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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The
Daily Citizen
TheDailyCitizen.com
Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854
Riverview to build bus stop building
The Riverview school district has accepted a bid from a Cabot company to build a bus shop building — Page 3A
Bulldogs pursue home playoff game Bald Knob looks to take over second place with a win over Rivercrest Friday. — Page 1B
Purchase of OEM building in works Quorum Court must vote 3 times in favor of amendment for passage
By Marisa Lytle mlytle@thedailycitizen.com A motion to transfer $590,000 for purchase of a new building passed its first round of votes Tuesday night in Quorum Court. It must be passed twice more to be officially approved. This amendment to appropriations ordinance 2010-40 calls for the
Quorum Court
n Regular session of Quorum Court met Tuesday. n Differing opinions voiced on purchase of new OEM building in Searcy
transfer of $590,000 from fund 014699 for the purchase of a building on East Line Road. This building would be used to house the Office of Emergency Management. Justice of the Peace Bobby Quattlebaum spoke before the court
on specific features of the building. He said it contains approximately 7,500 square feet and sits on 2.89 acres of land. It was built around 1976, but has received $107,000 worth of outdoor improvements by Brock Landscaping and $77,000 worth of indoor improvements. He added that the building has a kitchen, central heating and air, and a paved parking area, the rest of the land being fenced in and covered with gravel. In addition, the building
is on a rural septic system and is heated by gas. “The building is listed for $660,000,” Quattlebaum said. “We have negotiated the price down to $590,000. We have also been told the building is ready to move into at any time.” When the floor was opened for questions, Justice Ed Land asked if the building has been appraised and if it is on the city septic system. Continued on Page 3A
Monarch butterflies heading south for winter
Who: Former Arkansas Medicaid director hired in 2009. What: Resigned from post. Why: To take a job with the state of Massachusetts to be closer to his family.
State Medicaid director Gene Gessow resigns
The Associated Press LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' Medicaid director has resigned from his post as the state develops a proposal to change the way the program pays for services, the Department of Human Services announced Tuesday. Department of Human Services Spokeswoman Amy Webb said Gene Gessow resigned his post Monday and his last day will be in November. Gessow was director of the Division of Medical Services in the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Marilyn Strickland, the division's chief operating officer, will serve as interim director, Webb said. Webb said Gessow is taking a job with the state of Massachusetts to be closer to his family. Gessow was hired in 2009 and had
previously served as Iowa's Medicaid chief. Gessow oversaw the development of a proposal Arkansas has made to switch from a fee-for-service model Medicaid uses. Webb said the state will continue working on that proposal, despite Gessow's departure. "We asked Gene to bring big ideas to Arkansas, and he did," DHS Director John Selig said in a statement released by the department. "Gene has helped us launch significant change that will transform the state's healthcare system. While I hate to see him go, I know family comes first. We have teams in place that will ensure we continue to make progress on these initiatives." The state in May was given initial approval to move forward with developing plans to switch from a fee-for-service model that Medicaid uses.
WEATHER
Vol. 157, No. 251 ©2011 The Daily Citizen
Today: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Highs in the upper 50s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 30s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.
When: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: Berryhill Park, Searcy What to expect: Silent Witness display, children’s activities
Hope Cottage event is Saturday Domestic violence education highlight of day
Monarch butterflies are in the process of heading south for the winter, and one stopped in Searcy on Monday evening for a bite to eat. State entymologist Gus Laurens, who oversees integrated pest management, said many of the monarchs will end up in Mexico or as far as South America once they’ve passed through Arkansas from northern states. He said the monarchs could be in the state for at least a couple more weeks, but their stay depends on the weather. Molly M. Fleming/mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
Gene Gessow
Awareness event
By Molly M. Fleming mfleming@thedailycitizen.com By the time one finishes reading this sentence, someone will have filed a report of domestic violence, as a report is filed every nine seconds. And in Arkansas, White County has the sixth highest number of reported incidences. Volunteers with Hope Cottage, a non-profit shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence, want to bring more awareness of the epidemic to residents of White County. On Saturday, the volunteers will host an event at Berryhill Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that will help educate residents about the frequency of domestic violence. At the event, 23 cutouts of women will be set up, each with a name of a woman from Arkansas who died in 2010 from domestic violence. Four of those women are from White County, said Kate Martin, a volunteer who is helping to organize the event. “Twenty-two women from Arkansas died last year because of domestic violence, Continued on Page 3A
UALR students anxious after body found
By Jeannie Nuss The Associated Press LITTLE ROCK — In a university classroom, students studying Spanish watched a film about the horrific murders of young women in Mexico. As the credits rolled, there was a knock at the door. A police officer wanted to know: Where was Patricia Guardado? Guardado With the violent images from the movie still hanging in their minds, some of those in the class at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock feared the worst about the bright college sophomore. Their worries were confirmed Monday when police said Guardado's body had been found in a pond outside Little Rock. Her death has been ruled a homicide, but so far, police haven't named any suspects or released details about how the 20-year-old was killed, or even how she disappeared. Authorities wouldn't discuss whether she'd been assaulted, nor what evidence, if any, had turned up in the waters where her body was found Sunday. Police haven't ruled out the possibility that a stranger was involved, and that has some students on the urban campus anxious about another attack. Some students said Tuesday they're looking over their shoulders as they hurry to and
from class. University police say more students have been asking authorities to escort them to their cars. Kaitlin Barger, one of the students in Guardado's Spanish class, said she was more cautious than usual after her night class Monday. "I looked behind me. I looked on both sides of me," she said. "I had my keys in my hand, ready to stab" any potential attacker. Guardado was last seen Wednesday morning as she left home to head to a 9 a.m. calculus class. The car she was driving was found in a parking lot behind a fast-food restaurant across from the school. Students often park there and in other private lots. Not all of them have surveillance cameras. University police chief Brad King said there's free parking on campus, about a 10-minute walk at most to the center of campus. But some students, in
INDEX NATION & STATE, 2A OPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5A CALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6A SPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B
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a rush to get to class, opt to park in lots like the one Guardado used. "Half of us park across the street," said Barger, who has also left her car where Guardado's was found. On Tuesday, when their Spanish class met again, students stared at the desk where Guardado used to sit. Barger wiped tears and makeup from her eyes with a crumpled tissue as students talked about the act of violence that seemed to have jumped from the movie to real life. "The likelihood of it happening on campus lessens because of security," Barbara Hoover said. Another student disagreed. "Who's to say this couldn't have happened on campus?" Holly Ajanel asked. She tapped the desk next to her — the one where Guardado often sat. "It doesn't matter where she was. It doesn't matter if it happened here on campus..." Ajanel said, her voice breaking. "Someone who is 20 years old is not here with us today." Guardado wasn't a particularly gregarious student, her classmates said. She was smart and determined to succeed, but she didn't call attention to herself. "She didn't dress up a lot," Ajanel said. "But she was dressed up on Tuesday and I didn't say anything to her. I thought she looked really cute and I feel guilty now for not saying anything."
Punctuality is one of the cardinal business virtues. Always insist on it in your subordinates. Don Marquis Poet, 1878-1937
Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277
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