENTSearcy’s offensive woes continue after failingto score a point against Jonesboro.— PAGE 1B

House candidates focus on lottery

LOCAL, 2AOPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5ACALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6ASPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 4B

I N D E X

By Warren [email protected]

The two candidates in the racefor Arkansas State Representative,District 50, were asked this week byThe Daily Citizen to elaborate onremarks they made previously abouttheir platforms and other issues.

In the race Democrat Monty Bettsis challenged by Republican MarkBiviano. The race will appear on theNov. 2 general election ballot.Monty BettsThe Daily Citizen: Representative

Betts, you’ve made remarks about

Boyce, Gillam face off in House raceBy Warren [email protected]

The two candidates in the racefor Arkansas State Representative,District 49, were asked this week byThe Daily Citizen to elaborate onremarks they made previously abouttheir platforms and other issues.

The race has no incumbent ascurrent representative JonathanDismang is not running for re-elec-tion, choosing instead to run as aRepublican for Arkansas SenateDistrict 29 against Democrat SandraPrater.

In the Representative’s race,

Biviano challengingBetts for House seat

STATE REPRESENTATIVEDISTRICT 50Incumbent: Democrat Monty BettsChallenger: Republican MarkBivianoDistrict description: Searcyand the area about five milesaround Searcy including Kensettand Higginson but not includingJudsonia

BIVIANOBETTS

STATE REP. DISTRICT 49Incumbent: NoneDemocrat: Jesse BoyceRepublican: Jeremy GillamDistrict description: South WhiteCounty excluding Searcy; includescities of Beebe and Bald Knob

GILLAMBOYCE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2A CONTINUED ON PAGE 3A

Rebelsheld offUnion inKensett

By Luke [email protected]

Scott Ackridge of Bradfordgrew up hearing whisperedstories of Civil War battles nearhis hometown of Kensett. One,the Battle of Whitney’s Lane,was supposed to have kept theUnion forces out of Little Rockfor a time.

As an adult, Ackridgefound himself immersed in his-tory and one day was speak-ing to fellow historian EmmettPowers at Searcy’s PioneerVillage.

The conversation turned tothe Kensett battle.

“Somebody ought to writesomething up on that,” Powerssaid.

A $3,000 grant and a greatdeal of research later andAckridge and Powers hadwritten a book, “A Severeand Bloody Fight,” about thebattle.

The conflict began asColonel Peter J. Osterhausand a regiment of mostlyGerman immigrant troopsmarched down the Little RedRiver towards White County.Osterhaus sent some of hisdivision along the old roadbetween Searcy andWest Point(known as Whitney’s Lane) toforage for supplies.

According to Ackridge, atthis point, an army of 3-5,000Union soldiers was campedat Searcy Landing (now theRiver Oaks area). These sol-

Historical markerto be dedicated

THE BATTLE OFWHITNEY’S LANEWhat: Confederate raid ona Union foraging partyWhen: May 19, 1862Victor: ConfederacyCasualties: Union, 55;Confederate, four

Little Miss Blazing Beauty Queen

Annelisa Jones, 4, far right, rode in the McRae Community Fest parade Saturday morning because she was named Little Miss BlazingBeauty Queen at an Oct. 9 fundraiser held by the McRae Volunteer Fire Department ladies’ auxiliary. Riding with her were, from left,Brittany Strain, Alydia Conklin, 3, who was named Miss Photogenic, and Brandi Davis. Warren Watkins/[email protected]

The Associated PressFAYETTEVILLE —

Springdale officials aren'tcommenting after a local manfiled a federal lawsuit againstthe city, claiming his civilrights were violated during a2009 arrest.

Johnny Ray Balentine isseeking $250,000 in actualdamages along with unspeci-fied punitive damages. Thelawsuit names the city, policeofficers KristopherArthur andChad Wilson, Police ChiefKathy O'Kelley, Mayor DougSprouse and City AttorneyJeff Harper as defendants.

Springdaleman suescity, officialsover arrest


By Anne Gearanand Robert BurnsThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Militarydocuments laid bare in the biggestleak of secret information in U.S.history suggest that far more Iraqisdied than previously acknowl-edged during the years of sectarianbloodletting and criminal violenceunleashed by the American-ledinvasion in 2003.

The accounts of civilian deathsamong nearly 400,000 purported

Iraq war logs released Friday by theWikiLeaks website include deathsunknown or unreported before now— as many as 15,000 by the countof one independent research group.

The field reports from U.S.forces and intelligence officers alsoindicate U.S. forces often failed tofollow up on credible evidence thatIraqi forces mistreated, tortured andkilled their captives as they battleda violent insurgency.

Iraq's prime minister accusedWikiLeaks of trying to sabotage

his re-election hopes by highlight-ing years-old abuses by Iraqi secu-rity forces. A statement releasedSaturday by Prime Minister Nourial-Maliki's office said thedocumentsshow no proof of any impropertreatment of detainees under al-Maliki's administration.

The war logs were made publicin defiance of the Pentagon, whichinsisted that the release would putthe lives of U.S. troops and theirmilitary partners at risk.

Although the documents appear

to be authentic, their origin couldnot be independently confirmed,and WikiLeaks declined to offerany details about them.

The 391,831 documents datefrom the start of 2004 to Jan. 1,2010. They provide a ground-levelview of the war written mostly bylow-ranking officers in the field.The dry reports, full of militaryjargon and acronyms, were meantto catalog "significant actions" oversix years of heavy U.S. and alliedmilitary presence in Iraq.

Iraq war files document more deaths than US counted

By Andrew TaylorThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — PresidentBarack Obama says consumerswould lose if Republicans regainpower in Congress and try to rollback his hard-won Wall Street over-haul.

He says the GOP's promisedrepeal of the law would mean the

return of a financial system whosenear-collapse led to the worst reces-sion since the Depression.

"Without sound oversight andcommonsense protections for con-sumers, the whole economy is putin jeopardy," Obama said Saturdayin his weekly radio and Internetaddress. "That doesn't serve MainStreet. That doesn't serve Wall

Street. That doesn't serve anyone."The law passed despite nearly

unanimous Republican opposition.It sought to rein in a financial sys-tem that had sped ahead of outdatedrules, allowing banks, traders andothers to take increased risks.

Separate legislation tackledbank overdraft fees and abusessuch as retroactive interest rate

increases on credit card balances.The financial overhaul law came

in the wake of a $700 billion bankrescue passed in the final months ofGeorge W. Bush's presidency. Whilethe bailout is credited with provid-ing stability, it's deeply unpopularwith voters angry of taxpayer moneybeing used to help prop up hugebanks.

