The Daily Citizen
Sunday, September 16, 2012 • Page 3A
LOCAL
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
B.H. Taylor works to harvest rice at the Taylor farm last week. Taylor began harvesting rice Wednesday on the farm’s 450-acre plot.
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Earlene Taylor works a tractor to load rice into a truck at the Taylor farm. Farmer Michael Taylor said his yield is looking to be average this year, despite the extreme heat and drought this summer.
Rice yield average despite weather BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Despite a long drought and extreme heat this summer, White County’s rice yield is looking to be about average. Keith Martin of the White County Cooperative Extension Service said farmers have had to use much more water this year, but the rice yield is looking good. “The drought certainly affected everyone, and the high temperatures may have affected the rice more than anything else,” he said. “It took a lot more water out of the reservoir, and any time you do that, it makes the crop more expensive. It also hurts the soybean crop because the water you would normally use isn’t available.” Farmer Michael Taylor, who has 450 acres of rice east of Worden, said although he’s used more water than normal, his
crop is looking to be average this year. “The crop looks about average and average is pretty good,” he said. “It takes a lot to be average, but this crop looks normal.” Taylor said he got off to a late start this year due to illness, not getting to plant his rice crop until April. “A lot of farmers started planting in March because it was so hot and dry early,” he said. “I was sick the first week of March, so that took out some time, and when we got around to planting the rice, it was considered normal planting time.” Taylor said the drought over the summer and the high temperatures had an effect on the rice, forcing him to use more water than normal to keep it healthy. “Our rice looks good,” he said. “The drought and
heat had an effect on the rice. We couldn’t turn the pumps off and had to manage our water constantly. We had less water than before because the heat was so intense and the White River, which fills our reservoir, was so low.” Taylor said he just began harvesting his crop Wednesday, having to wait for the field to drain two weeks later than normal. “We had some rice begin to die before we got water on it, but we did some extra pumping to keep it alive so we would get a big enough crop to permanently flood the field,” he said. Martin said some farmers have also dealt with milling issues. “We’ve had some milling yield problems because of the high temperatures while the rice was maturing,” he said.
“The yield has been average and above, but we’re still in the middle of the harvest, so we don’t know how the final numbers will turn out.” Arkansas farmers provide for about half of the nation’s rice crop, but Martin said that may not continue if conditions are as dry and hot in the future as they were this year. “If that happens, the percentage [of Arkansas rice] would decrease and farmers would plant other crops because of the price,” he said. “Arkansas farmers focus on planting crops with more potential for a profit.” Martin said no one knows what next year will bring, but he hopes there will be cooler, wetter conditions. “This year’s heat and drought were major factors, and we hope it’s not as dry or as hot next year,” he said.
at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28 with a perf o r mance by Big Silver. F o u r Burton other bands slated to perform on Friday include Big Silver, The Salty Dogs, PG-13 and JR and the All Stars. Burton said many vendors will be set up at that time as well, as they do not have to pay extra money to set up on Friday night, though they are required to be in attendance on Saturday. On Saturday, the fes-
tival will open at 10 a.m. with the national anthem being performed by Elizabeth Taylor. Once again, BHP Billiton Petroleum will have a a Jumbotron screen set up at the corner of Spruce and Spring Streets to broadcast college football during the day. During the day, more than 20 live stage performances will be available, as well as games and various vendor activities. Children’s activities, sponsored by Land O’Frost, will be set up in Spring Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., former Searcy Police Officer and now a Nashville recording artist Matt Dame will take the stage. He will open for
Nashville recording artist, Daryle Singletary, who will start at 8 p.m. “The show is free and everyone is encouraged to bring a lawn chair and enjoy a weekend full of great music, performers, games and food,” Burton said. “The downtown Searcy retailers will also be open for business on Saturday.” For more information about Get Down Downtown 2012, visit facebook. com/mainstreetsearcy, visit searcy.com/mainstreet, or call Burton at 501-279-9007.
