The Arkansas Craft School will be hosting a weekend workshop with international bead artist Beau Anderson.   Beau Anderson was introduced to the torch by his mother, Sage Holland, at the young age of seven. Although he has diverse interests, Beau’s focus within glass art has explored beadmaking and its history; as well as integrative multi-media projects. He has demonstrated and instructed the art of glass beadmaking throughout the Americas, both at a grassroots level and at such prestigious institutions as Corning Museum of Glass, Pittsburgh Glass Center and Pilchuck Glass School; as well as internationally in France, Germany, Denmark and Spain.   Beau’s work has been published in Ornament magazine; as well as in Beads of Glass, Beading for the Soul and The History of Beads.

A recent grant from a major foundation has allowed the Craft School to purchase new bead making equipment in order to furnish students the tools they need.  This course is an intermediate level class designed to heighten students’ command of design in the making of glass beads, by advancing skills in a multitude of techniques from the history of beads. Some of these techniques are as follows – glass color blending, complex stringer work and surface details; twisted canes, multiple color canes and murine’s (small intricate pictures or geometric patterns); and metal foils and leafs (silver and gold).  Better control in clear casing intricate details, many layered stratifications and dotwork; floral patterns and plunged flowers, off mandrel work, bent beads and sculptural work will also be covered.

A Slide Show will be given by Tom Holland on Saturday night for the students entitled “Beads Through the Ages”.  The show will cover traditions from thousands of years of world-wide Glass Bead Making. This enlightening lecture will include slides from museums and from private collections. 

The Arkansas Craft School, located in Mountain View, Arkansas is dedicated to the education of aspiring and practicing craft artisans for success in the Creative Economy.  The Craft School partners with the Arkansas Craft Guild and Ozarka College; and offers Continuing Education credits for all of its courses.  Scholarship grants are available for most courses.  Support for the Arkansas Craft School is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment of the Arts.  Visit the Arkansas Craft School’s website, www.arkansascraftschool.org for more information on these and other upcoming classes; as well as information on scholarship applications.

Title: 119th Cleburne County Fair
Location: Heber Springs
Link out: Click here
Description: September 7th -11th 119th Cleburne County Fair
Booths, exhibits, livestock, horticulture, kids events include terrific food and amusements.
For more information contact the Cleburne County Ext. Office – 501-362-2524 or Chan Boren, Fair Manager at 501-206-6691
Start Date: 2010-09-07
End Date: 2010-09-11

Win Brian Wilson – Reimagines Gershwin CD this weekend Sept 4th-5th from KFFB 106.1 . Call and register when asked to on the air at 1-800-896-1669 or register on line at www.ourcontestonline.com

The quintessential signature sound of Brian Wilson (co founding member of the Beach Boys) elegantly combined with the timeless classic melodies of the Gershwin Brothers. This CD features 12 reimagined classics plus 2 new collaborations!

Brian Wilson – Reimagines Gershwin Courtesy Of Disney Records

Title: Annual Cowboy Catfish Supper Clinton Sr Center Sept 1-4
Location: Clinton Senior 311 Yellow Jacket Lane Clinton
Description: Wed – Saturday September 1st – 4th

Serving from 5 to 7 P.m.

Adults $ 8 and children Under 12 $4 ( all you can eat)

Annual Cowboy Catfish Supper at Clinton Senior Center Proceeds benefit the Meals on Wheels Program of Van Buren County.

311 Yellow Jacket Lane Clinton 745-2244

Start Date: 2010-09-01
Start Time: 170000
End Date: 2010-09-04
End Time: 190000

 Timothy Levi Lyons of Greenbrier, was arrested in the Choctaw Recreation Area on Friday, August 27, 2010 for being in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

      Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area on a suspected domestic violence call.  Park Attendants stated that a man, later identified as Lyons, was observed yelling and screaming in the middle of the street, although it was not apparent who the target of his anger was.  Arkansas State Police and the Twentieth Judicial Drug Crime Task Force were called in to assist.

      Deputies discovered that Lyons had a warrant for his arrest out of Conway County and placed him into custody.  Lyons was searched and officers located a loaded syringe and a snus can containing a large amount of methamphetamine in his pocket.  Some of the narcotics were separated and packaged in plastic baggies. 