Obama: Consumers lose if financial law repealed

A • Sunday, October 24, 2010 The Daily Citizen

House: Candidates Biviano and Betts race for House District 50CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

LOCAL

how White County has beenimpacted by the ArkansasScholarship Lottery. Whathave you seen?Betts: “We have more

people enrolling in our colleg-es and universities in WhiteCounty because of the schol-arships. I think a lot of that isrelated directly to the scholar-ships. If there is a positive tothe scholarship lottery, that isthe positive. Education paysbenefits because the moreeducation you have, the moredollars you make. I’d like tosee more scholarships avail-able for non-traditional stu-dents, people that are wantingto go back to school to betterthemselves. We have a lot ofgood institutions in the countyfor the kids to go to and theyare accessible: ASU-Beebe,ASU-Searcy and HardingUniversity. That’s one of ourmajor strengths. We have aquality education system here.I do think we need to go backto the structure of the scholar-ship lottery and take a hardlook at the compensationschedule for those people andwhat they receive.”TDC: How could we fur-

ther support the education sys-tem inWhiteCounty to have abetter workforce?Betts: “By providing

broadband access for students,themedical profession and theeducation system so peoplecan access the web. Jobs arechanging and lots of peopleare staying home andworkingat jobs in front of a computer.We’re going to have a goodworkforce to attract these hi-tech jobs.”TDC: And how could the

medical community be sup-ported?Betts: “When we attract a

doctor or surgeon, that bringswith it professional jobs. Aneurologist has to have thepeople that work with them,the equipment, the nurses.Themore we grow our medicalsystem the more we grow ourworkforce. One of the wayswe do this is like the grantUAMS to expand broadbandaccess for medical facilities.I’ve been trying to work withAT&T to expand broadbandaccess in our area. In 2014,we’re going to online testingfor students, and we’re goingto have to have 10 times thebandwidth we have now to dothat, so that’s going to have tobe addressed.”TDC: Do you think there

needs to be an increase inWhite County’s portion of theseverance tax?Betts: “We do not need to

increase the tax but the portionthat comes to White County.What I hear from legislatorsacross the state is this: ‘It’s notenough but the timber compa-nies have messed up roads foryears, as has the oil industryin South Arkansas, and theyhave not received any of theadditional severance tax’. SoI’m glad we got our part ofthe five percent for our county.It’s going to be hard to do butat least we need to take a stabat it.”TDC:You’ve talked about

White County needing a statepark. Are you talking aboutmaking Riverside Park inSearcy a state park?

Betts: “I’ve just said that ifyou look at state parks acrossthe statewe do not have one inour area. I just think it wouldbe a good thing for econom-ic development, bringing intourists. There’s a moratoriumon state parks right now andI would not want to deceivepeople, but that is an area I’dlike to see us work on andpossibly come up with forpeople in our area.”TDC: And you’ve called

for a public access shootingrange.Why?Betts: “It’s getting hard-

er to have access to a goodsafe place to do that. I vis-ited a public shooting range inanother state on vacation onetime and it was such a greatfacility. It was safe and therewas a nominal fee for peopleto shoot and people keep it up.It’s such a great sport—pistolshooting and skeet.TDC: What is your opin-

ion of state employees whocollect retirement while alsocollecting a salary at the jobfrom which they retired?Betts: “If it’s legal and

they followed the appropri-ate steps, I don’t think there’smuch that can be done aboutthose that have already doneit. Is it fair for them to drawretirement? Yes. Is it fair forthem to go back to work atthe same job? Probably not.I would think no unless twoconditions could be met: If noone qualified applied for thejob and if it didn’t cost themany more to re-employ thatperson.”Mark BivianoTDC: You’ve said you

don’t want the scholarshiplottery revenue spent for non-education purposes.Biviano: “This is a new

agency early in its infancy.We need to make sure thescholarship money gets tothe students so it is used foreducational purposes. We’vealready seen some exorbitantsalaries amongst the officersin the top management, and Ithinkweneed to guard againstit becoming a large agencythat loses its focus.”TDC: What is a salary

that is not exorbitant?Biviano: “We’ve got to

be competitive, but a milliondollars for the top four, espe-cially in Arkansas, is a prettyhigh-dollar salary. That seemsto be pretty exorbitant for anew agency that really hasn’tproven itself yet. If you’re inbusiness you have to proveyourself in order to make aprofit, and for a corporateexecutive your salary is tiedto your performance.With theexisting scholarship commis-sion we have not seen theiroverall performance at thispoint.”TDC:Howcould youpro-

mote small business growthand innovation in WhiteCounty, as you’ve said youwanted to?Biviano: “I think there are

a couple of things we need tolook at. First of all, Arkansasneeds to become a state that’smore business-friendly. Inorder to do that, we need tolook at perhaps tax reform,improvements for infrastruc-ture and improvements in oureducational system. Locally,if we look at our opportu-nities, we have tremendousassets here in White Countythat are not being fully rep-resented. There are othercommunities that are gettingindustries. So you have to askyourself, ‘Why there and whynot here?’I think a lot of it hasto go back to our ability to sellourselves and create a visionand be able to explain ourcapabilities and our assets.”“I’ll give you an example.

I was talking with a localindustry this week, andthat industry recently wentthrough an expansion processto build another plant. Searcy

didn’t make their top 10 eventhough they have a plant here.I’m not going to identify whoit is. A big part of the reasonis they didn’t feel like Searcywas being progressive enoughor aggressive enough.”“So we need leadership

that can help drive our eco-nomic plan like a businessdoes, and like a corpora-tion does, where you havedefined goals and objectivesand defined responsibility. Inother words, the state repre-sentative for this district needsto take ownership of certainparts of that plan and all ofthe politicians involved needto own parts of the plan andbe accountable for it.”TDC: You’ve said that

“the severance taxes collectedare not brought back in a fair,appropriate manner.” Howso?Biviano: “We need to

introduce new legislation andlobby the governor and showthem some hard facts aboutthe costs that we’ve incurredand use that data to proveour point that this area beingimpacted by the gas businesshas caused significant dam-age to our roads. The por-tion White County gets fromthe severance tax needs to beincreased.”TDC: And you’ve said

that to provide more moneyfor road maintenance somestate revenue should be shift-ed. From where to where?Biviano:“Fundamentally,

we’re talking about the samedollar and it’s being spentacross multiple state pro-grams. We have to set ourpriorities to ensure that weare spending that dollar forthe most effective and pro-

ductive use of the money.”TDC: You said that it’s

important for state and localgovernment to work together.Why?Biviano: “I think what

we’ve lacked is some leader-ship with vision, and I believemy 25 years plus as a cor-porate executive, where I’vespent a considerable amountof time in a leadership posi-tion managing people work-ing on global initiatives, cancontribute to the leadershiphere in District 50.We’ve gotto look at the success charac-teristics of a successful com-munity, and that is bringingtogether smart people in ourcommunity and being collab-orative where we can worktogether in a more produc-tive fashion. I don’t believewe’re tapping those resourcesamong our leaders and peoplethat can make a contributionto our community.”TDC:What is your opin-

ion of state employees whocollect retirement while alsocollecting a salary at the jobfrom which they retired?Biviano: “I think if

they’veearned that retirement,they’re certainly entitled to it.If they’re performing a jobfunction, they should be com-pensated for it.”


