75¢
Slovak church holds dinner. (See pictures on p. 6.)
Volume 120 Number 32 - USPS 225-680
Community Calendar of Events
Serving all of Prairie County and the Grand Prairie
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Beautification projects going on in Des Arc
Tuesday August 10 Quorum Court Meeting 6:00 Annex Building in Des Arc Thursday August 12 DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. City Hall Hazen School District Open Houses Starting at 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday August 16 Hazen School District starts back to school! Thursday August 19 Hazen City Council meeting 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Hazen City Hall Tuesday August 24 Hazen High School Alumni meeting 6:00 p.m. Thursday August 26 Commodities distribution Hazen First United Methodist Church 10:00 a.m. - noon Junior High Hornets vs Riverview Hornet Field 7:00 p.m. Friday August 27 Senior Hornets vs McCrory McCrory Field 7:00 p.m.
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.
The Des Arc Walking Trail beginning on Fifth Street and extending along the White River through the Tom Roe Memorial Park and ending at Dondie’s Restaurant has seen a sea change in the landscape! Credit worthy of kudos is owed to Mr. Charles Walls and Mr. Jerry Greenwood of the City Utilities Department for the work being done. The South side of the trail owned by Mr. Walls was already manicured perfectly but the North side was overgrown in weeds and unwanted scrub brush. Mr. Walls and Mr. Greenwood have informed me that they are not finished. The photo on the left pictures Eddie Richards doing his normal great job of maintaining the greenery in the park. The photo on the right shows the work being done on the new pavillion in the Des Arc Lakeside Cemetery. Both of the photos and the information are courtesy of Harvey Joe Sanner.
Stuttgart Museum announces 2021 AR Waterfowler inductees Stuttgart, Ark. The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie is proud to announce inductees into this year's Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame. An induction ceremony will honor these individuals as well as the 2020 class of inductees on September 23 at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. This year's honorees include: W.R. “Witt” Stephens, Jr. of Little Rock is a passionate land manager involved in countless conservation-related efforts that benefit Arkansas wildlife and sportsmen. Stephens was recently named President Emeritus of the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation for which he has served various terms over 25 years. Stephens served a
seven-year term on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission from 1993 to 2000. While on the commission, he played key roles in the 1996 campaign to pass a Conservation Sales Tax as well as major changes in deer management, trout and implementing the first elk season in Arkansas. Stephens also served on The Nature Conservancy board and is a lifetime member of Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl. Dr. Harold V. G l e n n / T h a d McCollum/Verne Tindall are recognized for the creating what is now known as the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest. The first National Duck Calling Contest was held in 1936 in conjunction with the annual
Arkansas Rice Festival. The Festival was the precursor to the popular Wings Over the Prairie Festival held each Thanksgiving weekend in Stuttgart. McCollum is credited with originating the contest, while Dr. Glenn sold the American Legion on sponsoring the event and Tindall was a chief organizer. The advent of the contest is still the pinnacle of competitive duck calling and coupled with the festival, is a chief economic driver for the Stuttgart area. Carl Hunter may have achieved as much renown in his retirement career than as a long-time leader in wildlife biology and conservation. Hunter turned his hobbies of photography and wildflowers into a popular
book and became in demand as a speaker to garden and other clubs. He was a leader in Arkansas’ deer restoration, joining the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 1945, leaving to help industrialist Edgar Monsanto Queeny develop Wingmead in eastern Arkansas then returning to AGFC and becoming assistant director until retirement in 1986. Last year's honorees include Wallace Claypool, John Olin, Pat Peacock, Dr. Scott Yaich and thArkansas Game and Fish Foundation "Dedicated to Ducks" winner George Purvis. Event proceeds will benefit the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie in Stuttgart, which houses the Arkansas Waterfowler
Hall of Fame. "The waterfowl industry in Arkansas is among the best in the nation largely due to the time and talents these individuals have invested," said committee Chairman Jim Ronquest. "The Waterfowler Hall of Fame is simply a small opportunity to highlight significant efforts and impact of inductees while honoring their legacies." The September 23 "southern comfortable" induction ceremony will include a pre-dinner reception from 6:00 pm 7:00 pm, live music, a live auction and a local flare spread. Additional information and sponsorship opportunities are available by v i s i t i n g waterfowlerhof.com.