DOWNTOWN CONTINUED FROM 1A
Amy Burton said booth spaces are filling quickly. She said that at last year’s event, 100 vendor spaces were filled and festival organizers are expecting a similar turnout this year. “We have several new vendors this year,” Burton said. “We’ve been doing this long enough that word of mouth has traveled among the festival goers.” Vendor applications are available at Searcy.com/ MainStreet. The price for a 12x12 foot booth varies based on the organization. Politicians, non-profit organizations, schools and churches must pay $35 for a booth, along with a $25 refundable deposit. Merchandise, art, or business booths must pay $50 along with a $50 refundable deposit. However, businesses in the Main Street business district can have booth space for free. Food vendors can apply for a space, but Burton said there is a waiting list. “We’ve been very fortunate that we don’t lose food vendors,” she said. Burton said the festival will draw a crowd ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 people. “We’re proud that we draw the crowd we do after just four years,” she said. “Once again, a lot of it has to do with putting on a quality event.” Burton credited much of the success of the event to the volunteers. “We have a good festival committee and a lot of people from the community volunteer to help,” she said. “People just enjoy being a part of it.” The festival will open
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It is with humble and very gracious hearts that the David Green family says Thank You to the many citizens of Searcy and surrounding areas. Your care, concern, support, love and especially prayers have been of great comfort to our family. Words are inadequate to thank the "Host of Angels" that worked on David that night at Lion Fest when he experienced cardiac arrest. Thank you to Northstar EMS and their skills. The trained hands of the doctors and nurses of the WCMC Emergency Room were a blessing. Our hearts were touched by the loving care that was shown David by the CCU nurses. Dr. Katherine Durham, you were the most thorough and caring doctor. We believe that God sent you specifically to take care of David. God answered many prayers through this ordeal. David was with us for one week after the attack which allowed all of our sons and their families to come home. Plus, all of David's brothers and sister were able to be by his bedside during the final hour. "I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you," (Phillippians 1:3 ASV). With many thanks, Sandy, Joe, Jason and Jay Green
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The Daily Citizen
Sunday, September 30, 3012 • Page 3A
LOCAL
County in line for record crop BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
GRIFFITHVILLE — Despite this summer’s long drought, local farmers say this year’s corn crop is big. How big? If estimates hold up, Arkansas and White County are in line to produce the highest corn yield on record. The yield is forecasted at 112 million bushels, up 9 percent from August’s forecast and up 52 percent from 2011. “I haven’t seen the official [White County] numbers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a record yield,” said Keith Martin, county extension agent at the Cooperative Extension Service. “We’ve had the best yield I’ve heard of in specific fields, and if all of them are like that, it would certainly be a record.” Higginson farmer Keith Feather, who planted 500 acres of corn, said he’s never had a yield this good. “My crop will be the best ever,” he said. “If [farmers] irrigated this year, they’re more than likely to have their best crop.” Brandon Cain, who has 300 acres of corn in West Point, said he’s relatively new to growing corn, but plans to stick with it after this year’s yield. “My yield was excellent,” he said. “Much better than expected. I hope this will take the place of rice for me in the future.” Feather said a number of factors play into the high yields, irrigation being one, and planting time a second. “We had an early spring, so we got to plant early,” he said. “That allowed the plants to pollinate before it got hot.” Instead of planting in April, Feather said he began planting in March, shaving off a couple weeks of planting because a lack of rain didn’t slow the process. “When it got dry, there was no question about when to start irrigating, and everyone started on time,” Martin said. “It took more water and watering more frequently, but farmers did a better job irrigating than most years.” Another big bonus is the economic benefit, as higher yields mean more dollars in the pockets of farmers. “Yield is extremely important,” Martin said. “Yield determines gross income, and if you increase your yield by 50 percent, that has a great impact on your bottom line.” Cain said this year’s corn crop has helped him make up some of his losses from past years. “There’s a good price on corn, so that means we
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Gettin’ down The White County Star Steppers perform a line dance during Get Down Downtown Saturday morning. The Star Steppers perform at various local events, blending classical and contemporary choreography. The group dances for fun and fitness Tuesday nights at the Lightle Center.
