Searcy – A former police officer finds himself on the other side of the law after being arrested in the home of a 16 year old.

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The Ozark Foothills FilmFest will salute the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) with the “Southern Succulents Food Film Showcase” on Saturday, March 27. The showcase will feature SFA Films by Joe York of the University of Mississippi’s Media & Documentary Projects Center. An exuberant champion of Southern food culture—from its barbecue pit masters and bourbon distilleries to its butterscotch-pie breakfasts and deviled-eggs competitions—the Southern Foodways Alliance celebrates and records the region’s diverse gastronomic landscape through documentary films, books, and not-for-the-calorie-shy field trips and events. The program will take place at 12:30 p.m. in Independence Hall on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and $3 for Foothills Film Society members. Membership information and the complete festival schedule are available at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.

Two men charged for their involvement in the June 12, 2009, murder on Bean Street have pleaded guilty. Jose Leonel Lopez Maradiaga and Freddy Leonel Ramos Turcios were charged June 15, 2009 with 1 count of Terroristic Act, 1 count of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Cocaine) and Hindering Apprehension by 20th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Marcus Vaden.

On June 12, 2009, Conway police officers were waived down as they left the Faulkner County Detention Center on South German Lane by several people and informed that a man had been shot and was lying in a driveway at 1405 Bean Street. When officers arrived they found Julio Ivan Cota, 27, with multiple gunshot wounds. Cota was transported to Conway Regional Hospital where he died.

According to eye-witnesses of the crime, officers were given the names of the 3 suspects, Ramon Arnesto Mendez Rodriguez, Jose Leonel Lopez Maradiaga and Freddy Leonel Ramos Turcios. Witnesses described Maradiaga as the driver, Rodriguez as the shooter and Turcios as the passenger in the back seat. A short time after the shooting, Arkansas State Police located the vehicle with the 3 occupants in Maumelle where they were taken into custody and transported back to the Conway Police Department. While the search for the 3 suspects was ongoing, officers obtained a search warrant to search the 3 men’s residence where they found, among other things, a quantity of cocaine.

Maradiaga agreed to plead guilty to Hindering Apprehension and Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Cocaine) and he received 120 months in the Arkansas Department of Correction and an additional 240 months in the Arkansas Department Correction suspended conditioned upon him not reentering the United States illegally. Upon his release, Maradiaga will face deportation proceedings to Honduras.

Turcios, the passenger in the vehicle, pled guilty to Hindering Apprehension and received a 240 month suspended sentence in the Arkansas Department of Correction, conditioned upon him not reentering the United States illegally. Turcios will face immediate deportation proceedings to Honduras.

Title: Harding University-Community Orchestra to present “A Night at the Opera”
Description: The Harding University-Community Orchestra will perform Mar. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Administration Auditorium on campus.

Under the theme, “A Night at the Opera,” the concert will feature the orchestra as well as five vocalists singing famous opera arias.

The Harding University-Community Orchestra is made up of Harding students, community musicians and advanced string students from Searcy Community School of Music. This concert will feature 29 string musicians and 25 wind and percussion players.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Music Department at 501-279-4343.
Start Time: 1900
Date: 2010-03-02

Title: Van Buren County Republicans Lincoln Day Brunch
Description: The Van Buren County Republicans
will host 41st District State Representative, Ed
Garner, as featured speaker at their Lincoln Day
Brunch on Feb. 27th. The event will be at the
VFW bldg on Hwy 330 near Fairfield Bay
beginning at 10 a.m. Tickets are $20 per person
and may be obtained or reserved by calling
745-1136 or 884-3919 by Feb. 23rd. This
event is open to the public, especially those
interested in the Nov. 2010 elections.
Start Time: 1000
Date: 2010-02-27

Title: Cleburne County Shooting Club Monthly Meeting
Location: Highway 5/25 By-pass two miles SE of Heber Springs
Description: Cleburne County Shooting Club Monthly Meeting at the Range at 7:00 PM
Start Time: 1900
Date: 2010-03-01

Melbourne -  Students who wish to apply for Ozarka College institutional scholarships for the fall 2010 term are encouraged to submit applications to the Scholarship Committee.  The approaching scholarship deadline is March 1 for all Ozarka Foundation Scholarships to be awarded for the fall semester.  Applications are available at www.ozarka.edu/finaid.   For more information, call 870-368-7371.