“This individual was in an area where good people bring their families to enjoy the outdoors.  Apparently, his motivation was to sell illegal drugs as is evidenced by the fact that they were pre-packaged into separate, smaller amounts.  It should not be overlooked that this individual is in custody because a concerned citizen made a phone call to law enforcement” said Marcus Vaden, Twentieth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney.

      Vaden has charged Lyons with Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent To Deliver Methamphetamine and Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

LITTLE ROCK – Second District Congressional candidate, U.S. Army Reservist and former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin will visit Faulkner, White and Van Buren Counties today as part of a tour to see first-hand how the Fayetteville Shale Play is impacting the economy of the Second District.

“The Fayetteville Shale has provided great economic opportunity to Arkansas,” Griffin said. “Natural gas is a clean energy source, and it has strengthened our state’s economy.”

Griffin will visit a Shale Development Training class at ASU-Searcy. Students enrolled in the class are taught the methods used in gas production and the skills needed to work in the field. While in White County, Griffin will tour a shale facility and visit with business owners and elected officials in Albion and Rosebud to discuss how the presence of shale play workers has affected the local economy.

Griffin will then visit energy facilities in Van Buren and Faulkner counties as well as a support company in Conway.

“I understand that the private sector is the only source of sustainable job creation. Only the private sector can lead our state’s economic recovery. I look forward to learning more about the economic impact of the Fayetteville Shale Play on the Second District and on local communities in Faulkner, White and Van Buren counties,” Griffin said.

SCOTLAND, Ark. — A medical helicopter crashed Tuesday amid the hills of central Arkansas, killing three crew members who were trying to reach a person injured in a traffic accident and scattering debris across an area about a quarter-mile wide.

The Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter, a Bell 206 built in 1978, went down near the Scotland community in Van Buren County at about 4 a.m., according to the company and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Pilot Kenneth Robertson, flight nurse Kenneth Meyer, Jr., and flight paramedic Gayla Gregory all were killed, Air Evac spokeswoman Julie Heavrin said. There was no patient aboard the aircraft, Heavrin said.

Van Buren County Coroner Dorothy Branscum said the victims were killed on impact.

“I would say they might’ve seen it coming, but that was it. The helicopter was just melted and it was just in pieces,” Branscum said.

Read more from By CHUCK BARTELS (AP)

The following was issued by Stephen Meeks, Republican Candidate
Arkansas State Representative District 47:

Background:

Prior to each election, county clerks conduct a ballot draw to determine the order in which candidates for a particular office will appear on the ballot.

Issue:

Faulkner County sent out written notification informing candidates of the time and place of the ballot draw. The draw was conducted openly with representatives from most campaigns and both parties present.

Conway County did not send out notifications of its draw and my campaign only learned of it after the fact. When we checked with other Republican candidates none of them had been contacted either, neither had my Democrat opponent. It appeared the county had not contacted any of the candidates, on either side, about the draw. Further, at the time of the draw, there was supposedly no Republican representative present in the room.

The following day I went to the Conway County courthouse and asked for the ‘results’ of the draw and why I hadn’t been contacted. The clerk responded they had advertised it in the newspaper and radio. (I have not been able to find the newspaper notice). When I told her most of the candidates didn’t live in the area she, in an annoyed tone, told me to give her my name and she would contact me in the future if there were other events.

The ‘results’ of the ballot draw are questionable at best. Of the 13 ballot positions in Conway County, the top position went to 9 Democrats, 2 Republican, 1 independent, 1 Green. In statewide positions that Conway County would have less impact on or the races are heavily favored Republican the ballot appears ‘randomly’ drawn. However, on the eight bottom or more local races that would have a strong impact on Conway County, all 8 are topped by Democratic candidates. The probability of this having occurred by chance is 1 in 576.