CORRECTIONS

Director of Human Resources 7 yrs

Airport Manager 5 yrs

District Court Chief Clerk 24 yrs

Chief of Police 28 yrs

Fire Chief 15 yrs

Director of Parks & Recreation 26 yrs

Director of Sanitation & Recycle 8 yrs

Code Enforcement Director 5 yrs

City Engineer 10 yrs

Information Technology Director 1 yr

Director of Street Department 19 yrs

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RESTS AND CUP HOLDERS IN ALL AUDITORIUMS

Searcy Cinema 8501-279-3644 • 501-305-3456 • www.searcycinema.com

Show Times Friday, October 22- Thursday, October 28

Featuring Digital Surround Sound DTS in allauditoriums! DOLBY DIGITAL 3D on 3 screens

2PM MATINEESSATURDAY & SUNDAY

Paranormal Activity 2 RDigital Surround Sound

2:30 7:30 9:20Jackass 3D R

Stadium Seating, DOLBY DIGITAL 3D2:15 7:15 9:25

Red PG13Stadium Seating, Digital Surround Sound

1:45 6:45 9:15My Soul To Take 3D R

Stadium Seating, DOLBY DIGITAL 3D2:00 7:00 9:10Secretariat PG

Stadium Seating, Digital Surround Sound2:00 7:00 9:25

Life as We Know It PG13Digital Surround Sound

2:15 7:15 9:20Easy A PG13

Digital Surround Sound2:30 7:30 9:30

Legends of the Guardians PGDigital Surround Sound

1:45 6:45The Social Network PG13

Digital Surround Sound9:15

Special ScreeningSaw 3D R

Thursday, 10/28, 8pm

Arkansas House District 50 candidates Mark Biviano (left) and Monty Betts listen to an audience member’s questionduring a White County Tea Party forum Oct. 11. Jacob Brower/[email protected]

Arkansas emergencymanagement getshazmat grantThe Associated PressLITTLE ROCK —

Arkansas first responderswill be learning better waysto respond to emergenciesinvolving hazardous chemi-cals and other materials,thankstoanew$272,518grantfrom the U.S. Department ofTransportation.Arkansas U.S. Sens.

Blanche Lincoln and MarkPryor and U.S. Reps. MarionBerry, Vic Snyder and MikeRoss, announced Fridaythe funds will be used tohire adjunct instructors whowill train first responders atpolice and fire departmentsthroughout state.The money also will help

the Arkansas Department ofEmergency Managementconduct planning and pur-chase equipment for trainingcourses.

Tea party activistwarned overelectioneering ruleThe Associated PressHOT SPRINGS — The

Garland County ElectionCommission is warning alocal tea party activist thatshe needs to follow the state'slaw concerning electioneeringwithin 100 feet of a pollingsite.In the letter, commission

chairman Ginna Watson toldDiane Silverman that thecommission has receivedallegations that Silverman haselectioneered within 100 feetof a polling site inHot Springsduring early voting for theNov. 2 election.The letter warns Silverman

that if she is seeing violatingthe law, "proper legal actionwill be taken."

Statenews

part of a group commanded by MajorGeneral Samuel Curtis who eventuallyplanned to send all of them to capturea sparsely defended Little Rock.The local farms along Whitney’s

Lane would have been essentially pil-laged by the Union forces, but MajorEmory Rogers of Texas was watchingthem and had a different idea.Rogers watched the foraging party

split into three groups and leapt onthe opportunity, sending forth a groupof 100 Texas soldiers and 50 WhiteCounty men to disrupt the troops.Against the odds, The small

Confederate group succeeded in kill-ing 22 federal troops and wounding33, while only losing four of theirown men.Though the conflict itself was rela-

tively minimal compared to some of thebloodier Civil War battles, it boostedArkansas morale and caused MajorGeneral Curtis, who was camped inBatesville, to change his destinationfrom Little Rock to Helena.Though the Union eventually did

capture Little Rock over a year later, theaction at Whitney Lane saved severalfarms from foraging soldiers and sowedpanic among the Union.Today,Whitney Lane is a quiet coun-

try roadandmostWhiteCountydwellershave forgotten the name ElijahWhitney,who tended the road and whose farmwas in danger of being pillaged by theUnion.But to protect the memories of both

the Union and Confederate soldiers wholost their lives along the lane, a markerhas recently been placed near WhitneyLane Family Worship, a short distancefrom the plains where the battle tookplace.

A dedication for the marker will occur2 p.m. this afternoon. Guests — including

a descendent of one of theUnion casualties— and reenactors are slated to appear.

The Daily Citizen Sunday, October 24, 2010 • Page 3A

LOCAL

JOIN US IN VOTING FOR

MARK BIVIANOAS OUR

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

www.BivianoForDistrict50.com

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 50

BIVIANO“Bringing Business To Politics”

Paid for by Mark Biviano for District 50

Democrat Jesse Boyce isgoing against RepublicanJeremy Gillam. The race willappear on the Nov. 2 generalelection ballot.

Jesse BoyceThe Daily Citizen: Mr.

Boyce, you said concerningthe Arkansas ScholarshipLottery that yo would like “tosee more focus on vocationalstudents and displaced work-ers.” How so?Boyce: “We have kids that

graduated high school thatdon’t want to go to college,so they have to have skills.We have vocational schools— Searcy’s got a great one. Iwant to see more emphasis onvocational schools.TDC: So you want schol-

arship money offered to voca-tional students?Boyce: Yes, that’s exactly

what I’m saying — and fordisplaced workers, too. Forexample, after a factory shutdown we have an educatedworkforce that knows how tomake washing machines andwe cold turn that around andthey could learn how to makebulldozers. If we’re going toget our economy back onlineour workers are going to haveto have jobs.”TDC: And scholarship

money could be offered todisplaced workers?Boyce: “The end is to

make our state better by hav-ing our kids educated better.”TDC: How could you, as

a representative, help WhiteCounty react to the effect ofthe natural gas industry onstate roads?Boyce: “Our roadsweren’t

designed to have the over-length, over-weight equip-ment on them. The highwaycommission was set up yearsago and has jurisdiction overour highway system. The leg-islature doesn’t have directcontrol but we do allocate themoney.TDC: In reference to local

municipalities, you said, “Iwill work to make certain thatfunds are available and equal-ly distributed among District49 cities and departments.”What funds?Boyce:“Cities likeMcRae,

for example, need grants forsewer improvement. I’mgoing to make sure we putmoney into grant programs sothey can have enough moneyto rebuild their sewer system.Sales tax revenue for McRaeis not enough to be able to dowhat we need to do, and rais-ing rates means users will bepaying higher rates for manyyears to pay for improve-ments.”TDC: What is your opin-

ion of state employees whocollect retirement while alsocollecting a salary at the jobfrom which they retired?Boyce: “I think it’s bad

form. To put it nicely, the factthat it’s legal really bothersmeand that needs to be correctedas quick aswe can.When theydo that it is not in the spirit ofthe law.”

