Archive for the ‘Local News’ Category
Tim Griffin candidate 2nd District House to Speak VBC Republicans
Sunday, March 14th, 2010The Van Buren County Republican Committee will have its March 15th meeting at the SHIRLEY SENIOR CITIZEN’S BLDG. Please note this change of location. There will be a buffet meal at 6 p.m. catered by the Mona Lisa Restaurant in Shirley. Tim Griffin, candidate for 2nd District House of Representatives, and Jason Rapert, candidate for State Senate 18th District will speak and answer questions related to their candidacies. Everyone planning to vote in the May 18th Arkansas Primary is welcome to attend and meet the candidates. Please call for meal reservations: 501-745-1163 or 884-3919.
Congressman Marion Berry Offers Alternative Healthcare Will Be on Open Mic Monday
Saturday, March 13th, 2010Congressman Marion Berry says a bill he’s offering would reduce health-care costs so that insurance coverage would be cheaper and thus available to millions more Americans.
Congressman Marion Berry said Thursday his measure would also cut the costs of the federal government’s Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The Democrat who represents the 1st District in east Arkansas said he was offering his measure as an alternative to the bill being promoted by President Obama. He said that the President bill’s anti-abortion provisions are not strong enough, or mandating Americans to have health care insurance. He also comments on the Health Care czar on KFFB’S open mic with KFFB’S Bob Connell, Open Mic will air Monday at 7:40 am and 5:40 pm. and will be available at KFFB.COM.
Berry also said his measure would not require health-insurance coverage to be offered or provided to any more people, but would make that more likely as costs go down.
Batesville Area Chamber to meet about the Goodwill Ambassador Program
Saturday, March 13th, 2010The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding a meeting Tuesday, March 16, 2010 from 12 pm – 1 pm at the Chamber to discuss the Chamber’s Goodwill Ambassador Program.
The mission of a Chamber Goodwill Ambassador is to provide a special welcome and hospitality to visitors of special functions and events in the Batesville Area; to welcome new members to the Chamber; and to represent the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce at Ribbon Cuttings, Grand Openings & Special Events.
If you are interested in being a Chamber Goodwill Ambassador please join the Chamber Tuesday, March 16, 2010 from 12 pm – 1pm. Please feel free to bring your lunch.
For more information call 870.793.2378 or angela.connell@mybatesville.org.
Stone County Master Gardeners Tree and Shrub Sale 03-20
Saturday, March 13th, 2010Title: Stone County Master Gardeners Tree and Shrub Sale
Location: EHC building at the Stone County Fairgrounds
Description: The Stone County Master Gardeners will be having there annual tree and shrub sale on Saturday, March 20th, from 9am to 1pm. It will be located inside the EHC building at the Stone County Fairgrounds.
There will be a good selection of healthy bare root trees and shrubs to choose from. All plants are $4.00 each. All profits go to support Master Gardener projects in the county. These include community beatification, educational programs for both adults and youth, and the usual free gardening information available to individuals.
The Stone County master Gardener program is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.
Start Time: 0900
Date: 2010-03-20
Champions for Charity Afternoon Tea and Auction March 20
Saturday, March 13th, 2010Title: Champions for Charity Afternoon Tea and Auction
Location: Anderson House Inn at 201 East Main Street in Heber Springs
Description: NorthStar EMS is proud to announce its upcoming Fundraiser. Champions for Charity Afternoon Tea and Auction March 20th, 2:00 pm At Anderson House Inn at 201 East Main Street in Heber Springs. Donations of items are gladly accepted and will be auctioned at the event . Funds raised are to be donated to Foster Children in Arkansas and to Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Contact NorthStar EMS in Heber Springs at (501) 362-2794 if you would like to help Sponsor the event or if you have items to donate for auction.
Start Time: 1400
Date: 2010-03-20
Bluegrass music Show in Clinton to benefit Relay for Life March 20
Friday, March 12th, 2010Title: Bluegrass music Show in Clinton to benefit Relay for Life
Location: Walker Field House at the Clinton High School
Description: A benefit Bluegrass music Show in Clinton to benefit Relay for Life on March 20, 2010 at the Walker Field House at the Clinton High School. Show times are 2:00 pm to 5:20 pm day session, 5:20 pm to 6:00 pm Supper Break, and 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm Night session. Artists to be featured: Donnie Catron and rinds, Buffalo City Ramblers, Rock creak, South Fourteen, Keisler Brothers. Admission: $10.00 per person, Kids under 12 Free with adult admission. For more information call 870-448-3665
Start Time: 1400
Date: 2010-03-20
Ozark Gateway Tourist Council Reveals New Guide
Friday, March 12th, 2010The Ozark Gateway Tourist Council revealed its new guide recently. The guide is put out yearly and includes copy and advertisements from eight Arkansas counties in the Ozark region.
This year’s guide is much larger than last years, mostly due to ad sales. The council has also revamped the interior since last year’s issue, giving the guide a brand new look. Another addition since last year is the inclusion of the Ozark Gateway Scenic Heritage Drives, illustrated by a map on pages 2 and 3 drawn by advisor to the board Craig Ogilvie. The three different Heritage Drives begin at the Old Independence Regional Museum in downtown Batesville and travel to and through various areas of the region. “Heritage tourism is very much the happening thing right now and we have a lot of heritage in the Ozark Gateway,” said Board President Bob Pest. “We really see it as a focus that will work.” With drives going everywhere from historic districts to caverns to museums and memorials, who wouldn’t want to visit this area? Since the drives all begin at the Old Independence Regional Museum, the T Tauri film festival and movie camp will be making a short regional film to help visitors decide which drive to take. With everything from state parks, historic districts, and the Ozark Folk Center, this area is rich in historic assets. “The idea is to have people understand the region not just as a region, to give it identity,” said Pest. The council is also seeking to have the drives designated as national scenic byways, most likely bringing even more tourism from even further away into the region.
