75¢
Basketball on the Prairie. (See p. 6.)
Volume 119 Number 2 - USPS 225-680
Community Events Calendar Thursday January 23 Commodities distribution Hazen Methodist Church 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. GFWC Elsie McCain Club meeting 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Murry’s Restaurant
Friday January 24 Carlisle vs Hazen Hornets Nest 7G, JB, SG, SB 4:30p.m.
Serving all of Prairie County and the Grand Prairie
Harris to be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame by Debbye Harrison
him “Captain Crash,” and his name is emblazoned on the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. He played in five Super Bowls and six Pro Bowls and was chosen as a firstteam All-NFL player for four straight seasons by the Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers Association. He is only one of thirteen players in NFL history to be in five Super Bowls. The Cliff Harris Award is given to the top defensive football player in the country from a Division II or III school as well as NAIA colleges and universities. As the quarterback for the 1965 Des Arc Eagles, he led his teammates to an undefeated season. Other seniors on the team were Dalton Thomas, Bobby Joe Brooks, Billy Lacefield, Gary Walters, Lonnie Sutton, John Wayne Cunningham, Steve Branham, Claude Routh, Carthel Keathley, Rodney Price, Tommy Felts and Ricky Hambrick
Cliff Harris, a 1966 graduate of Des Arc High School and a retired Dallas Cowboy, will be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in September. Harris is part of a special class of Senior Inductees. Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the NFL, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Directors voted to allow 20 inductees in 2020. This includes the five modern day inductees along with ten seniors, three contributors and two coaches. After high school Harris attended college at Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, and although he wasn’t drafted, he was invited to attend the Dallas Cowboy training camp in 1970 and never left. He played for the Cowboys until he was 31 and was known as “one of the best free safeties of the ‘70s.” His teammates nicknamed
Cliff Harris
Hazen City Council renames municipal airfield The council voted to approve the entire budget as presented. In the committee reports, Foot reported that his department is in the process of cleaning out the filter beds at the water plant. The city has been given a bid for $120,000 to do the work, but Foot hopes that some money can be saved by having his department do some of the work. Fire
30th Annual Big Buck Classic Arkansas State Fair Grounds Friday January 24-26
Saturday January 25 Land Mark Baptist Church in Carlisle presents a Free Christian Concert, The Faith Worship Band Everyone is Welcome East 3rd Street 6:00 p.m.
Monday January 27 Hazen School Board Meeting High School Library 6:00p.m. Hazen Hornets vs Des Arc Eagles Hornets Nest SG, SB 6:00p.m.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Chief Ashley Loudermilk reported that the semiannual school inspection had been done, and that the city’s first responders had completed a CPR refresher course. They are also in the process of taking another 16 hours of training that is required for them each year. He also reported 20 first responder calls last month. (Continued on page 4.)
Pat Clayton addresses the City Council about changing the Hazen airport’s name to honor David Duch. The Hazen City Council declared a vacancy in the mayor’s position due to the death of Mayor David Duch at the regular meeting held on January 16, 2020. All of the council members were present. The decision to fill the position has been postponed until the next regular meeting, which is scheduled to be held on February 20. The council’s intent is to appoint someone to fill the position for the remaining three years of Duch’s term. At the end of the term, an election will be held to fill the vacancy. The appointee will not be able to run for the mayoral position after his or her appointment ends. The council was addressed by Pat Clayton, who asked that the council consider renaming the Hazen Municipal Airport in honor of David Duch. The council members voted unanimously to pass Resolution 547 which renames the airport the “Hazen Municipal David Duch
Field.” Clayton said that he would take care of notifying the aviation authorities of the change. The main business of the council was the passing of the 2020 city budget. David Hardke, who presided over the meeting, explained the budget numbers that have changed from last year. “The budget is a little bit hard to forecast because we had the Love’s come in (to town) in August,” Hardke said. The budget was also difficult to plan because, as he said, “we don’t know what extra expense we will have from the new place across from Love’s.” Of the $595,000 collected in sales taxes in 2019, $443,000 was budgeted. The city expects to collect $660,000 in sales tax this year. Some of that money will be transferred to the Hazen Police Department and the Hazen Fire Department, mainly to cover increases in salaries. Hardke advised caution for the time being. “I
believe these numbers to be as accurate as possible,” Hardke said. Other than the change in the sales tax increase to the city, Hardke said that the numbers had not changed much. Utilities Manager Phillip Foot told the council that the water and sewer department expected a total income of $679,131.84 of which $640,500 has been budgeted. He does not expect the city to purchase a grinding pump for the Love’s station until 2021. “Love’s is making a sizeable difference in the water budget,” Foot said. The Utilities Department expects an income of $187,481.08, of which $180,000 has been budgeted. This includes approximately $10,000 for the professional cleaning, flushing, and facility inspection for the city’s two water tanks, and $5000 to purchase a frontend loader for the city’s John Deere tractor.
DAHS receives grant... Don Harvey of Harvey's Garage and Exxon is proud to present Des Arc High School with an ExxonMobil educational grant in the amount of $500. For over 15 years, Harvey's Garage and Exxon, in partnership with Nimocks Oil Co. has been able to secure a grant for our local high school through the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance. The grant in the amount of $500 per year allows us to be able to invest in the future of our community through our schools.
NOTICE Community events brought to you by
The deadline to register to vote in the March 3, 2020 Preferential Primary Election is
and the
Monday, February 3, 2020
Hazen Chamber of Commerce
Please call F&M Bank (255-3042) or The Grand Prairie Herald (255-4538) to list events.
You may register at the Prairie County Clerk’s Office in either of the Prairie County Courthouses in Des Arc and DeValls Bluff during regular office hours.
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