Local school districts added to Arkansas ACHI COVID-19 list LITTLE ROCK ― The Hazen, Carlisle, and Des Arc school districts have been added to the list of one hundred forty Arkansas school districts that have COVID-19 infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, up from 100 a week earlier, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement said Thursday. The information is based on Arkansas Department of Health data obtained Monday, August 2. Of those 140 districts, 16 have 14-day COVID19 infection rates of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents, or more than 1% of residents, up from 12 a week earlier. The local-level COVID19 data can be found on ACHI’s COVID-19 in Arkansas web page at achi.net/covid19. On ACHI’s map of Arkansas school districts, a district with 50 to 99 new known infections per 10,000 residents is shaded red, and a district with 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents is shaded purple. ACHI temporarily paused its reporting of local COVID-19 data in February, because low testing rates made it
impossible to provide accurate data, but resumed its reporting last week. Although testing has increased, it is still low, which means that infections are underrepresented. A bill filed in the Arkansas House on last Wednesday proposed to amend the state’s ban on mask mandates to allow school boards to require masks in school districts with 14-day infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents ― the red and purple districts on ACHI’s map. ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson said the bill would be preferable to legislative inaction, but the proposed threshold is too high. “No school district should be legally barred from protecting Arkansas children from harm,” Thompson said Thursday. If the Legislature takes no action and allows the ban on mask mandates to remain in effect in all schools while the Delta variant rages in our communities, children will be avoidably exposed to the virus, some will be hospitalized, and likely some will die.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking, social distancing, fre-
quent hand-washing, and ventilation in all U.S. schools. Thompson also explained how ACHI arrived at its system for classifying community infection rates. “Many people have asked why our classification system is different from the one used by the CDC, which classifies 100 or more new known infections per 100,000 county residents over a seven-day period as a high rate of community transmission and 50 or more infections per 100,000 residents as a substantial rate of infection,” he said. “When we created our approach last year, we modeled it
98° 77°
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after one used by the Minnesota health and education departments because that state, like Arkansas, is mostly rural, whereas the CDC applies its system across all states, including ones with dense population areas like New York.” Thompson said ACHI’s system also allows the tracking of trends. The use of a 14-day rather than a seven-day time period allows more stable observation of trends over time, he said. The school-district infection numbers reported by ACHI refer to infections among community residents living within the geo-
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graphical boundaries of the school districts and are not specific to school employees and students. Known infections include confirmed and probable cases. Probable cases are based on verbal reporting and antigen test results, as identified by the Department of Health. Infection rates and counts are not shown for districts with fewer than five reported infections to reduce the possibility of identifying individuals. School district counts do not include infections among incarcerated populations, in nursing homes, or in human development centers.
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Page 2 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Carl Rice Carl Rice, age 66 of Casscoe, Ar. passed away at his home on July 29, 2021. He was born July 27, 1955 in Jonesboro, Ar, the son of the late Orville and Lena Rice. He married the love of his life Betty (Katzinger) on April 28, 1975. Carl loved playing
the guitar and singing. He was a carpenter and worked in manufacturing. He was preceded in death by his brother Edward, sister Judy brother Bill and four nephews. Along with his wife Betty he is survived by a son David Eberlein (Kim) of Stuttgart, and stepson Christian Shawn Eberlein (wife) of Casscoe. He is leaving a legancy with five grandchildren and one great grandson (Isaac in Alabama) ,
Grandchildren Brandy of Stuttgart, Lauren and Anthony Eberlein of Ulm, Addie Eberlein of Casscoe and Alaya (Eric) of Alabama. Carl also has 3 sisters: Viv Barnhill (Jesse), Carol Eads (Lloyd), Peggy Halley (Ray) and one brother James (Bonnie) along with many nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends. He maintained a special friendship with Garvis and Paula Guthrie. A memorial will be held at a later date.
