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July 18, 2018
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1168 Hwy 71 S • Mena, AR 71953 • 479-243-9600
1168 Hwy 71 S • Mena, AR 71953 • 479-243-9600 ...............................................................................................................................................................................
Your YourDAILY DAILYNews NewsSources: Sources:KENA KENA104.1 104.1FM FM&&MyPulseNews.com MyPulseNews.com
MENA CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO REFINANCE WATER, SEWER BONDS T uesday, July 10th, councilmen of the Mena City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance and sale of water and sewer refunding and construction revenue bonds. According to the general manager of the Mena Water Utilities, Charles Pitman, the council re-financed the water and sewer bonds to save the city about $60,000 a year but they also borrowed an additional $500,000 to paint the city’s largest water tank. Pitman stated the water utility has been planning to paint the water tank for several years, but funding has not been available. He said the state health department requires municipal water tanks be painted every so many years. According to the office of Mayor George McKee, the city is re-financing
about $3.9 million dollars and borrowing an additional $500,000. Councilmen also voted to reject the bids for the police department’s computers for their patrol vehicles. Police Chief Brandon Martin informed the Pulse that the bids were too high according to the Arkansas State Police and the city council. He stated his department would seek new bids. Martin explained the department was purchasing mobile computer systems to support the E-Crash and E-Ticket systems that officers would be using. The police department has received a grant from the Arkansas State Police to help purchase the computers. The E-Ticket and E-Crash programs are a faster and more effective way for officers to generate citations and accident reports.
CRHS STUDENTS PERFORM WELL AT NATIONAL BETA CONVENTION S tudents from Cossatot River High School scored among top in the nation during the National Beta Convention academic competitions. Dalene Vasquez of Wickes placed third in Spanish division 1, and James Stark of Wickes placed sixth in Creative Writing
division 1. Other CRHS students who competed nationally are Celina Arce of Vandervoort in Sculpture and Hattie Smith of Vandervoort in Fiber Arts. The National Beta Convention was held in Savannah, Georgia and was attended
by over 20,000 Betas from many states. Only students who ranked in the top three in their states were invited to compete at the national level.
Beta Club is a national honor society that’s based on the principals of academic achievement, leadership, and character.
ARKANSAS SCHOOL SAFETY COMMISSION PRESENTS PRELIMINARY REPORT G
overnor Asa Hutchinson created the Commission by executive order on March 1st, following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The commissioners evaluated safety and security policies, emergency plans and policies, and the design of schools, including concepts such as single-point entry and electronic-access badges. The Commission also focused on the mental-health aspect and surveyed the availability of school counseling for students. “It is crucial that we have mental-health counselors easily available to students,” Governor Hutchinson said during last week’s press conference. “It is crucial that we have threat-assessment teams at schools that coordinate with counselors when a student’s behavior suggests the potential of violence.” The Public School Student Services Act of 1991, requires school counselors to spend at least 75 percent of their time in direct counseling and no more than 25 percent Left to Right - Dewayne Taylor, CRHS Principal; Celina Arce; Dalene Vasquez; Hattie Smith; James Stark attended the National BETA convention in Savannah, Georgia.
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