CLEANUP
of items that cannot be accepted, which are as follows: concrete/masonary, chemicals, liquid paint, batteries, electronics and tractor tires. Lincoln said that every event is unique in regards to what people bring to the site. “We’re always amazed at what comes in,” Lincoln said. “Some of it doesn’t seem to have anything wrong with it. We live in a throw-away society. This gives people the opportunity to get it out of their yard before it gets in a roadside ditch.” He said the event is always well received by county residents and those who live in smaller cities. “We get more comments of gratitude for having it,” Lincoln said. “Everyone that comes in is just very thankful. A lot of the smaller cities are very thankful. They take advantage of it by encouraging their residents to clean up and bring it in since we don’t have rural pick-up. It’s a great time for the smaller cities as well.” For more information about the county-wide cleanup, people can call the judge’s office at 501279-6200 or the Searcy Sanitation Department at 501-279-1000.
CONTINUED FROM 1A
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Mike Wright of the Bruce Oakley Inc. Grain Division explains how corn should grow to the end of the cob while visiting Carl Beavers’ cornfield near Griffithville. Beavers, White County and Arkansas expect to have record yields this year. might have a Christmas this year,” he said. Although there are plenty positives that come with a record yield, Martin said the uptick in water usage may be cause for concern. “Normally, we’re able to fill our reservoirs during the winter,” he said. “In the long term, we may see our ground water decline because the more
you pump out, the longer it takes to build back up.” Martin said farmers are fully aware of the water issue, and have been making adjustments to ensure irrigation will not be a problem in coming years. “Lots of farmers are building above-grounds reservoirs to contain more water, instead of pumping the water out of wells,” he said.
Cain, who pumps his water from the Red River, said although he was nervous at times this year, he’s confident his water supply will not falter. “All year long there were only two weeks I got nervous,” he said. “But, if I didn’t run out this year, I should never run out. I don’t think there will be another year dryer than this year.”
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from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. People caught dropping off items outside of the designated time will face a $1,000 fine. The event is held in partnership with the city of Searcy. “We couldn’t do it without them,” said Michael Lincoln, White County Judge. “They supply the bins and the transfer station takes the materials. If we didn’t have the partnership, we wouldn’t be able to have it.” The county does help with the event by providing the place for disposal, trustees from the White County Detention Center and some road department employees. The city also provides some workers and community services workers to assist. While the event does help collect a number of unwanted items from across the county, there are only certain materials that can be disposed of at the event. Items that can be accepted are as follows: regular size tires off the rim (maximum of 10), white goods such as appliances, scrap metal, furniture, bagged trash, and solid paint. There are also a number
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HARDING FACES GSC ROAD TEST AT SEOSU NEW TECH TO CHANGE LEARNING AT RIVERVIEW In its final road contest of the season, HU faced Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday. — PAGE 1B
Riverview High School is trying to stay ahead of the game when it comes to technology in school. — PAGE 3A
County nixes employee raises Elections special for local veteran
2 of 3 budgets have lower revenue projections than in 2012 BY MOLLY M. FLEMING mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
For the first time in nearly a decade, White County employees will not be given raises during the budget process. The 2013 county revenue projections are lower than previous years, which led to White County Treasurer Janet Hibbitts making the recommendation to cut employee raises for
the county’s nearly 250 employees. “Based on the anticipated revenue for 2013 not being as high as the 2012 anticipated revenue, I made the recommendation to not give raises this year,” she said. “I’ve been with the county for 17 years and I know of only twice that we haven’t received a raise.” The overall projected revenue
for 2013 is $33,371,838.51 while the 2012 projected revenue was $35,006,704.55. By state law, the county can budget up to 90 percent of its total projected revenue because it is required to carry over 10 percent of its revenue into the following year. Hibbitts said, on average, emPlease see RAISES | 2A
County budget The White County Budget Committee will not include raises for the county’s employees in the 2013 budget, which is the first time this has happened in more than 10 years. White County Treasurer Janet Hibbitts said the county’s overall budget is $2 million less in 2013 than in 2012.
