75¢
DAHS players make All State. (See p. 6.)
Volume 120 Number 14 - USPS 225-680
Serving all of Prairie County and the Grand Prairie
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Community Calendar of Events Thursday April 8 DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting City Hall 6:00 p.m. Saturday April 10 Movie Night Faith Under Fire DVB Auditorium 6:00 p.m. Monday April 12 Blood Drive Hazen Methodist Church 10:00 a.m.6:00 p.m Tuesday April 13 Quorum Court Meeting Des Arc Annex Building 6:00 p.m. Wednesday April 14
Prairie County Quilt Club Meeting 10:00 a.m. First Christian Church 10th & Main street Stuttgart
Thursday April 15
Hazen City Council Meeting Community Center 6:00 p.m.
Des Arc to get new Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores... Citizens of Des Arc are looking forward to a new Family Dollar Store and Dollar Tree Store in town. Construction is moving quickly now that the weather has improved. (Rita Smith photo.)
Des Arc School Board hears presentation from cafeteria provider By Lisa Mills Herald correspondent At the school board meeting on March 29th, board members heard a presentation from School Eats Consulting Company about providing cafeteria services to the district. Representatives Jason King and Kellye Neal spoke about the company’s advantages for school cafeterias. Present at the meeting were Superintendent George Kennedy, board members Johnny Reidhar, Sylvester Holloway, Stewart Morton, Billy Hinson, Charlie Brown, Jordan Smith and Drew Widenar, High School Principal Michael Strother and Elementary School Principal Cheryl Holland. School Eats is mainly a consulting company that trains the workers, provides menu choices that the school elects, then provides complete recipes and the ability to purchase quality ingredients at a low cost.
School Eats has the ability to purchase quality, low cost, name brand ingredients due to the size of the company and large purchases. They strive to provide meal choices that students will like and keep the menus updated based on students’ likes and dislikes. They also provide continuous training to cafeteria staff, as well as consultants for purchasing ingredients, cafeteria set up and bookkeeping. The cost is $45,000 per year with the school paying the cafeteria staff. The contract would be on a year to year basis. The school would be in complete control with the company’s consultation. Last year was the first year that the company offered services to smaller school districts. When asked if most schools renew their contracts every year and are satisfied with the service, King used Lakeside Schools as an example. The company has been with Lakeside for 9 years with no complaints and, according to
Kellye Neal of School Eats Consulting Company addresses the Des Arc School Board. King, almost all of the schools they service and their other customers are highly satisfied. After the presentation and a question and answer period, most board members and the principals appeared very interested in the program. Superintendent Kennedy stated that School Eats, as well as the bids from other companies will be discussed at the April meeting. A motion was approved to purchase a new HVAC unit for the elementary school at a cost of $20,034.39 to be
installed by Knupp Service Company. A motion was approved to renew the school’s liability insurance policy for 2021-2022 at the same cost, and a motion was approved to renew the contract with Clearly Speaking for Occupational and Physical Therapy for Special Education for the 2021-2022 school year at the same cost of $87.04 per hour. The resignation of 4th grade teacher Natalie Treadwell was accepted. A motion was approved to hire Judy Denton as
High School Interventionist for the remainder of this school year. Denton has been working in the Elementary School, and Superintendent Kennedy recommended that she also be hired to help high school students who are struggling. Her salary of $37.82 per hour will be paid with federal funds. After entering executive session with the principals, a motion was approved to renew certified contracts. Superintendent Kennedy stated that Governor Hutchinson has lifted the mask mandate effective April 1st and asked the board for approval to lift the mandate at the schools leaving the choice to staff and students. The board approved a motion to lift the mandate. The board also approved a motion to discontinue full time virtual learning for 2021-2022. Virtual learning would still be used for inclement weather days and school shutdowns for epidemics such as flu.
Tuesday April 20 Master Gardener Meeting 6:00 p.m. Hazen Methodist Church
Carlisle Police Department investigating shooting
Thursday April 22 Commodity Distribution Hazen Methodist Church 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Vaccination clinic at DA Riverfront Park
Community events brought to you by Hazen Chamber of
Commerce and the
Please call F&M Bank (255-3042) or The Grand Prairie Herald (255-4538) to list events.
By Mark Buffalo The Carlisle Police Department is investigating a shooting in Carlisle on March 27. A 23-year-old male from
Mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic planned at Des Arc Riverfront Park Des Arc, Ark. – A drive-thru mass COVID19 vaccination clinic is planned on Friday, April 9, 2021 at the Des Arc Riverfront Park. The clinic begins at 9:00 a.m. 100 doses of vaccine will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Please enter on the west end of the park drive through near the courthouse. The Riverfront Park is located near the Prairie County Courthouse between north 1st and 2nd streets in Des Arc. Turn north from Main Street onto 2nd street at the Prairie County Health Unit (204 Main Street) and proceed to the park drive through. Information on clinics in subsequent weeks
Carlisle was shot at his home in Carlisle after 2 p.m. Carlisle Chief of Police Eric Frank said the victim was still in the hospital and improv-
will be posted on the ADH COVID-19 vaccine clinics webpage. Doses are available to all Arkansans. There is no out-of-pocket expense for the vaccine. People should bring their insurance cards to the unit. If they do not have insurance, the vaccine will be available at no charge. The vaccines offered at this clinic will be a one time dose of Johnson & Johnson. The three authorized COVID-19 vaccines have each undergone rigorous reviews that have proven them to be both safe and effective. You can learn more about the vaccines and ADH vaccination plan at healthy.arkansas.gov/pr o g r a m s services/topics/covid-19vaccination-plan.
ing as of Friday. A motive for the shooting had not yet been determined, Frank said. “We think we know what it is,” Frank said. “But we’re not sure just yet.” According to a Facebook post by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office on March 28, the Carlisle Police Department received a tip that a vehicle match-
ing the description of a vehicle used in the shooting March 27 was located on Raborn Road, south of Carlisle. “Officers arrived on the scene and located the [male] suspect deceased outside of the vehicle with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Frank said in the Sheriff’s Office post. “We investigated the
shooting,” Frank said Friday. “They [the Sheriff’s Office] investigated the incident on Raborn Road.” Frank said the suspect pulled up in front of the victim’s home in Carlisle, went to the door, spoke to him briefly and shot him, using some sort of pistol. “The suspect’s car was a silver Lexus,” Frank said.
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