The annual Ozark Foothills FilmFest Screenwriting Competition Awards Program took place on the campus of Lyon College on Thursday evening, March 25. Thirty-three entries were received from the United States and Canada.

The Writ Writer, written by Mike Murphy of Conway, won First Place and the $500 award. The screenplay begins in 1919 rural Arkansas and tells the true story of a local black attorney, Scipio Africanus Jones, who saves 12 black sharecroppers from death row. His six year struggle changes US law and the lives of those around him, including his own. Murphy’s first screenplay, The Knuckleballer, won Second Place in the 2008 competition.

Second Place and the $300 prize went to God I Wish You Were Here, by Kevin Silva of San Rafael, California. The screenplay follows a reclusive woman’s relationship with a troubled writer who is forced to leave her pastoral hideaway.

The Devil and Harry Houdini, by Colleen DeMaio of Van Nuys, California won Third Place and the $200 prize. Houdini must outwit the Devil to perform the ultimate escape—from Hell itself.

For the first time, the festival recognized an Honorable mention selection, Reality Check, by Peter Clines, also of Van Nuys. Clines entered a space fantasy involving a starship crew that discovers it is trapped in a 50’s movie serial.

Judges for the competition were Ben Fry of Little Rock, KUAR station manager and screenwriting instructor at UALR; and Pola Zen of Tel Aviv, Israel, a director and screenplay editor. Zen attended the 2009 Ozark Foothills FilmFest to present her short film, Dolls and Houses. The screenwriting competition is sponsored by Category One Entertainment and Jesse Glenn Tignor, a Batesville writer.

CONWAY – Republican United States Senate candidate Col. Conrad Reynolds (U.S. Army, Ret.) today issued the following statement praising Gov. Sarah Palin for her endorsement and recognition of the Combat Veterans for Congress PAC.

Reynolds said “It’s a great honor to be part of the Combat Veterans for Congress’ slate. And it warms my heart to have Sarah Palin offer her endorsement to what I believe is the finest group of individuals that have sought public office in modern American history. And I am so proud to have been selected as the 20th member of that group.”

Gov Palin in her endorsement statement of Congress Veterans For Congress said: “Last week I campaigned for a true American hero, John McCain, and this week I’d ask you to join me in supporting a new generation of heroes who are heeding their country’s call for leadership in Washington.”

Gov Palin went on to say, “There are a number of great veteran candidates running for office this year, and there are some excellent organizations dedicated to helping them, including Combat Veterans for Congress. I believe that these great veterans will fight for us in D.C. to uphold and defend our Constitution as courageously in the halls of Congress as they did on the field of battle.

“I’m so honored to offer my support to these American heroes, and I hope you’ll join me in helping them so that they can serve us all in Washington. America, if you love your freedom, thank a Vet! And if you’re looking for leaders who believe in integrity, service, and country first, look to our Veterans,” concludes Gov Palin.

Title: Timbo Volunteer Fire Department Gun and Knive Show
Location: Stone County Fairgrounds, Mountain View
Description: Timbo Volunteer Fire Department Gun and Knive Show
Over 90 Tables of Guns and Knives
Saturday, April 10 9a-5p
Sunday, April 11 9a-4p
Admission: $3.00 for Adults 12 and older
Stone County Fairgrounds, Mountain View
For More Information call : 870-746-4349 or 501-803-3155
Start Date: 2010-04-10
Start Time: 0900
End Date: 2010-04-11

Title: Camp Wyldewood Benefit Golf Tournament April 9
Link out: Click here
Description: CAMP WYLDEWOOD BENEFIT GOLF TOURNAMENT
April 9, 2010
Lunch 11:30
Scramble Format, Shotgun Start 12:30
$100 per person
$400 per foursome
$100 hole sponsorships

Includes: Lunch, 18 holes, cart, hole in one prize, closest to the pin, longest drive, raffles and door prizes

Registration deadline is March 20th. This brochure is available on our website, www.campwyldewood.org