Jeremy GillamTDC: Mr. Gillam, you’ve

said that, “one way we canimprove the lottery is toincrease the number of schol-arships awarded to studentwho attend two-year colleg-es.” How will that help?Gillam: “I’m wanting to

increase the awareness of theavailability of these scholar-ships for two-year schools. Ifelt like this last year all thefocus was on trying to getstudents to attend four-yearschools. But not every studentis in a position or even wantsto start out by going to a four-year school. They were notreally given as much infor-mation about the availabilityof the two-year scholarships.The dollar amounts that weregiven for the four-year schol-arships did make it moreenticing. One thing I wouldlike to see is an increase of thedollar amount of scholarshipsfor two-year schools. Rightnow it’s $2,500 and I’d liketo see that increased. They’regiving the impression that youonly get half the educationat a two-year school and thatcould not be further from thetruth.”TDC: You’ve mentioned

infrastructure improvementsthat are needed locally. Whatare they?Gillam: “Improving our

rail access in our county, forexample and increasing ourbroadband Internet. I believethat partnering with a groupsuch as ConnectAR will helpus bring and distribute thefunding necessary for our citi-zens to improve their Internetaccess and cell phone cover-age. I don’t want to pass legis-lation to solve these problems,I want to be a partner withthese companies.”TDC: What do you think

of the portion of money from

the severance tax given toWhite County?Gillam: “That should be

increased. There should bemore money set aside forthe primarily affected coun-ties in the Fayetteville Shale.And those funds need to bereleasedmuch faster than theyhave been to this point.TDC: What is your opin-

ion of state employees whocollect retirement while also

collecting a salary at the jobfrom which they retired?Gillam: “I am not in favor

of someone retiring and draw-ing benefits and going backinto the same position or avery similar position theyonceheld. I believe in people’s rightto work where they want towork but I do not believe thatthey should just simply retireto collect benefits then returnto the same job.”

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Vicki Bates • Lisa Ponson • Glenda Hare • Lisa Short: 279-3461

3005 E. Race Ave. Searcy, AR • 501-268-0800

Scott Ackridge of Bradford stands in front of a new historical market nearwhere, in May 1862, a group of Confederates comprised of 100 Texans and50 locals disrupted a Federal foraging party. Ackridge is the co-author of thebook, “A Severe and Bloody Fight,” which tells the whole story of the battle.Luke Jones/[email protected]

Candidates: Boyce, Gillam face off in House raceCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Battle: Rebels disrupted Union at Whitney LaneCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

CitizenDailyThe

W E A T H E RToday: Sunny. Highs in thelower 80s. South winds 5mph.Tonight: Mostly clear. Lowsin the lower 50s. Southwestwinds 5 mph.


“ ”If you want to run, run a mile.If you want to experience a

different life, run a marathon.EMIL ZATOPEK

Czechoslovakian athlete, 1922-2000



OBAMA SEEKS TO STOP OVERSEAS HIRINGIn his weekly radio/online address, Obama renewedhis call for the closing of tax loopholes.— PAGE 2A


BISONS MAKE HISTORY IN CLEVELANDThe Harding football team defeated Delta Statefor the first time in school history.— PAGE 1B

Candidates debate road ordinance

HALF MARATHONS CHALLENGE CITY OFFICIAL

HOT/DRY SUMMERGood for: Cotton cropsBad for: Rice and soybeans


I N D E X

Peggy Meads wears her latest medal from the Mother Road Marathon she completedon Oct. 10. Meads has participated in 14 marathons since 2004. Her next half-mara-thon is in Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day. Annette Whitehead/[email protected]


The two candidates in the race forWhite County Judge were asked thisweek by The Daily Citizen to elabo-rate on remarks they made previouslyabout their platforms and to answerquestions.

Republican Michael Lincoln isseeking to retain his seat as he is chal-lenged by Democrat Johney Gibson,currently the District 6 justice of thepeace, on the Nov. 2 general electionballot.

The county judge functions like amayor for the county and the quorumcourt functions like a city council.Chip/sealing is a process of putting arelatively thin overlay of rock chipsand an oil seal on roads, convertinggravel roads to paved roads.

Michael LincolnTheDailyCitizen: Judge, you said

you “would like to work with the quo-rum court to establish an ordinance asit relates to developers building roadsto county road specifications.” Why?Lincoln: “Ever since I’ve been

in office and they repealed the oldordinance, I’ve talked about need-ing a front-end ordinance. Much likethe cities where developers have towork with the city to meet certain

Self-disciplinekeeps runneron track

By Annette [email protected] just celebrated the completion of

her 14th half-marathon. She also just celebratedher 61st birthday Thursday.

Meads, who currentlyserves as the Searcy CityClerk/Treasurer, com-pleted the Mother RoadMarathon on Oct. 10. Themarathon led her fromBaxter Springs, Kan. toJoplin, Mo., along historicRoute 66.

Meads said she finishedwith her best time yet,finishing with a time of2:28:09, beating her previ-ous best of 3:14:00.

“I’ve improved overthe past six years,” shesaid.

Meads’ sister usuallyparticipates with her, but was unable to join her forthe most recent run.

“I wanted to do it, so I did,” Meads said.Meads finished at No. 240 out of 506 participants

and fourth out of her age group of 12 participants.Her participation in marathons started in 2004

after a colleague challenged her for the Little RockMarathon.

SEWER SYSTEMAge: 52 yearsAverage life span: 40 yearsAction: Evaluation and pro-active improvements

COUNTY JUDGE’S RACEIncumbent: Michael LincolnChallenger: Johney Gibson

LINCOLN GIBSON

Republican incumbentLincoln challenged byDemocratic JP Gibson Pangburn

takes newapproachto sewer


PANGBURN — With anumber of nearby cities suf-fering under sanctions orthreat of action by the state,workers here are planningimprovements in the city’swater and sewer systems.

Michael Clayton ofClayton Engineering in NorthLittle Rock has been hired byPangburn to study the city’ssystems and make recom-mendations. Clayton is alsothe engineer for McRae andBradford.

“This is unusual to see,”Clayton said. “It’s not unusualfor towns to take the approachto not spend money until theyhave to. If residents are notcomplaining about it, it seemsto get neglected.”

Clayton believes cur-rent efforts by the ArkansasDepartment of EnvironmentalQuality (ADEQ) to crackdown on substandard munici-pal water and sewer systemsare a result of pressure fromthe U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA),saying he’s heard that at meet-ings sponsored byADEQ.