PIONEER VILLAGE HOSTS FESTIVAL
Southerland says time spent in Army gives him appreciation of democracy BY MOLLY M. FLEMING mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
When most people think of an election, the candidates are the first thing to come to mind. But to make an election come to life, it takes the time and dedica- Southerland tion of many people, including Please see VETERAN | 2A
Farmland pests
Molly M. Fleming/mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
The good: Grasshoppers, stink bugs and soybean pod worms were not much of a problem this year. The bad: Money saved on pesticide had to be reallocated to irrigation costs because of the drought. The ugly: Army worms, in greater numbers than years past because of the drought, took a toll on cattle ranchers’ pastures.
Abigail Anderson, 1, of Beebe indulges in some Yarnell’s ice cream while visiting Pioneer Village on Saturday during its annual fall festival, which continues today. The festival includes several vendors with handmade items, as well as tours of all of the buildings at Pioneer Village. The village is located at 1166 Higginson St. in Searcy, adjacent to the Searcy Sports Complex.
Max Rudesill of Searcy and his dad, Casey, check out the farm animals at Pioneer Village on Saturday afternoon. The free festival continues today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Local farmers enjoy relief from pests White County staying with QualChoice insurance Molly M. Fleming/mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
Committee sticks with provider to keep free wellness programs
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
When it comes to insect infestations on farmland, row crop farmers enjoyed a bit of a break this year. Grasshoppers swarmed White County last year in plague-like fashion, but the grasshoppers Please see PESTS | 3A
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
After calling multiple special meetings to gather information, the White County Personnel and Public Safety Committee has reached a decision regarding health insurance for county employees.
WEATHER Today: Mostly sunny. Cooler. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Highs in the lower 60s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening...becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s. Vol. 158, No. 265 ©2012 The Daily Citizen
The committee narrowed the options down to offers from QualChoice and United HealthCare River Valley, eventually deciding to stay the course with QualChoice on a 3-2 vote. Justices Bobby Burns, R-
Insurance What: The White County Personnel and Public Safety Committee voted 3-2 to stay with QualChoice as an insurance provider for full-time employees. Why: An employee survey, discrepancies between prescription costs, the offering of wellness programs, and the lower overall cost to the county.
Please see INSURANCE | 2A
INDEX NATION & STATE, 2A OPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5A CALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6A SPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B
“
Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones PHILLIPS BROOKS American clergyman
Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277
”
The Daily Citizen
Sunday, November 4, 2012 • Page 3A
LOCAL
New Tech to change learning at Riverview High School BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Riverview High School is trying to stay ahead of the game when it comes to technology in school. Moving toward a project-based learning system, Riverview has implemented the New Tech program, which Principal Bill Mullins says is the future of high school education. “We looked at our graduation rate, student engagement in the classroom and dropout rate, and we felt we needed to reinvent school,” he said. “We joined the New Tech network and are moving to project-based learning, which aligns with the state’s common core standards.” The New Tech program, which calls for each student to have a laptop, is being implemented at the ninth and 10th grade levels this year, with 11th and 12th grades to be added in 2013. The program calls for each student to have a laptop, and Riverview has 270 right now and is in the process of buying 200 more at a cost of $91,100. “In the New Tech program, each kid has a technology tool, so we’ve issued laptops to each student,” said Howard Morris, Riverview superintendent. The laptops are used in
projects assigned to the students, such as building websites and making commercials. “The program lends to higher engagement and gives the students a purpose,” Mullins said. “Instead of taking notes and writing definitions, students will now be engaged in a project and still learn all the same information.” Sheila Morgan, 10th grade biology teacher at Riverview, said students have already done one project assessing man’s impact on the Earth through environmental pollution and recycling. While this was the first project of the year, Morgan said there is another one lined up for this fall for which the students are excited. “We’re going to do a unit on zombies to learn how to stop, catch and spread viruses,” she said. “The kids have been asking me constantly when we’re going to do that one. They’re excited about it. It’s easier when you have things that can relate to something the students can understand and get behind.” Morgan said the project-based approach is keeping her students involved with hands-on material, which cuts down on the number of sleepyheads in class.