Center Point Cemetery Donations July 1, 2020June 30, 2021 Doris Patton Charles Holmes M/M Tim Vail M/M Teddy Jones Marvin Henderson M/M Vernon Smith Cathy Gates Snadra Reinhart M/M Benny Floyd Danny Shedd Joyce Oswalt Martha Dawson Earline Donahue Leory Hendricks M/M Larry Pryor Terry Williams Bert Greenwalt M/M Doug Vail Clarice Fields Nanci Hale Norma Brewer Phylis Wujs Johnnie Pate Donald Loundermilk Dennis Cmapbell M/M Ray Bohanan Debbie Carrwiro Evelyn Bullock Thelma Shook M/M James Agee Jean Bohdstun Dennis Holmes Evelyn Gentry Jerry Branscum Curtis Adams M/M Johnny Kelly M/</ Chuck Greenwalt Donnie & Dorothy Holmes Wanda Vester M/M Frannk Duke
Arkansas Press Association Member 2020
The
Grand Prairie Herald (USPS) 225-680 The Grand Prairie Herald is an independent publication that has served Prairie County since December, 1901. It is published weekly by
Herald Publishing Company P.O. Box 370 111 Hwy 70 E Hazen, Arkansas 72064 Ph. 870-255-4538 Email: heraldpublishing@gmail.com
Subscription Rates In Prairie County $20.00/year In Arkansas $25.00/year Out of State $30.00/year Periodicals Postage paid at Hazen, Arkansas 72064 POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Grand Prairie Herald P.O.Box 370 Hazen, Arkansas 72064 Managing Editor/Publisher Roxanne Bradow Circulation/Accounts Trudy Johnson Sports Editor Mark Buffalo Photographer Ruth Corley
Shirley Copeland M/M Donnie Nichols Samuel Gates Laverne Kelly Robert Linam M/M Paul Sayger Kimberly Griffin M/M Phillip Boothe M/M Gaines Young M/M Eric Greenwalt Merlin Ruffin Jimmye Marek Betty Smith M/M Conley Taylor Linda Ellis Judy Bone Joyce Hendricks M/M Clarence Hamilton George Nannie Carolyn Ferell Mike Parker M/M Preston Edge Tommy Holmes M/M/ Brad Caviness Ricky Kerr Betty Kerr Idena Greenwalt M/M Doug Perry Joyce Oswald Johnnie Davis Susan Baldwin Sandra Simoneaux Randy Raper Cathy Arkless Leory Hendricks Kathy Ewing Shaaron Geisler Sandra Ellis Judith Ahart MEMORIALS July 1, 2020- June 30, 2021 In Memory of Dennis Baldwin The Baldwin and Harris Families Stan Kelly In Memory of Elmer Floyd Randy Raper Lynette Bocage Randy Raper Randy Raper In Memorial of Lamar & Peggy Raper Randy Raper Randy Raper Randy Raper In Memory of Donna Kelly Stan Kelly Wanda Young & Jeanie Dearing In Memory of James Gammons Jason & Cindy Jones Stan & Sharon JonesJennifer Jones M/M Lynn Fagan In Memory Of the Raper & Holmes Families M/M/ Stephen Greer In Memory Of John & Jessie Wood Owen, Jefferson Lafayette & Margaret Nelson Owen, Joseph & Susan Fort Wood Shaaron Geisler In Memory of Bud McMullen Margaret Mcmullen M/M Larry Anthony In Memory of the Edge & Perry Families M/M Dale Perry In Memory of Mac & Collie Sample & All Sample Family Jeanie Dearing In Memory of the Adams Family Dorothy Folts In Memory of Roland & Aline Grady Peggy Rhodes In Memory Of Wendell Holmes Selma Holmes In Memory of Betty Holmes & Grandparents
M/M Ronnie Simmons In Memory Of Gary Weems Curtis Adams M/M Howard WallaceM/M Ronnie Simmons M/M Marty Griffith M/M Eric Greenwalt M/M Billy Boothe M/M/Barry Lee In Memory of Elmer Floyd Randy Raper M/M Dan Loundermilk In Memory Of Lamar & Peggy Raper Randy Raper Randy Raper Randy Raper In Memory of the Floyd Family M/M/ Jerry Floyd In Memory of Nelda Adams Nancy Branscumb In Memory Of John Kelly Curtis Adams M/M Dale Perry The Simmons Family M/M Howard Wallace M/M BillyBooth Chambers Nursing & Rehab In Memory of Donna Kelly M/M Eric Greenwalt In Memory of Pearlene Weems M/M Billy Booth M/M Howard Wallace Chambers Nursing & Rehab Sandra Grinder In Memory of Tommy & Mary The following have donated to the Center Point Cemetery: Chambers Nursing & Rehab Sandra Grinder In Memory Of Tommy & Mary Edge & Loved Ones M/M Mark Edge In Memory of Guy & Ruth Ewing, Harold & Addie Ewing, Try & Frances White Ewing and Lela Ewing M/M Travis Ewing In Memory Of Jan Raper M/M/. Eric Greenwalt M/M Ronnie Simmons In Memory of Lamar & Peggy Raper Randy Raper In Memory of Mike and Charles Neighbors and Sissy Cooper Lance Schumacher In Memory Of Loved Ones M/M Howard Wallace In Memory of Michael Scroggins M/M Billy Booth In Memory of Herbert Lee Jirjpatrick M/M Billy Booth In Memory of Wyatt Raper M/M Billy Booth M/M Howard Wallace If you would like to send a donation to the Cemetery you may send it to: Center Point Cemetery 2826 Hwy 249 N Hazen, AR. 72064
