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AGFC visits the Carlisle Library (See p. 8.)
Volume 118 Number 34 - USPS 225-680
Serving all of Prairie County and the Grand Prairie
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Community Events Calendar Wednesday September 4 The Grand Prairie Herald will not be mailed out until today. Thursday September 5 Hazen Jr. Hornets vs. McCrory 7:00 p.m. Hornet Field Carlisle Jr. Bisons vs. Haskell Harmony Grove 7:00p.m. Bison Field DesArc Jr. Eagles Vs Riverview 7:00p.m. Eagle Field Friday September 6 Des Arc Eagles vs Bauxite Eagle Field 7:00 p.m. Carlisle Sr. Bisons VS JC Westside 7:00 p.m. Bison Field Tuesday September 10 Quorum Counrt Meeting Annex Building in Des Arc 6:00 p.m. Thursday September 12 DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting City Hall 6:00p.m. Friday September 13 Senior High Hornets @ Bearden 7:00 p.m. Community events brought to you by Hazen Chamber of Commerce and the
A Hazen landmark building is no more. This once two-story white brick building at the northeast corner of North Livermore and North Front Street originally housed the Bank of Grand Prairie behind the corner door. Cox’s Drug Store faced Hazen Avenue, and the Post Office was on North Front St. The door next to the drug store led to the stairway and the upstairs offices of Dr. M. A. Neel, the law firm of Holtzendorff and Gregory, and the Masonic lodge hall. Later the building was Reid’s Furniture and Appliance.
Love’s manager and parent address the HSD Board Steven Pendleton, the manager of Love’s and Brandy Clayton, a concerned parent addressed the Hazen School Board at its regular meeting held in the high school library on Monday, August 26. Present at the meeting were President Davey Williams; members Freddie Rogers, Mason Sickel, and Ritchie Ingle; Superintendent William Crowder; and principals Tiffany Glover and Mark Price. Pendleton introduced himself and told the board about a program to raise money for Arkansas Children’s Hospital called “Coins for Kids.” Love’s is asking elementary students to collect change between August 26th and September 30 and bring it to the school. On Monday students are to bring pennies, on Tuesday bring nickels, on Wednesday, bring dimes, on Thursday bring quarters, and on Friday bring any bills. The class that raises the most money will receive a celebration party, including pizza. “Des Arc School District has already agreed to help,” Pendleton said. Pendleton said that the store has set a goal of $50,000, and that $2000 had been raised on August 26 selling burgers and sausages at the station. He also said that students needing volunteer hours to graduate could pump gas and wash windows at the Hazen station, and he would keep up with the hours for the school. The Love’s store will split the tips with the school district. “Seeing community involvement gets people pumped up,” Pendleton said. Brandy Clayton spoke to the board about the recent cases of staff infection among some of the football players. “Staff is a very, very serious concern,” Clayton said, “but it is easy to prevent.” “Right now we have an overgrowth.” She said that Athletic Director Joe Besancon is cleaning and disinfecting the field house, but she asked that the board develop procedures and vote in a policy to avoid staff in the future. “They
Love’s Manager Steven Pendleton speaks to the Hazen School Board members. (the school) know what to do when it happens,” Clayton said. She would like to see the school focus more on prevention. Pendleton offered to give the school two bottles of the disinfectant that his store uses for showers. In regular business, the board approved a tuition agreement with The Sunshine School for two students at a cost of $23,000 for the fall semester, and they also approved a 2019 election resolution to conduct the November 5, 2019, school election by absentee and early voting only. One student will be allowed a legal transfer to another school district due to a hardship. Crowder recommended that the board transfer $365,697.79 from the operating funding to the building fund in accordance with the Net Legal Balance Act 1105 of 2017. The funds will be used to purchase buses that have been leased by the school for a total of $124,594, and to make lease payments after entering into a new five-year lease-purchase agreement in October, 2019. Crowder also recommended that the board transfer $29,939.35 from the operating fund to the building fund. The money came from the sale of the bus shop and agriculture building in DeValls Bluff. Member Mason Sickel asked if the money will
eventually be used to build a new agri building on the high school campus, and he was assured by Crowder that it would be. High school students Deangelo Buchanan, Carter Mealler, and Miguel Calvillo were hired to be student cafeteria workers for the school year, and Jeyke Walker was hired to mow the school grounds and do some minor maintenance work. Janet “Olivia”
White as hired to be a paraprofessional. High School Principal Mark Price said the school is in the process of hiring a technology coordinator. He also reported on the new HUB program. The HUB program, which is housed in the elementary 3-5 building, allows students who issues with attending school full time to participate in activities and to graduate. “They have to have so much work done
each day,” Price said. Crowder added that once their work for the day is done, the students may leave campus. Price also praised the ALE program, which is now housed in Carlisle. Price also said that he has been recertified as an Arkansas Commissioned School Security Officer (CSSO). A CSSO is a Private Security Officer who has completed 40 hours of training, and who has been granted the authorization by the Arkansas State Police to carry a firearm while on the property of a publicschool (K-12). Elementary Principal Tiffany Glover said that her school has already practiced drills for lockdowns, tornados, and fires. The elementary now has 50 minutes of recess a day. Sickel said that he had spent a day in the schools and that he got “a better impression of it” this year. Crowder said that the district still needs bus drivers and paraprofessionals. He is looking for bids for repairing the asphalt at the Special Services building and possibly the senior parking lot, which was damaged during construction.
Stuttgart Daily Leader to close its doors The Stuttgart Daily Leader will be publishing its last issue on September 6, after 134 years of covering the news in Stuttgart and Arkansas County. The paper was established in 1885. According the Daily Leader’s website, diminishing advertising revenue has caused the
paper to close its doors. The newspaper is presently owned by GateHouse Media Inc. which, according to the company’s website, is one of the largest publishers of locally based print and digital media companies in the United States. The company owns 154 daily newspapers across 39
states. GateHouse is headquartered in New York. The East Arkansas group publisher, Jennifer Allen, says that the company is in negotiations with a possible buyer for the Stuttgart paper. Subscribers will be refunded their subscription balances.
Griffith and Walters receive ASU degrees
Please call F&M Bank (255-3042) or The Grand Prairie Herald (255-4538) to list events.
Tamara M. Griffith of Des Arc, and Ashlee Paige Walters were among the graduating students who received their diplomas from Arkansas State University during the 2019 summer commencement ceremony Aug. 2 in
the First National Bank Arena. Griffith received a Master of Science in Education, with an emphasis on Reading. Walters received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
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