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Riverview ninth grade social studies teacher Jessica Capps (left) talks with students Kaiser Hahn, right, Hannah Pratt and Cody Stephens about projects the students are working on for Riverview’s New Tech program. The program is designed to transition teaching at Riverview from lectures and note-taking to a more project-based approach. “The program keeps kids on task because it’s engaging and interesting,” she said. “I have not had to wake up a single student in the first seven weeks of school.” With more heads up and more student engagement, Morgan said all her students are benefitting, including previously low achievers. “The projects challenge the higher-performing students who want to do better and it piques the interest of middle and
PESTS CONTINUED FROM 1A
this year were much less invasive. “There’s almost no way to know when they will come,” said Keith Martin, White County Extension Service agent. “Insects come and go in cycles. One year it’s bad, then the the next there’s just a few. Some areas had grasshoppers, but it was not as many as in the past.” Martin said the lack of insects this year, such as grasshoppers, soybean pod worms and stink bugs, have had a positive effect on farmers’ overhead. Insecticide can cost from $7-$10 per acre for insects like army worms, but soybean pod worm and stink bug insecticides can cost as much as $20-$30 per acre. “Any time farmers don’t have to treat for a pest, it’s an advantage,” Martin said. Although less pests means less money spent on pesticides, Martin said that didn’t really matter this year because of the drought, which forced farmers to pay more in irrigation costs. “Most farmers probably spent more in the dry weather to irrigate crops,” he said. “And farmers that didn’t irrigate took a hit because the yield was not what they needed.” Although row crop farmers enjoyed some relief from insects, insect woes among cattle ranchers were a big problem. David Martin, owner of Martin Cattle Company in Judsonia, said he lost his entire grazing field to army worms, not getting to use pesticide because he was out of town. Army worms aim for fresh grass, which cattle ranchers had hoped to preserve for grazing. “The army worms got ahead of us and quickly destroyed all the grass,” Martin said. “There was nothing but dirt in some areas.” Martin said the destruction of his cattle’s grazing land has forced him to spend more money on feed. “This time of the year, it affects grazing, and we’re having to feed more hay,” he said. “It just adds to the drought we already had this year.” Martin said army worms are come around nearly every year, but they were worse this year because of
the drought. Keith Martin said expect for the army worms, it was a good year for farmers and ranchers. “Generally speaking, there were much less in-
sects than normal except for army worms,” he said. “Row crop farmers got a pleasant surprise by not having to deal with stink bugs or soybean pod worms.” DOLBY DIGITAL 3D
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lower-achieving students and challenges them,” she said. There were 87 high schools in the United States running the New Tech program in 2011, and Riverview administrators visited some of those schools to get a first-hand look. One of those schools was Manor High School in Texas, in its sixth year
of New Tech, where Morris said what Riverview administrators saw was promising. “It was exciting to see what the kids could do and all of their test scores had gone up,” he said. Mullilns said he visited two Texas schools, two Illinois schools and one Arkansas school before deciding to implement
New Tech. “It was great to see the high student engagement and the students taking ownership of the learning environment,” he said. “By working on projects instead of sitting through lectures, the students are able to talk to the teachers differently and get more information. The kids owned the school and the school pride was just tremendous.” Mullins is hoping New Tech will boost Riverview’s school pride and, ultimately, test scores, but he knows that won’t come overnight. “I expect test scores to go up,” he said. “Research says we may have a hit to test scores this year because of implementation, but I feel we’ll move forward because the kids are learning at a deeper level.” Mullins said Riverview has also personalized New Tech, centering it around seven school-wide learning outcomes: professional ethics, academic content, written communication, oral communication, reasoning and justification, global and community engagement and collaboration.
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Jessica Siler, Hygienist Please call our office today for your appointment.