Price’s celebrate 50th anniversary at Murry’s By Gloria Strohl Family and friends met at Murry’s Restaurant in Hazen Saturday night, August 7th, for a SURPRISE celebration of Jimmy and Linda Price’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. They were married in Hazen First Baptist church, August 7th, 1971, with Bro. Hilton Lane officiating. Jimmy and Linda started dating when they were both in high school - he at DeValls Bluff, she at Hazen. Their married life centered on raising two sons, Jeff and Kevin; Jimmy being a farmer on the family farm and Linda being a school teacher. One of their greatest joys has been their grandsons, Jackson and Ethan. The party room was beautifully decorated with the 50th Anniversary theme. The head table was adorned with an arrangement of red roses, golden sunflowers and white daisies with yellow centers and a vase filled with glitzy gold and accented with black was placed at each end. A black banner emblazened with gold balloons and “50th Anniversary” hung behind. All tables were covered with white cloths. Seating was marked with placemats with a logo “Celebrating 50 years together” and bordered with various pictures of Linda and Jimmy, their family and their wedding. A pair of delicious white chocolate hearts (made by Carolyn Marek) in a clear bag tied with gold ribbon was also at each place setting. Clear square vases overflowing with gold glitzy stems and beads surrounding a glittering 50 were placed at vantage points on the tables. The serving table was also covered with white, overlaid with gold lame’ and featured a 3-tier cake similar to Jimmy and Linda’s wedding cake. A framed “Then and Now” picture frame was centered on this table and had appropriate pictures of the couple. Pina’ Colada punch was served from a crystal bowl. Jimmy and Linda were very surprised when they entered the party room and everyone shouted “Happy Anniversary”. Jimmy and Linda went around the tables visiting everyone individually and thanking them for coming. The biggest surprise was Linda’s sister and husband, Margaret and Jerry Swaim, had flew in from Las Cruses, New Mexico, to celebrate this special occasion. Special guests celebrating with Linda and
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Jimmy and Jimmy were their sons, Kevin and Jeff; their grandsons, Jackson and Ethan; Jimmy’s mother, Marie Price; his brother and niece, Dennis and Cindy Price; Linda’s sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Jerry Swaim; her brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Carolyn McMullen. Others joining the cele-
Linda Price bration were about 20 friends. Before the ceremonial “cutting of the cake”, Linda thanked everyone sharing this special time with her and Jimmy. She humbly thanked the ones responsible for getting the party together. Everyone enjoyed the celebration immensely.
Angie King Beauty Shop for Men and Women Open Wednesday Saturday Please Call for appointment. 870-998-2251 or 870-998-2414 305 West Hazel (by the courthouse) DeValls Bluff, AR
-NOTICEMosquito abatement via aircraft application will begin for the rest of August and all of September for the City of Des Arc. The planned schedule will be each Friday morning weather permitting. Another day may be substituted should the regularly scheduled day be canceled due to weather or some other factor. Should mosquito levels warrant, an additional day per week may be required and temporarily added. The scheduled time of the applications will be 6:00 a.m. weather permitting.