Title: Guidance-N-Action at UCA
Location: UCA Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center, 201 Donaghey Ave.Conway, AR
Link out: Click here
Description: Guidance ~N~ Action is preparation endowed with an infinite affiliation for success. This program is designed to cultivate the traditional stance of public school life to an elevated advancement that involves closing the gap between the children that are celebrated and those that are tolerated. The guiding lights of our mission are to induce students understanding and conceptual outlook of life, develop and maintain greater coping and adaptation skills toward the overall school experience. Children often times steer where they stare, however with proper guidance imparted they can be groomed into being responsible, well rounded adults. Moreover, the vision entails the conception of liberation for every child to push past their immediate environment to reach the climax of possibilities for tomorrow. The program is patterned to transform dreams into reality with the energetic concept of GGL (Go expecting, Get what you came for, and Leave Smiling).

ision vs. Dilemma Benefits of Program:
Addresses academic, personal/social, and career counseling goals Student centered not Counselor/Teacher centered Facilitates the inclusion of students who never participate in extracurricular activities. Enhances school-wide intervention or disciple plan Structured and user friendly program Outcomes of program:

One\’s ability to relate more positive to their peers, parents, and teachers (Personal/Social) Grades increase and behavior decreases (Academic) Self esteem and self-efficacy increases (Personal.Academic) Negative self image decreases early in students who view themselves as bad students (Personal/Social) Increases existing opportunities to explore new arenas of school life through the world of work (Career) Who should attend:

Elementary and Secondary School Counselors Administrators/ Superintendents K-12 Teachers Counselor Education Students (practicum and intern) Curriculum Specialist College Counseling Supervisors

Start Time: 9:00 am
Date: 2010-02-26
End Time: 12:00 noon

Orlando, Fla.—Volunteerism and making his community “a better place to live” are what drive Scott Wood, who was named the 2009 Time Magazine Dealer of the Year during the opening session of NADA’s annual convention Saturday. Wood, of Stanley Wood Chevrolet /Pontiac Co. and Scott Wood Chevrolet/Dodge/Jeep in Batesville, Ark., told attendees that his love for his community and a passion to make improve the local economy have always motivated him to give back.

Wood started in automobile retailing “with a broom, a shovel and a wheelbarrow,” as a lackey in the dealership—or what would be known today as a “permanent lot orderly”—and progressed through the dealership ranks. “I swept up,” he said. “And that’s how it started.”

Wood said the honor is more than he could have ever expected: “We need more positives in our industry, and for me, this is going to be a highlight. This is far and away the highest award I thought I would ever garner.”

(Above) Scott and Myra Wood, Time Dealer of the year

Join Second Amendment supporters this Saturday, February 27, at the Second Amendment rally at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock.  The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features numerous pro-Second Amendment speakers such at Lt. Col. David Grossman and Nikki Goeser, who led a successful drive to change gun legislation in Tennessee after a tragic occurrence in Memphis, as well as representatives from Oath Keepers, Secure Arkansas, Second Amendment Sisters, and Arkansas Concealed Carry Assoc.  Also, several candidates for House and Senate seats will speak.  The rally includes vendors, live music, and drawings for prizes.  Admission is a $10 donation.  The rally has two purposes:  to demonstrate Arkansas gun owners’ resolve to protect Second Amendment rights and to raise funds for the National Second Amendment March in Washington, D.C., on April 19. 

For more information call:

Steve Skillern, Coordinator of Arkansas Second Amendment March  sskill@suddenlink.net 1-879-897-3300