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012
BISONS SQUARE OFF WITH NO. 10 OBU ‘I LOVE MY PET’ 2013 WINNERS ANNOUNCED No. 25 Harding went on the road to take on No. 10 Ouachita Baptist Saturday afternoon. — PAGE 1B
The ‘I Love My Pet 2013’ contest winners are announced in a full color insert inside today’s newspaper. — INSERT
Poll: 44 percent oppose A&P Tax opposition 12 percent stronger than support BY JACOB BROWER jbrower@thedailycitizen.com
A recent poll of registered Searcy voters shows that opposition is 12 percent higher than support for the advertising and promotion (A&P) tax proposal that will appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. Of those polled, 44 percent said they will vote against the A&P tax
and 34 percent said they will vote in favor, while 24 percent said they are undecided. The poll was conducted at The Daily Citizen’s office Monday and Thursday nights with the help of eight local residents hired by the newspaper. The poll consisted of 366 successful Please see OPPOSE | 2A
Economy concerns House candidates Biviano, Osborne: Focus should be off natural gas industry
RUNNERS TACKLE LIZARD LICK 5K
BY MOLLY M. FLEMING mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
A group of runners go down the water slide together at the Lizard Lick 5K in Judsonia Saturday morning. This is the first year for the race, whose proceeds of which benefit Kids First in Searcy. Kyle Talley (left) and Johnathon Burgess clear one of the final hurdles at the Lizard Lick 5K in Judsonia Saturday morning. Talley finished first in the opening group of runners. The 5K race featured 31 obstacles for runners to overcome.
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Irrigation helping White County soybeans thrive BY KYLE TROUTMAN
Soybeans
White County farmer Keith Feather said his soybean crop is a little above average this year, citing irrigation as the major reason why. Feather has 600 acres of soybeans and said his system of furrow irrigation is what’s led to the high yield. “Keeping everything irrigated
White County soybean farmers are in line for an average yield, especially for farmers who have irrigated their crops. is the key to growing any crop in our types of soil,” he said. Feather said he uses poly pipe throughout his land, using a computer program through the cooperative extension service to
WEATHER
Vol. 158, No. 253 ©2012 The Daily Citizen
Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph in the morning...increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
determine how many holes to punch into the pipe and what size the holes are to ensure proper irrigation. “When we put water in the poly pipe, it expands,” he said.
Please see CONCERNS | 2A
Debate What: Arkansas Congressional District 2 debate When: Will broadcast 8 p.m. Tuesday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4. Network: AETN
Daily Citizen editor to serve on debate panel The Daily Citizen
“We water the soybeans once per week and during the peak of the heat, we water about every five days.” Keith Martin, White County Cooperative Extension Service agent, said White County farmers’ yields will depend largely on whether they were irrigated.
Jacob Brower, editor of The Daily Citizen, will be one of three panelists for an Arkansas House District 2 congressional debate Tuesday. T h e 90-minute debate is Brower sponsored by the Arkansas Educational Tele-
Please see SOYBEANS | 3A
Please see EDITOR | 3A
Local farmers in line for average yield despite drought ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
In the past five years, White County has been one of six counties in the state to greatly benefit from the natural gas industry in the Fayetteville Shale Play. But the economic boom from that in- Biviano dustry is slowly dwindling, as the price of natural gas decreases and the amount of gas drilling increases, causing a surplus in the industry. Because of Osborne
INDEX NATION & STATE, 2A OPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5A CALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6A SPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B
“
What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality. PLUTARCH Greek philiosopher
Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277
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The Daily Citizen
Sunday, October 21, 2012 • Page 3A
FROM PAGE ONE
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Dalton Davis, 9 (from left), Keegan Rhodes, 6, and Dayton Davis, 4, all of Beebe, marvel at the line of hot rods at the Beebe Fallfest car show Saturday morning in downtown Beebe.