The Ozark Gateway Tourist Council does everything from distributing the guide, to handing out pens, magnets, or round “Tu-its,” to maintaining a website detailing the great tourist opportunities of the area. As Executive Director Cathy Drew said “We’re very excited about the guide this year. We’ve worked very hard on it and we think it is the best one we’ve done so far. It has a lot of great information in it for everyone from the interested visitor to the curious resident. We hope it will have a huge impact on tourism in the region and we’re looking forward to making next year’s guide even better.” Be sure to pick up one of these great guides at a tourism center near you or request one through the website, or, for more information, please call 1-800-264-0316. Remember, the only thing missing from this region is your visit!
Lincoln Secures Aid for Poultry Growers
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry today announced that the U.S. Senate has approved aid to poultry producers as part of a Lincoln-led disaster package included in the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act. The package makes poultry producers eligible for $75 million in emergency loans.
“I am a former Piligram’s Pride grower. I own five poultry houses and I have been without chickens since August 19, 2008. This bill will help my fellow producers and I to try and regain our ability to make a living. We appreciate that Senator Lincoln came last spring to hear our concerns and try to help us with this legislation,” said poultry farmer Keith Brents.
Pilgrim’s Pride processing facilities in El Dorado and Clinton, along with the feed mill in Atkins, have all closed, impacting growers and local economies.
Ninth Circuit: Pledge of Allegiance constitutional
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Washington, DC , March 11, 2010: March 11, 2010 In a stunning reversal of its 2002 rejection of the Pledge of Allegiance, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco today ruled, in a 60-page opinion, that the words “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance do not violate the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. The challenge to the Pledge was brought by atheist activist Dr. Michael Newdow. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit civil rights law firm, argued the case to the Court two years ago, along with the Department of Justice and attorneys representing a Sacramento-area school district.
In its ruling, the Court adopted the Becket Fund’s argument for the Pledge’s constitutionality, in particular the idea that Congress’s purpose in enacting the Pledge was “to underscore the political philosophy of the Founding Fathers that God granted certain inalienable rights to the people which the government cannot take away.” This is in contrast to the “ceremonial deism” argument—namely, the idea that the words “under God,” through years of rote repetition, have lost any meaning—made by the federal and local governments in the case.
The Court also focused on the fact that because saying the Pledge is voluntary—something affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1943—the Plaintiffs are attempting to suppress the speech of others: “What is at issue is not saying the Pledge or affirming a belief in God. What is at issue is whether Roechild [Dr. Newdow’s anonymous client] can prevent other students, who have no such objection, from saying the Pledge.”
“The Ninth Circuit finally stood up for the Pledge,” said Kevin J. “Seamus” Hasson, who argued the case to the Ninth Circuit for the Becket Fund. “The Court has just said what was self-evident to Thomas Jefferson and the signers of our Declaration of Independence in 1776 – our rights are unalienable precisely because they come not from the State, but from the Creator.”
The Becket Fund intervened in the case on behalf of the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization that spearheaded the effort to add “under God” to the Pledge 55 years ago; children enrolled in Sacramento-area public schools and who want to keep saying the Pledge of Allegiance complete with the words “under God”; and their parents. The Becket Fund also intervened in a similar case brought by Dr. Newdow in Hanover, New Hampshire, that is now pending before the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.
Judge Stephen Reinhardt dissented from the three-judge ruling. As part of his dissent, Judge Reinhardt took pains to describe the history of the Knights of Columbus’ involvement with ensuring the place of “one nation under God” in the Pledge.
Based in Washington, D.C., The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a nonpartisan, interfaith, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. The law firm has a 15-year-old history of defending religious liberty.
ARKANSAS STORM UPDATE
Thursday, March 11th, 2010North Little Rock – The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management has received reports of one fatality and three injuries from Wednesday night’s storms.
Damages have been reported in Cleburne, Saline and White counties, and the Little Rock National Weather Service has confirmed three tornadoes, one in each county. The following are details on current damage reports.
Saline Co
Local Coordinator reported damages to one home in the Salem area and seven homes on Hwy 5 South between the 5000-6000 blocks. An estimated 10 homes are damaged around Hwy 298. There have been no reports of any injuries.
There are 18 homes with minor damage, two homes with major damage and two homes destroyed. The Salem Fire Department #4 has moderate damage; and numerous barns and sheds have damage. No shelters are set up at this time.
White Co
A reported nine homes were damaged near the Center Hill community close to the Hwy 36/305 junction. The County Emergency Manager also confirmed damages to Center Hill Fire Department and the Center Hill Baptist Church. There was one injury.
There are 19 homes damaged total. Three were destroyed, three homes have major damages and 13 homes have minor damage. The Center Hill Fire Department and the Center Hill Baptist Church have also received minor damage. Albion community has three homes with minor damage. Two chicken houses have roof damage. The displaced residents are staying with family/friends, and there are no shelters open at this time.
Cleburne Co
Local Coordinator reported two homes completely destroyed on Sawmill Road in Pearson. Most of the damages are near the Hwy 107/25 junction. There is one fatality and two injuries.
There are eight homes damaged. Six have minor damage, and two have been destroyed.