While the top spot may not provide as much of an advantage to today’s candidates with electronic voting machines, draws should nonetheless be conducted openly and fairly. By conducting this draw in the dark Conway County’s Clerk has raised the following questions:

• Is it fair that the people in Greenbrier, Vilonia and Bee Branch have had their State Representative District 47 race influenced by Democrat leaning clerks in Morrilton?
• How will hard working candidates on both sides, and the citizens, know the election is fair and impartial?
• What of the good people in Conway County who consider themselves Democrat’s having their reputations impuned by the questionable acts of county leaders.

This is not about Republican or Democrat it is about the integrity of our elections. With Conway County still saddled with a reputation of questionable politics from the time when County Sheriff Marlin Hawkins wrote his book “How I stole elections for 40 years”, this county needs to be going above and beyond to keep its’ elections in the light.

My Position:

I want the people of my district to know I will not sit idly by while good ‘ol boy politics of the past continue. Too many Americans have died and sacrificed for our freedoms, including our right to vote for there to be any questions about the integrity of our elections. To that end:

• If elected I will propose legislation that before a county draw occurs that each candidate’s campaign is notified in writing, and following the draw each candidate is notified in writing of the outcome. The draws will continue to be open and public as they were in Faulkner County.
• I call on the Conway County Clerk to restore the integrity of her office by re-conducting the draw in an open manner.

Stephen Meeks, Republican Candidate Arkansas State Representative District (47) 501-339-5320

Washington - U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02), and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that the Arkansas  Department of Transportation will receive $194,864 to identify and recruit minority and female contractors currently performing construction-related work to encourage them to apply for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification. The funds will also help pay for outreach and education to benefit these contractors.

 Funds will go the Arkansas State Highway Department, who will contract with the Arkansas Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Contractors Association, Inc. to carry out the intended tasks.

 Law encourages federal surface transportation program to contract about 10 percent of the funds made available for projects to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. In order to qualify for the certification – known as Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification – that would allow a small firm access to these contracts, persons must own 51 percent or more of a “small business,” prove they control their business, and establish that they are disadvantaged within the meaning of Department of Transportation regulations.

In addition to helping identify and recruit socially and/or economically disadvantaged persons, this funding will help train certified firms in Department of Transportation expectations, rules and regulations, and provide business management assistance, technical assistance and other training and development to qualified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.

 “These funds will help strengthen a critical workforce in Arkansas that is responsible for the construction of the state’s infrastructure,” Lincoln said. “With this money to support disadvantaged businesses competing for transportation contracts, we will ensure that those who work for small contracting firms have the same opportunities as those workers who are employed by bigger businesses. These funds will help teach new skill sets, and ensure that our workforce can be more productive. I will always fight to ensure that our small businesses – which play a critical role in our economy – have the resources they need to be successful.”

 “The construction industry helps boost local economies and drive development, and it is important to ensure that contractors from all backgrounds are able to create and grow small businesses,” Pryor said.  “These federal funds will help make sure that female and minority contractors have the resources they need to build successful businesses and create good jobs in their communities.”

 “There are a lot of small businesses in Arkansas that are doing great work and deserve the same opportunities for receiving transportation contracts,” Berry said. “This is a great effort toward acknowledging many of our minority and female contractors, and giving them the support they need through training and other resources so they remain a viable and important part of our economy.”

 “This funding is a win-win,” Snyder said.  “Helping qualified contractors in Arkansas be fully competitive ultimately creates jobs and strengthens small business within our state.” 

 “The Arkansas Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Contractors Association has been very successful in carrying out the activities of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Program Work Plan, which has benefited the DBE community,” said Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. “This new money will be helpful in continuing this important program.”

Senator Mark Pryor made the following statement on the death of Private First Class Bryn T. Raver from Harrison, AR, who was killed in Nangahar, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was hit by rocket-propelled grenade fire. Pfc. Raver was assigned to the 1^st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 101^st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

 Today I join all Arkansans in mourning the loss of Private First Class Bryn T. Raver, who gave his life defending our freedom.  Pfc. Raver had a deep love for his country and his family, and was inspired to join the military by his grandfather, who served in the Korean War.  He was known as an “action person,” never hesitating to fight for what he knew was right. 

 My thoughts and prayers are with Pfc. Raver’s family and friends during this difficult time. Pfc. Raver served our nation with courage, dedication, and honor, and we will never forget his sacrifice.