Local residents attend Beebe Fallfest Jessica Gutierrez, 8 (left), watches as her little sister, Gracie Gutierrez, 5, shoots a ball into a cup floating in a pool of goldfish. Each girl won a fish after making a ball in the cup during the Beebe Fallfest in downtown Beebe Saturday morning. Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
SOYBEANS CONTINUED FROM 1A
“For those who irrigate, it should be an average yield, and for those who don’t, the yield will be off because of the heat and dry weather,” he said. “Probably half of our acreage is irrigated, and maybe even more.” All that irrigation is helping the crops, but it’s not helping farmers’ wallets. “The more water you pump, the more it costs,” Feather said. “You have to use electricity or diesel for the pumps, and the more you irrigate, the higher your expenses will be for energy and labor.” With irrigation costs up this year, Martin said he’s hoping the poor conditions in the Midwest will mean more money for White County farmers. “Certainly the national yield is off, especially in the Midwest,” he said. “If their yield is off, it will certainly affect our prices.”
EDITOR CONTINUED FROM 1A
vision Network (AETN) and will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Other panelists will be Malcolm Glover of KUAR and Lance Turner of Arkansas Business. The debate will be moderated by Steve Barnes. District 2 candidates are incumbent Republican Tim Griffin, Democrat Herb Rule, Libertarian Chris Hayes and Green Barbara Wood. The candidates will face off in the Nov. 6 general election. The debate will re-air Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
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Feather said some farmers have also been fighting off infestation from Palmer Pigweeds, which have been threatening soybean fields. “We’ve been fortunate enough we haven’t had a problem yet, but they’re spreading across the state,” he said. “We’ve been pulling them by hand in the field because we don’t want it to seed.” Even though weeds may be an issue, Feather said the warmer weather this year forced farmers to
plant three weeks earlier. Plus, the dry conditions have worked in farmers’ favor when harvest time arrived. “It’s one of those things where you want it to rain all summer and don’t want rain in the fall,” he said. “It’s been a good fall harvest because we were fortunate not to have a lot of rain.” Conditions this year have been out of the ordinary, but Martin said he doesn’t expect that to have a big impact on soy-
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bean farmers next year. “Whether or not farmers will go back to soybeans will depend on the prices, but I expect the acreage to remain constant,” he said. Martin said there is normally 40,000 acres of soybeans in White County.
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The Daily Citizen
Sunday, December 30, 2012 • Page 3A
FROM PAGE ONE News in Brief
Winter wheat safe amid snowfall
Associated Press
Judge OKs settlement in desegregation case LITTLE ROCK — A federal judge in Arkansas has approved a settlement in which the Pulaski County Special School District agreed to pay $875,000 to cover some litigation and monitoring costs in a 30-year-old desegregation case. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. called the outof-court settlement “fair and reasonable� in an order Friday. The money will cover two decades of litigation and desegregation monitoring by attorneys for the so-called Joshua intervenors. The Joshua intervenors are representatives of black students in the long-running desegregation case. The intervenors’ litigation and monitoring stems from a lawsuit in which the Little Rock School District sued the state and the North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special school districts in 1982, claiming they fostered segregation among the county’s three school systems.
Radio owner solicits $75,000 for play EUREKA SPRINGS — The owner of a gospel radio network is trying to raise $75,000 to stop a bank from taking over a large religious play in northwest Arkansas. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Randall Christy is trying to raise the money by midnight Monday to stop Cornerstone Bank of Eureka Springs from taking over the 700-acre Great Passion Play property in lieu of foreclosure. Christy is the president and founder of The Gospel Station Network of Ada, Okla. He says paying $75,000 before the deadline would allow the Great Passion Play to continue operating. Officials announced earlier this year that the play was closing because of financial troubles. Mike Bishop, president of the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, says donations totaled $16,720 as of Friday afternoon.
Woman charged with murder in subway death
NEW YORK — A woman who told police she shoved a man to his death off a subway platform into the path of a train because she hates Muslims and thought he was one was charged Saturday with murder as a hate crime, prosecutors said. Erika Menendez was charged in the death of Sunando Sen, who was crushed by a 7 train in Queens on Thursday night, the second time this month a commuter has died in such a nightmarish fashion. Menendez, 31, was awaiting arraignment on the charge Saturday evening, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. She could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted. She was in custody and couldn’t be reached for comment, and it was unclear if she had an attorney. Menendez, who was arrested after a tip by a passer-by who saw her on a street and thought she looked like the woman in a surveillance video released by police, admitted shoving Sen, who was pushed from behind, authorities said.