“They’re cracking downpretty heavy on them to see

Improvementsplanned underwatchful ADEQ

Peggy Meads has received a medal for each ofthe 14 half-marathons in which she has partici-pated. Annette Whitehead/[email protected]

“In my firstone I thought,‘Am I going tofinish?’ Thenit changed tothinking howfast I couldfinish.”PEGGY MEADS

Searcy City Clerk/Treasurerregarding half-marathons



Hot weathergood for

Ark. cottonThe Associated Press

LITTLEROCK—The hotand dry summer of 2010 hasbeen good forArkansas' cottoncrop—but not so for soybeansand the state's number one crop— rice.

The weather is ideal forcotton and U.S. Departmentof Agriculture forecasts showthe crop appears to be oneof the best in recent memory.Marked Tree cotton farmerGeorge Willoughby said thatmost of his cotton hasn't hadrain since July 29— leading tobetter quality cotton that drawsbetter prices.

But the heat has left ricestressed and now forecast for ayield of 6,400 pounds an acre.That would be the lowest yieldsince 2001.

Soybean production is alsoforecast to be down. Currentestimates are for an 11 percentdecline from last year's crop.

Center on the Square to host 2 Halloween-themed playsLand O’Frost KidStage par-

ticipants will be haunting Centeron the Square Oct. 28-3 with theHalloween-themed plays “Stoppit”and “Shalloween.” The storiesare acted by two divisions of theKidStage workshop and are direct-ed by Heather Stringfellow.

Performances begin at 7 p.m.on Oct. 28-29 and at 3 p.m. onOct. 30. There will be a 10 min-ute intermission between shows.Ticket prices $6 in advance and $8at the door.

“Stoppit,” featuring the grade2-5 age group, is about a group ofschoolchildren trying to find anexplanation for the strange events

in their classroom — doors slam-ming, books falling, and bottlescrashing.

Led by Luther (JacksonBenight), their investigation leadsthem to a mysterious foreign stu-dent named Jan Scopicz (JordanBenight). Could this be the realJohn Stoppit, the subject of a localghost story? Why is he hiding inthe school? And why do strangethings happen every time the

children’s teacher, Mrs. Devenish(Sierra Carson), says, “Stop it?”

“This play leads to a surprisefinish that will leave you gasping,”said Heather Stringfellow, directorof KidStage.

“Shalloween,” which featuresactors from the grade 6-12 agegroup, tells the outrageous story ofself-proclaimed geeks AlexandraWaters (Marisa Ayers) and SamHunt (Davis Polston).

When the captain of the foot-ball team, Biff Buxley (ChristianPeacock), and head cheerleaderJulie Johnson (Saige Anderson),invite them to a Halloween party,they come up with the idea to

disguise themselves as “Alex” and“Samantha.”

“The confusion builds to ahilarious climax as the duo learnsthe real meaning of friendship andpopularity,” said Stringfellow.

Land O’Frost KidStage, a work-shop for children in second through12th grade. Land O' Frost and BethPatterson Pediatric Dentistry arethis semester's sponsors.

To purchase tickets call (501)368-0111 or visit Center on theSquare, Quattlebaum Music or theTangerine Turtle.

Tickets may also be purchasedonline at www.centeronthesquare.org.


A • Saturday, October 16, 2010 The Daily Citizen

NATION & STATE

BRIDALREGISTRY


RegisterNow!

road requirements. Since I’vebeen in office, there havebeen many citizens who havebought property on what iscalled public roads and theyare not maintained becausethey are not part of the countysystem. It’s very difficult forus to take those roads into thecounty because they are sub-standard roads. We’d have topretty much go back in thereand rebuild the roads. I don’tfeel like that’s the county’sresponsibility to rebuild roads.I think that needs to be doneon the front side of that devel-opment so that when lots arebeing sold people will knowthey are on a road that can bemaintained by the county.”TDC:Do changes need to

be made about the process ofbringing roads into the countysystem?Lincoln: “What I’ve tried

to do as judge is work withthe citizens that live on countyroads. If they will pay for thegravel to bring it up to whatwe call county specificationsand pay for the installationof culverts, I have workedwith the citizens to get theirroad up to condition so it canbe accepted into the countysystem.”TDC: Is the current chip/

seal system working?Lincoln: “I think it is. It’s

hard to determine which roadsneed to be chip/sealed unlessthere is citizen participation.We just don’t have the fundsin the county road revenueto chip/seal all county roadsin White County. So the par-ticipation program where citi-zens get their name on the listand are willing to participateat a level of paying for thechips and the oil has beenworking pretty well. That costis about 20 percent of the costof chip/sealing a road and soit’s not that the county’s notparticipating on their end, it’sjust that we don’t have themoney to chip/seal all roads.Which ones do you chip/sealif there’s not citizen participa-tion? That kind of gives us aguide to go by.”TDC: You said you want-

ed to “research establishinga landfill in White County.”What is your plan?Lincoln: “I’ve actually

instructed Tamara Jenkins inthe office of emergency man-agement to begin researchon any type of grants forthis. We’re also going backto the Arkansas Departmentof Environmental Quality towhen we actually had a land-fill and seeing if we need tolook at a new site or if the oldsite can be reconditioned orreopened.”TDC:Why?Lincoln: “We are a large

county and I feel like manyof our citizens have a needfor disposing items through-out the year. Cleburne Countyhas one and Jackson Countyhas one, and some of the sur-rounding counties have land-fills. We are the second-larg-est county in the state withoutone and we are seeing whatcan possibly be done to bein a position to help our citi-zens. We have the two countyclean-ups and they are a hugesuccess but invariably every-body can’t make those dayswe have them, so what dothey do the rest of the time?”TDC: You had a stroke in

January. How is your health?Lincoln: “The only resi-

due I have is I have somevision issues but it doesn’tkeep me from doing my job.”TDC: Are you able to

drive?Lincoln: “No. My health

is fine. I’m not an invalid. Ijust keep running into reportsthat my health is a big issue. Ithasn’t hindered me doing myjob at all. I think an underly-ing movement is to make myhealth an issue in this race.I’m at work every day andcontinue to do my job.”TDC: You’ve proposed

research into an animal con-trol problem in the county.Why?Lincoln: “Just to see what

the cost involved is in estab-lishing a county-wide animalcontrol center. There’s one inBeebe and the humane soci-ety has one in Searcy. Butthere’s not one that can meetthe needs of the whole countyso we have a lot of animaldrop-offs in the county andnobody knows what to dowith them. I don’t know if itwould be feasible for us to dothat and of course I’ll have tohave the support of the courtto even look at establishingthat.”