Page 3 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, August 11, 2021
State Capitol Week in Review From Senator Jonathan Dismang
New DVDs
New Books JUVENILE Dog Diaries: Happy Howlidays- James Patterson Never After: The Thirteenth FairyMelissa De La Cruz Dog Diaries: Mission Impawsible- James Patterson Best Nerds ForeverJames Patterson Dog Diaries: Ruffing It- James Patterson Dog Diaries: Curse of the Mystery MuttJames Patterson YOUNG ADULT Realm BreakerVictoria Aveyard Spells Trouble- P C Cast & Kristin Cast ADULT XIBALBADavid Golemon A Moon Lake Chronicles MysteryLeah Brewer The Final DeceptionHeather Graham Bittersweet- Miranda Beverly-Whitmore The SpymistressJennifer Chiaverini Empress of the NightEva Stachniak Vienna NocturneVivien Shotwell The Girl and the Dragon's Island- A J Rivers The Girl and the Unlucky 13- A J Rivers The Girl and the Cursed Lake- A J Rivers Stranger in the LakeKimberly Belle Battle Bond- Lindsay Buroker Vision of the WitchDeanna Chase Muse of the WitchDeanna Chase Love of the WitchDeanna Chase
Power of the WitchDeanna Chase Essence of the WitchDeanna Chase Witching for MoxieDeanna Chase From the Shadows- B J Daniels Undercover Wolf- Paige Tyler Fallen- Linda Castillo A Whiter Shade of Pale- David L Golemon Pack Up the MoonKristan Higgins An Unlikely MatchBeth Wiseman (Christian) Dead by Dawn- Paul Doiron HostageClare Mackintosh The BulletIris Johansen The SupernaturalsDavid L Golemon The Bone Code- Kathy Reichs Nine Lives- Danielle Steel After the Rain- Karen White Jackpot- Stuart Woods Almost Just FriendsJill Shalvis Murder at Sunrise Lake- Christine Feehan The Last Thing He Told Me- Laura Dave Unfinished Business- J A Jance Survive the NightRiley Sayger Tom Clancy Target Acquired- Don Bentley The Burning GirlsRita Herron Choose MeTess Gerritsen Dream Girl- Laura Lippman Season of the WitchDavid L Golemon Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: A summer ThingKathi Daley Hidden- Fern Michaels
Public Notice Biscoe Waterworks is a public water system subject to regulation under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Those regulations require the notification of customers whenever a violation occurs. That is the basis for this notice. The violation occurred when the water system failed to retain a qualified, licensed operator for the period of June 2021. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets national standards for drinking water and has established a requirement that certain public water systems must be operated by a qualified operator. The Arkansas Department of Health defines a qualified operator as a person holding an appropriate valid Water Operator’s License based on the type of water system and population served. The system will remain in violation until the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Arkansas Department of Health’s Water Operator Licensing is met. Failure to meet this requirement does not necessarily mean that the water is unsafe or that alternate sources of water should be used. The water system currently has employees enrolled in the required training courses and will test for the required Water Treatment License in September 2021. Should you have any questions concerning this notice, contact the Biscoe Water Department at 870-998-2226 or the Engineering Section of the Department of Health at 501-661-2623.
Freed- Helen Hardt Freed- E L James The Summer Deal- Jill Shalvis The Intruders- William Johnstone (Western) The UnforgivenHeather Graham The House GuestsEmilie Richards The Summer of No AttachmentsLori Foster Return to the Big ValleyWanda Brunstetter (Chrisian) Ghost Blows a KissCarolyn Hart The Stepsisters- Susan Mallery Love for beginners- Jill Shalvis When I Found YouBrenda Novak The Hope ChestCarolyn Brown A week at the ShoreBarbara Delinksy The Fiancee- Kate White When Stars CollideSusan Elizabeth Phillips The Hotel- Pamela Kelley Eyes on You- Kate White The President's DaughterJames Patterson The Third Grave- Lisa Jackson Rock Art CrittersDenise Scicluna Someone to RomanceMary Balogh Someone to TrustMary Balogh Someone to HonorMary Balogh Someone to CherishMary Balogh DVDs The Final Stand The Vault City of Lies Georgetown The Umbrella Academy season 1 Cosmic Sin Nobody The Unholy Space Dogs Tropical Adventure
LITTLE ROCK – Legislators gathered at the Capitol in Little Rock to affirm the governor’s declaration of a public health emergency for 60 days. The governor declared the first emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, on March 11, 2020. He renewed it several times and it finally expired on May 30, 2021. Earlier this year, in the regular session of the General Assembly, lawmakers approved Act 403 to grant the legislature veto power over the governor’s emergency declarations. Act 403 gives the legislature the power to terminate a state of disaster emergency. The Senate and House must meet within eight days of the governor’s declaration. The governor issued a declaration of a public health emergency on Thursday, July 29, and both chambers of the legislature affirmed it on Tuesday, August 3. The legislature then met in special session to clarify that the state Department of Workforce Services may choose not to participate in a federal program that awards supplemental unemployment benefits. The federal program was awarding unemployed workers an addi-
tional $300 a week. Business leaders and legislators have said that the added benefits encouraged people to stay home and not seek work, at a time when some businesses are having trouble finding enough staff. The main topic of the special session was whether to amend Act 1002 of 2021, which was approved by the legislature earlier this year. It prohibits schools from requiring that students and staff wear masks. Allowing schools to require masks was the first item on the governor’s call for a special session. Members of the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor heard numerous conflicting statements on the effectiveness of masks, and whether school boards should be able to pre-empt parental authority on health decisions that affect children. The committee defeated bills that would authorize school boards to impose mask mandates. Adding urgency to the debate was the fact that Arkansas is being hit with the Delta Variant of the Covid-19 virus. Children appear to be more susceptible to this year’s Delta Variant than they were to the original Covid-19 virus last year.