For more information call 501-305-3000.
Start Time: 113000
Date: 2010-04-09

Bald Knob Chamber Of Commerce Golf Tournament April 9
Tee Time: 8:30 A.M. Friday, April 9th
4 Person Scramble
Entry Fee $100 per team
Hole Sponsorship $100
The winner of the longest drive will receive a TaylorMade Driver.
The winner of the closet hole will receive a TaylorMade Putter.
Bald Knob Country Club, Bald Knob, Arkansas
For more information contact:Larry House 501-593-8767 or the Chamber Office at 501-724-3140

Title: Heber Lions Club Annual TV Auction on Channel 6, April 8 and 9, 2010
Description: The Heber Springs Lions Club will hold their 43rd Annual TV Auction on Channel 6, April 8 and 9, 2010.

A listing of the auction items will be printed in the SUN TIMES, Wednesday, April 7, 2010, edition.

This live auction on Channel 6 will begin at 6:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. on each night. Local merchants
have donated items and services for this fund-raising event. The Heber Springs Lions provide eye exams, glasses, hearing exams and hearing aids to low-income residents of Cleburne County.”
Start Date: 2010-04-08
Start Time: 180000
End Date: 2010-04-09
End Time: 213000

WYNNE, AR (March 30) – Princella Smith, Republican candidate for Congress, today announced the major endorsement from the Women Under Forty PAC.

Women Under Forty, a non-partisan organization, recognized her substantial experience in state and national politics. The group said her experience on Capitol Hill and her substantial knowledge of Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District would make her “an extremely successful advocate” for her home state as she works to tackle the issues facing her district, including: job creation and the economy, education, and health care.

“When Princella wins in November, it will be historic,” said WUFPAC President Katie Vlietsra. “She will be the first African-American elected from Arkansas, the first African-American Republican woman elected to Congress, and the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Princella is a member of a new generation of women who are not standing on the sidelines but jumping feet first into the political process. Her election will inspire many young women leaders to follow in her footsteps. We are thrilled to support Princella Smith.”

Smith welcomed the endorsement, calling it a strong indication of the strength of her campaign.

“I am humbled and grateful for their endorsement,” Smith said. “Women Under Forty has been a strong advocate for young women across the country taking leadership in politics and to receive their support is no small accomplishment.”

For more information about WUFPAC, please visit www.wufpac.org. For more information about Princella Smith’s campaign, please visit www.princellasmith.com.

Health care legislation was signed into law only days ago, but the president and congressional leaders are already launching an all-out public relations campaign to convince Americans that we should like what they did. It’s going to be a hard sell. This $950 billion, 2,800-page bill fails to fix what’s broken and risks breaking what works.

Requiring insurance companies and employers that provide health coverage for their employees to add a host of new benefits may sound good. But it will also drive up premiums.

Requiring small businesses to provide insurance that they cannot afford—or else pay steep fines—will eliminate jobs.

Requiring states—which are already running huge deficits—to add millions of new enrollees to Medicaid will lead to tax increases and program cuts.

By Tom Donohue, President and CEO U.S. Chamber

Lincoln: After Decades of Gender Discrimination, Health Insurance Reform Will Treat Women as Equals

“For far too long, the unique health care needs of our women and mothers have been used as a way for insurance companies to enhance their own profits, or to deny care to women altogether,” Lincoln said. “That comes to an end now, with this new health insurance reform law. In Arkansas and around the country, the unfairly inflated cost of health insurance for women has prevented many from being able to access care. And, many insurance plans in Arkansas have not even covered the benefits that women really need, like maternity care. This is unacceptable, and I am proud to have voted for the Senate health insurance reform plan that will correct these inequities and treat women fairly.”

Lincoln: Arkansas Small Business Owners Will Benefit From Immediate Tax Relief in Health Insurance Reform Law

“Small businesses across Arkansas have a lot to look forward to,” Lincoln said. “Beginning this year these firms will have access to a tax credit so they are able to purchase health insurance for their employees. In Arkansas, we know that more than 295,000 small business workers are uninsured because the owners of small firms can’t access reasonable premium rates for their employees, and those that can offer coverage struggle with unpredictable premium hikes from year to year.
 Lincoln: Health Reform Legislation Protects Arkansas Hospitals, Prevents more than $15 million in funding cut