Johney GibsonTDC:Mr. Gibson, you’ve

proposed the re-adoption ofOrdinance 99-9, the roadordinance repealed by thecourt four years ago. Why?Gibson: The reasoning

behind it is I feel the countyought to have a guide, setcriteria and regulations inregards to our county roads,more so now than even inthe past. Ordinance 99-9 hadspecifications for countyroads — width, ditch depth,tile size, base — and outlinedthe criteria for someone whowanted to bring a road intothe county road system as towhat must be done. I think notjust for past judges and thisjudge but for future judgesif this criteria is set down inordinance style it’s going tobe a guide for all judges touse.”TDC: But didn’t you vote

for the repeal of 99-9? Why?Gibson: “Yes. With a new

judge coming on board I feltcompelled to give him theopportunity to have a freehand to run the county roaddepartment as he sees fit.”TDC: And now you don’t

feel that way?Gibson: “I think it’s a

decision by the quorum courtthat we see now it was thewrong thing to do.”TDC: Why was it the

wrong thing to do?Gibson: Certain roads

have been taken into thecounty road system that didn’tmeet the criteria of the oldOrdinance 99-9 that are goingto cost more to maintainthan it would have. I think acounty judge needs to havecertain guidelines to go by.Ordinance 99-9 may not beenthe best road ordinance and itcertainly needed updated andtweaked.”TDC: You’ve said our

road department is now oper-ating with “unwritten poli-cies.” What do you mean?Gibson: There’s always

been unwritten policies forthe road department in thateach judge has been able toapply policies as they see fit.And I’m not going to sayevery policy needs to be writ-ten down but some policiesshould. As an example, theroad department’s use ofcounty equipment in regardsto other cities, helping smallercities with road and ditch-ing problems, those policiesin regards to that need to bewritten down.”

“My intentions here is thatthis is not going to be done by

one person but this is goingto be a cooperative effort. IfI’m elected county judge I’mgoing to form a road commit-tee within the quorum courtand that committee is going tobe responsible for establish-ing this ordinance and alsoresponsible for these writtenpolicies. My intention is forthe judge to be chairman ofthe road committee.”

“With written policies wecould tell the gas companieswe have an ordinance and itwill be a guide for them also,and we want our roads putback according to the specifi-cations of the ordinance.”TDC: You’ve proposed

that the county pay for gravelput on county roads, not theresidents. Why?Gibson: “That’s one

of those unwritten policies.People in the past have had topay a percentage of the costfor gravel to be put on theirroads. I want to do away withthat.”TDC: Then who will pay

for the gravel?Gibson: “The county will

pay for it. That’s going to bebuilt into the budget of theroad department.”TDC:Where will the extra

money come from?Gibson: “We’ve got it.

The revenues of the countyroad department will be ableto fund the chip/seal and grav-el programs. On the cost ofthe gravel and chip/seal, it’sonly a very small percentagethat the public is paying.”TDC: And you’ve pro-

posed a change from usinga list of roads to have chip/sealed?Gibson: “I understand

there is a list of people whohave paid money or are col-lecting money to have theirroads chip/sealed. When Itake office as county judge Iwill look at this list and pri-oritize it as to the best needfor the county. If people havepaid in funds then I mostcertainly would prioritize thatroad. And as to the effec-tive date of the new chip/sealprogram that I have plannedto take effect, it would hingeupon that list. That’s one ofthe things the committee willset down and take a look atand decide what we want todo.”TDC: You proposed

increasing our market-ing capabilities through theInternet. How?Gibson: “It could be

enhanced to promote ourcounty better.”TDC: You’ve proposed

that the county’s 14 mayorsmeet once a quarter with thecounty judge. Why?Gibson: “My end would

be to see how the countycould provide services to helpthem in their community.It would be a collaborativeeffort as how it would makethings happen.”

Race: Judge candidates discuss issuesCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A


CORRECTIONS

Did you know...In White County:64 Homeless Families341 Homeless People87 are Children under the age of 18

2nd Annual Fundraiser BanquetWHEN: October 21st, 2010 @ 6pm

WHERE: Founders Room, Harding UniversityGUEST SPEAKER: County Judge, Michael Lincoln

TICKETS: $25 (all donations are tax deductible)

A Branson Get-Away Package will be auctioned off.Businesses, churches & organizations

can purchase a table for $500.TICKETS ON SALE AT

Jacob’s Place • 301 E. Market St.For more information call:

501-380-8283or email [email protected]

Please join us...

Jacob’s Place is a charitable 501 (c) (3) organization.All donations are tax deductible.

Bigger, Brighter Eyes Now.Your Bonus with any Clinquepurchase of $21.50 or more.A $60.00 value.

117 N. Spring St.Downtown Searcy

501•268•7333

One to a customer,while supplies last

President seeks tostop overseas hiringBy Julie PaceThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON —President Barack Obama isrenewing his call for Congressto close tax breaks that rewardsome U.S.c o m p a n i e swith overseassubsidiaries, aproposal thathas raisedc o n c e r n samong somelawmakers inthe president'sown party.

In his weekly radio andonline address, Obama saidthe tax breaks encourage com-panies to create jobs and prof-its in other countries.

"There is no reason why

our tax code should active-ly reward them for creatingjobs overseas," Obama said."Instead, we should be usingour tax dollars to reward com-panies that create jobs andbusinesses within our bor-ders."

At issue is a bill that stalledin the Senate last month thatwould end some tax creditsand deferrals for U.S. compa-nies for operations overseas.

ThoughObamasingledoutRepublicanopposition, thebillalso failed to get support fromsome Democrats, includingSenate Finance CommitteeChairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., who expressed con-cern that change would putthe U.S. at a competitive dis-advantage.

The ending of the tax loop-holes has been opposed bybusiness groups, includingthe National Association ofManufacturers.

Obamasaidthatwhilecom-panies that conduct businessinternationally do make animportant contribution to theU.S. economy, it doesn't makesense to grant them tax breakswhen companies at home arestruggling to rebound from theeconomic crisis.

Obama has said he wantsrevenue collected from clos-ing the loopholes to be usedfor other business tax breaksby making permanent researchand development tax creditsand allowing businesses nextyear to write off all new equip-ment costs.

Iran releasesAmerican heldfor 2 years in Tehran jail

By Anne GearanThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Iranon Saturday set free anAmerican businessman jailedin Tehran for more than twoyears on suspicion on ties toan allegedly violent opposi-tion group.

Reza Taghavi, 71, hadn'tbeen charged with a crime anddenied knowingly supportingthe organization, known asTondar.

"He admitted to nothingand he continues to main-tain his innocence," his law-yer, Pierre Prosper, told TheAssociated Press in a tele-phone interview from Tehranafter his client's release fromTehran's Evin prison. He's notexpected to return to Southern

California before the middleof next week.