According to the state H e a l t h Department and the governor, the rapid rise in cases of the Delta Variant is causing an unsustainable strain on Arkansas hospitals. Declaration of a public health emergency allows Arkansas officials to recruit additional hospital staff from other states, under an interstate compact. Also, the Health Department is ordered to identify any regulatory statutes that hinder the licensing of health care professionals. They will be suspended during the 60 days of the emergency. Revenue Report July’s state revenue report must be viewed from a different perspective than usual. Revenue in July of 2021 was well below revenue in July of 2020, but that does not reflect a downturn in the state economy. Rather, the decrease of almost 22 percent happened because last year the state and the federal government moved the tax filing deadlines from April 15 to July 15 due to the pandemic. State revenue officials anticipated the decline and budgeted for it, so even though revenue was below last year’s levels it was 9.4 percent more than forecast.
This week, House members convened in the House Chamber for two orders of business. In accordance with ACT 403 of the Regular Session, the House convened as a committee of the whole on Tuesday, August 4, to consider whether to terminate the Governor’s July 29, 2021 declaration of a
statewide public health emergency. When it was determined that no concurrent resolutions had been filed in the House and that one resolution filed in the Senate had been withdrawn, the House adjourned its committee of the whole. Since no resolution was adopted by the General Assembly, the Governor’s declaration remains in effect for 60 days. The House convened on Wednesday, August 4, for an Extraordinary Session. The Governor called for the session primarily for two purposes. The first item on the call was to allow public school boards and open enrollment charter schools to implement masking protocols for children under 12. Children under 12 are currently not eligible to receive the vaccine for COVID-19. The second purpose listed on the call was to concur with the Governor's decision to terminate the state’s participation in federal pandemic unemployment compensation program often referred to as PUA. In response, to the call the House considered two pieces of legislation HB1001 outlines the General Assembly’s con-
currence with the termination of PUA in Arkansas. This bill passed in the House with a vote of 74-17-0 HB1003 stated that a public school district can mandate the use of a face mask, shield, or other face covering only with approval of the school board and if the district or area served by an open-enrollment charter school has a fourteen-day COVID-19 infection rate of at least 50 new known infections per 10,000 residents of the public school district based on the most recent data published by the Department of Health or the Arkansas Center for Health I m p r o v e m e n t . Currently, 100 school districts meet that criteria. HB1003 outlined certain exemptions and limits such mandates to 60 days. This bill underwent Committee review, but did not advance to the House floor. The House adjourned the special session on Friday, August 6. We will continue to update you on the actions of the General Assembly regarding the current emergency. All of our meetings are streamed live and archived on our website www.arkansashouse.org.
Public Notice
The Prairie County Equalization Board had its first meeting and the members were sworn in on August 3rd at the Prairie County Annex. Should anyone have any issues they would like to discuss with property increases or property taxes with the board. They need to speak with the Assessor and appraisers first and then if should have any further issues call the Clerk’s Office (870) 256-4434 to set up and appointment during the month of August.
Page 4 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Winner 12 & under - Layne Petty
Winner 14-17 - Eli Bednar
Carlisle's Gage Parker carries the ball during action last season. Parker is one of three Bison seniors on the 2021 squad. (Mark Buffalo photo.)
Bison look toward new season Winner Ladies - Jennifer Kelly
Winner Senior - Craig Brown
Golf winners... The Grand Prairie Country Club just outside of Hazen held a golf tournament on Saturday and Sunday, August 7th and 8th. There were 25 total participants. The tournament winners were: 12 and under- Layne Petty 14-17- Eli Bednar Ladies-Jennifer Kelly Senior-Craig Brown Super Senior Jon White Sr (not pictured). The overall winner was Grant Shelman, who is pictured at bottom right.