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Tom Feather explains how one of his pumps works while it gushes 2,500 to 3,000 gallons per minute into one of his reservoirs. Feather’s pumps range in size, pumping up to 4,000 gallons of water a minute into one of his five reservoirs, which range in size from 10-45 acres.
5-plus inches of snow to give farmers needed water for reservoirs BY KYLE TROUTMAN
Winter wheat
ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
White County farmers are calling the five inches of snow that fell on Christmas day a blessing. Winter wheat is the only crop in season and Keith Martin, county extension agent at the White County Cooperative Extension service, said the crop should not be damaged by the snowfall. The snow doesn’t hurt the winter wheat and can actually be a benefit,� he said. “If we got down to single-digit temperatures, that could hurt the crop, but the snow would also act as a insulator to protect it.� Tom Feather, who has 360 acres of winter wheat in White County, said the only thing that would have damaged his crop is if the snowstorm
What: Recent snowfall should not do any damage to local winter wheat crop. Benefits: The snow will allow all farmers a chance beef up their reservoirs after a dry year.
had been an ice storm. “I don’t believe the snow will hurt the wheat,� he said. “Actually, the wheat usually greens up under the snow.� Martin said the winter wheat has to have a one-week to six-week dormancy period of cold temperatures for the crop to enter reproduction stages, and the snow is just something to which
the wheat adapts. The snow is also helping farmers, even those not growing winter wheat, because it gives a chance to help replenish reservoirs following the drought. “This will definitely help farmers because the snow soaks into the ground slower and has a slower runoff, which allows farmers to pump it into their reservoirs and store for use in the summer,� Martin said. “When the snow melts, it runs off into ditches and creeks, which is where the farmers pump form. Feather, who has five pumps on multiple sects of land, said he’s been pumping away since the snow arrived. “I pumped some [Wednesday], and if we get some rain, that will help, too,� he said. “It will
be very beneficial in the sense of saturating the ground, and any amount of runoff water is greatly appreciated.� Feather’s pumps range in size and pump anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 gallons of water a minute into one of his reservoirs, which range in size from 10-45 acres. Tom Feather, who grows a small amount of winter wheat, said the extra water is a huge benefit after the poor conditions over the summer, and precipitation in the form of snow is even better. “The thaw will probably be slow, which will let us pump longer period of time than if we just got a downpour,� he said. “It will help to get my reservoir recharged because we haven’t had much rain to pump back in and refill.�
The incident occurred again on New Year’s Eve 2012 when nearly 80 birds fell from the sky because of fireworks detonated in the area. It was later learned that the birds were targeted, according to a report by the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission. The dead birds attracted such popularity that a television crew came to Beebe to shoot a documentary-style show titled “Omens of the Apocalypse.� The show aired on the National Geographic channel in March.
BIRDS CONTINUED FROM 1A
The city council approved an ordinance earlier this year that prohibited fireworks in areas where blackbirds have been known to roost. The area includes the Windwood subdivision and west, then back to Highway 67/167 along Center Street and then south toward Ward. Mayor Mike Robertson said the construction of
T H E
the city’s new Walmart Supercenter has helped alleviate part of the potential problem. “Walmart has taken out a lot of the trees where they used to roost,� Robertson said. “They moved a little west along the old highway. We went ahead and tried to prevent fireworks in those areas.� The ordinance is in effect for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The first reports of dead
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birds on New Year’s Day came on Jan. 1, 2011. There was an estimated 1,000 dead birds in the city, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. They estimated that the birds fell before midnight. The birds suffered from
acute physical trauma leading to internal hemorrhaging, then death. There was no sign of any chronic or infectious disease, according to the report from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.
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