Iranian officials are "com-fortable that he was in factused by this organization, andcomfortable that he does notpose a threat to them and thathe can leave and go back tothe United States," Prospersaid. Iran had accused Taghaviof passing $200 in cash to anIranian man tied to Tondar.Taghavi, who regularly vis-its Iran to conduct businessand see family, had receivedthe money from a friend inCalifornia with instructions topass the cash to an Iranian,according to Prosper.

"Ididn'tdoanythingwrong.Someone just asked me takethis money to help someone,"Taghavi told ABC News.

"Sometimes I feel relief,sometimes, I feel angry. Whathappened? Two-and-a-halfyears for what?" he said.

His family had said hehas diabetes and was in poorhealth, and his lawyer hasasked Iran to free him onhumanitarian grounds.

Prosper said Taghavi won'table to leave until this com-ing week because of condi-tions attached to his release.While Taghavi never wascharged formally or presentedwith paperwork indicating acharge, Prosper said there is acase within the Iranian justicesystem.

He plans to meet witha judge in the next week inhopes of getting that case dis-missed.

Ark. National Guard soldiersto return home in NovemberThe Associated Press

JONESBORO — Thisyear's Veterans Day paradeand activities in Jonesborowill be delayed until Nov.13 to honor National Guardsoldiers returning fromAfghanistan.

Veterans Day is official-ly celebrated Nov. 11.

Soldiers with the 875thEngineer Battalion's 1037Route Clearance Companyhave spent nearly a yearin Afghanistan where theysearched for and destroyedroadside bombs.

Commander Capt. BrianMason told The Jonesboro

Sun the soldiers are expect-ed to arrive in Jonesborobetween Nov. 5 and Nov.8.

He says he asked thatVeterans Day activities bepostponed until Nov. 13 tobe sure all the soldiers arehome and can participate.

The activities willinclude a ceremony at theCraighead County Veterans

Monument at the CraigheadCounty Courthouse.

POMS GALORETiny Toy Poms for Sale • Males & FemalesAll Colors • 12 Weeks • Raised in the Home

Registered & Vet Checked • First 2 Shots ProvidedFor more information call:

501-742-1454 or 501-380-5024




GROWN UPS

OBAMA

CitizenDailyThe

W E A T H E RToday: Mostly cloudy. Highsin the lower 70s. Northeastwinds 5 to 10 mph.Tonight: Mostly cloudy.Lows in the upper 40s.North winds 5 to 10 mph.


“ ”Every great filmshould seem new

every time you see it.ROGER EBERT

American critic, 1942


TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 50¢

4 CONVICTED IN NEW YORK BOMBING PLOTFour men were convicted Monday in a plot to blow upNY synagogues and shoot down planes. — PAGE 2A


BADGERS RELISHING PERFECT RECORDBeebe looks to continue its streak in Friday'scontest against Greene County Tech. — PAGE 1B

Cothern: City upgrades needed

Art showto featurework of 2alumni

Off-site polls open in Beebe, Bald Knob

EARLY VOTING BEGINS FOR GENERAL ELECTION

FEDERAL GRANTWhat: $500K federal grantWho: Awarded to theArkansas Crime InformationCenterPlans: Upgrade a websitefor crime victims


I N D E X


The two candidates in the race forSearcy alderman, Ward 1 Position 1,were asked this week by The DailyCitizen to elaborate on remarks theymade previously about their plat-forms.

Carl Nutter is seeking to retain hisseat, challenged by Logan Cothern.

Nutter once again refused to answerquestions pertaining to the race.

The race is non-partisan, meaningnone of the candidates for city councilhave party affiliations on the Nov. 2general election ballot.Logan CothernTDC:Mr. Cothern, you said when

asked if you plan on addressing theSearcy Advertising and TourismPromotion (A&P) tax again that“needs of the city that prompted theproposed A&P tax still exist.” Whatare they?

Cothern: “The swimming poolstill needs to be addressed, either relo-cated or something. With the existingone, my preference would be weshould look at building a new one.If we had some sort of bubble over itthe Sunshine School might be able touse it for therapy year-round, and thatwould be a tremendous asset for them.We need to go and visit and look atseveral pools and come up with agood plan, nothing too expensive.We need to look at several before wedecide what to do.”

The Harding UniversityArt Department will hostalumni John Parish andAmy Mittlestat-Parish in theStevens Art Gallery fromNov. 1-12 to feature their fineart paintings and professionalphotography.

Parish graduated fromHarding in1994withadegreein fine arts with an emphasisin painting and began a pro-fessional apprenticeship witha furniture and cabinetmaker.Soon after, he finished hismaster’s degree at Universityof New Mexico, and, for thepast 12 years, he has taughtart in New Mexico publicschools and also continued topaint and show his work inregional shows and galleries.

His themes are inspiredby travel and places, and hismost recent trips have takenhim New Orleans and Haiti.

Dozens of voters voted early in the Nov. 2 general election Monday morning at the White County Courthouse on the first day of early vot-ing. Warren Watkins/[email protected]

By Warren [email protected] of voters took advan-

tage of early voting at theWhite County Courthouse

and Beebe City Hall Monday, andelection officials said things weregoing well.

Registered voters may cast theirballots early in Searcy at theWhiteCounty Courthouse, 8 a.m. until6 p.m. on weekdays 10 a.m. until4 p.m. on Saturdays, ending at 5p.m. Nov. 1. Offsite early votingis available at Beebe City Hall 8a.m.-6 p.m. ending Tuesday, and

in Bald Knob at Temple BaptistChurch 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Wednesdayand Thursday.

Eight electronic votingmachines were set up at the

courthouse, whereWhite CountyClerk Tanya Burleson said onlyone minor issue arose early in themorning and was resolved quicklywith no voters denied.

“Things are going smoothly,”Burleson said at noon.

Kelly and Brenda Brown saidthey both voted in a 10-minuteperiod.

“I like the system,” Brenda said.“It worked out pretty good.”

White County ElectionCoordinator Leslie Bellamy alsosaid no glitches had appeared onthe first day of early voting.

“Everything opened OK and itlooked like they had a pretty steadyflow of voters,” Bellamy said.

For a list of candidates go toWhiteCountyAR.org, click on thebox on the right with pink writingthat says, “Election Informationon County Clerk page,” scrolldown on the right hand side to“November 2, 2010- GeneralElection, list of local candidates”where there is also a list of pollingsites.

For more information, personsmay call the voter registrationoffice at 279-6204.

SEARCY CITY COUNCIL:WARD 1, POSITION 1Incumbent: Carl NutterChallenger: Logan Cothern

NUTTER COTHERN

Nutter refusesinterview, again

EARLY VOTINGSearcy: White CountyCourthouse, 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Ends5 p.m. Nov. 1Beebe: City Hall: 8 a.m. until 6p.m., ends today.Bald Knob: Temple BaptistChurch; 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.Wednesday and Thursday

Ark.ACICto use fed.grant forwebsite

The Associated PressLITTLE ROCK — A

$500,000 federal grant to theArkansas Crime InformationCenter will be used to upgradea website for crime victims.