Guenther family holds annual reunion By Barbara Weatherly, DePriest The Guenther Family Reunion was held at St. {eter’s Parish Hall in Tolliville on Saturday, July 17. We had 28 attendenace at thus year reunion. No matter how big or small our out some is we still have lots of food and a great time visiting with each other. Those who attended were: Betty Ann & John Curthis from Hunter, Todd Guenther and Samantha Duell, Linda & David Phillips, Chris Weatherley, Melissa and Eliora Moore, Maria, Salena, Eliza Carrell all from DeValls Bluff. Lisa & Dale Duell, Barbara D e P r i e s t - We a t h e r l y , Cherilyn all from
Hubbard named to Ouachita Baptist Dean’s List Brittney Hubbard of Biscoe is one of the 409 Ouachita Baptist University students named to its Spring 2021 Dean’s List. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must compile at least a 3.5 grade point average and be classified as a full-time student, with a minimum of 12 academic hours and have no incomplete or failing grade for the semester. Ouachita Baptist University, a private liberal arts university in Arkadelphia, Ark., is in its 135th year as a Christ-centered learning community and is ranked the No. 2 “Regional College in the South” by U.S. News & World Report.
Hazen. Scott, Allison Guenther and Lisa Lehmann all of England. Cloudette Guenther, Vonda Staton, Alisa and Gillian Johnson all from Pine Bluff. James and Penny Castilaw from Greenbrier and Charlotte Guenther, Bell, Kyle, Lillian, and Dewight all from Texas. We all hope that the family members that could not make it this year are doing fine and are in good health. We are sad to say since 209 we have lost 5 family members. They are James E. Guenther (726-2019), Troy Guenther (9-29-2020), Gerald Wayne Guenther (12-232020), Jimmy D. Guenther (5-9-2021) and Carol An Guenther
Oestreich (4-29-2021) Bill Guenther’s daughter from Illinois. Our love and prayers are with them. The Guenthers would like to thank the members of St. Peter’s Church for the use of their facilities once again. The door prizes were donated by Betty Ann Cruthus, Barbara DePriest-Weatherly. The door prizes is to raise money for the use of the church and for Grave markers for the family members with no head stones. Hope to see you all next (YEAR) I would like to thank Carolyn, Jimbo, Cherilyn, Stacy, Linda, Lisa, and Samantha for helping setting up and cleaning up.
By Mark Buffalo Sports Editor While the record may be deceiving, the Carlisle Bison had another successful showing in 2020 with a 4-7 record. The Bison started the season with four consecutive losses to Class 4A schools Lonoke, Central Arkansas Christian and Lamar and two-time defending Class 2A state champion Fordyce. Carlisle rallied to finish third in the 2A-6 conference and earn a home playoff game. The Bison beat Mineral Springs 7250 before having their season ended the next week because of a COVID-19 forfeit to Gurdon. Bison coach Caleb Shock is entering his
fourth season at the helm. “It went pretty good,” Shock said of his team’s first week of fall camp. “COVID got our junior high program. We had a kid test positive. We had to shut it down for a week, so we’ll naturally be behind with those guys.” Carlisle has 22 players on its senior high roster. “Going into the dead period, we had 30,” Shock said. “Coming out of the dead period, we were at 22. I guess the kids got time off and enjoyed it. And it’s not just us.” Shock said he talked to several schools, including several on the Bison schedule, and other coaches are having
issues with numbers of players. “Any time you feel like you are struggling with numbers, I would say that the positive for us is that the 22 guys that we’ve got are 22 guys who can play football,” Shock said. “It’s not a situation where we’ve got 22 guys and only five or six can play. We’ve got a good, solid group that can play really well. I feel good about that.” The Bison have only three seniors on this year’s team. They are Gage Parker, Fletcher Stivers and Michael Staton. Carlisle will host Bald Knob in a junior highsenior high scrimmage at Fred C. Hardke Field on Aug. 19.
Page 5 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, August 11, 2021
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Page 6 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church holds dinner
Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church held a Meatball and Pasta Dinner on Friday, August 6, in the Parish Hall. Attendees were treated to a delicious meal and the opportunity to buy pastries lovingly prepared by the women of the church.