The ACIC's Brad Cazortsays the money from the U.S.Department of Justice will goto the Victim Information andNotification Everyday — orVINE — service. The onlineprogram allows crime victimsto follow criminals throughoutthe justice process.

Cazort said the funds willbe used for a new softwareprogram so victims don't haveto re-register when a criminaltransfers facilities. The crimi-nal is given a new identifica-tion number upon transfer andvictims currently must re-reg-ister to keep track.

Offenders who serve theirtime and complete any pro-bation are dropped from theservice.



Tom Liles buys acandy bar fromHolly NoelleDoss, 11, as herbrother, AndrewDoss, 10, watch-es. The trans-action, whichtook place inthe lobby of theWhite CountyCourthouseMonday, waspart of afundraiser forHEARTS homeschool group.Warren Watkins/[email protected]

Would you like to buy a candy bar?Bats scuttle plans forNWArk. wind farmsThe Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE — Anendangered species of bat liv-ing in northwestArkansas hasscuttled plans to build windfarms in the region.

Invenergy,aChicago-basedcompany, has toldWashingtonCounty residents the presenceof the Ozark big-eared batmeans it has to halt develop-ment of the wind farms.

Washington County plan-ning director Juliet Richeytells the Northwest ArkansasTimes that Invenergy already

had approached several land-owners about the plannedproject and had set up twometeorological towers in thearea to collect data.

David Kampwerth, a karstbiologist for the Arkansasfield office of the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, saysbats can be killed when theirorgans and lungs implode duethe changes in air compres-sion from the turning of windturbine blades. He says aboutthere are only about 1,700 liv-ing Ozark big-eared bats.

Graduate student toalso displaywork

The Daily Citizen Tuesday, October 19, 2010 • Page 3A

FROM PAGE ONE

Daily

CitizenThe

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at these locations:Barkin Barn Thrift Store

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The Daily Citizen

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Jackass 3D RStadium Seating, DOLBY DIGITAL 3D

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“Then there’s the civiccenter we keep talking about.I know that there are differentorganizations that could use acivic center if we had more tooffer. I know my daughter-in-law is involved with LadiesNight Out that involves sev-eral hundred women, and shewas talking about how Cabothas a really nice one and sev-eral other areas do, too. Oursis really lacking.”“We’ve talked about the

added restroom facilitiesat existing parks we havenow.”“All this costs money, and

I understand that, so I thinkwe just need to look at themand prioritize them and tack-le one project at a time untilwe get our facilities more upto date.”TDC: You’ve called for

a long-term plan for specif-ic needs in our city streets.Why?Cothern: “I’m sure we

have something similar inplace now, a long-range plan,but what I had in mind wasto work with the city engi-neer and the street depart-ment and the citizens to seewhat we really need to do tobring our streets to the levelour citizens would want.Andagain, I think we need toprioritize these. I’d like tosee how much it would real-ly cost to bring them up tospeed. Probably we’re goingto need additional financ-ing and we could see howwe’re going to address that,bring it before the counciland see what we’re goingto do. The voters ultimatelyneed to make the decision

about what we’re going todo, if we need a new revenuesource. We might be ableto find them in grants but Idon’t think we will. I thinkwe’re going to have to haveadditional revenues if we’regoing to do what I think thepeople are going to want usto do.TDC:You have called for

a feasibility study for a newlibrary. Why?Cothern: “They did a

pretty comprehensive studyin 1995 and it was shownat that time that we reallydidn’t have adequate spacein our libraries to really offerour citizens the serviceswe need to. For example,we have over 100 people aday that visit the library to

use the computers. We onlyhave 12-13 computers andit’s extremely busy.We don’thave a teen book section. Weneed to expand our children’sbook section. We don’t havepublic meeting rooms likemost libraries offer the citi-zens. We just don’t have theroom. We have about 10,000square feet and we reallyneed about 30,000 squarefeet.”“I realize all this costs

money andwe certainly can’tdo all these things at thesame time, but we certainlycould start looking at thisnow. We might buy the landnow and build in the future.This might be financed by abond issue, a property tax ora sales tax.”

His paintings in thealumni art show will featurethemes such as old buildings,neon signs and people inNew Mexico, New Orleansand Haiti.Mittlestat-Parish gradu-

ated from Harding in 1993with an emphasis in portraitdrawing and watercolor.However, she began tak-ing photography coursesthrough the ProfessionalPhotographers of Americaas well as workshops atthe Santa Fe Photographic

Workshops School after thebirth of the couple’s thirdchild.She is involved with

the American ChildPhotographer’s charity guildand is also a contributingphotographer for the NewMexico Children Youth andFamily adoption endeavorcalled the “New MexicoHeart Gallery.”She is also on the found-

ing and organizing com-mittee for the Annual NewMexico Photographic Art

Show and maintains a free-lance portrait business. Hergallery will feature fine artphotographic portraiture.Graduate student Jessica

Kaplan will also feature herwork in the building’s secondgallery Nov. 1-12.The gallery hours are

Monday through Friday from8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admissionis free and open to the pub-lic. For more information,persons may contact the artdepartment at (501) 279-4426.

Ladies from the Judsonia Church of Christ delivered 20 handmade quilts to White County Medical Center forchildren in the pediatric unit recently. The ladies meet twice a week in the designated “Sewing Room” at theirchurch to make the quilts year round. In addition to the quilts, they also make lap quilts for nursing home resi-dents in the area. Pictured are, from left, Wilda Gibson, Frances Donnell, Doris Lind and 3 South Charge NurseMistie Vanatter, RN. Not pictured are Rudean Wallace, Pauline Murdaugh and Ann Howell. Contributed photo

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Show: 2 HU alumni to show art workCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Alderman: Candidate discusses issuesCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

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Lincoln targetsBoozeman’sveteran votes

The Associated PressLITTLE ROCK —

Arkansas Sen. BlancheLincoln is continuing to targetRepublican challenger JohnBoozman's record on militaryand veterans issues as shefights to keep her job.LincolnonMondaypushed

back against Boozman's com-ments that the Democraticsenator is lying about hisrecord in Congress on vet-erans and military issues.Lincoln last week accusedBoozman of routinely votingagainst funding for veteransand the military.Boozman is a Republican

congressman from north-west Arkansas and a mem-ber of the House VeteransAffairs Committee. Lincolnis a Democrat seeking a thirdterm. She's considered one ofthe most vulnerable incum-bents seeking re-election thisyear.Boozman's campaign says

thatLincoln is citing votes thatinclude appropriations thatwere part of overall budgetproposals heopposed.Lincolnsaid Monday Boozman'srecord includes stand-alonevotes against measures thatwould have helped veteransand the military.

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