December 28th

75¢

See Page 2 Volume 117 Number 52 - USPS 225-680

Community Events Calendar Monday January 2

Biscoe City Council Meeting 7:00p.m.

Biscoe City Hall

Hazen/DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Calvary Baptist Youth Group Goes Caroling

Friday January 6

Hazen Basketball Hazen @ Lisa Academy Senior High Boys Junior High Girls/Boys 4:30p.m.

Monday January 9

Hazen Chapter #5 OES Meeting 6:15p.m.

BancorpSouth

Tuesday January 10 Quorum Court 6:00p.m.

Annex Building Des Arc

Thursday January 12

DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting 6:00p.m.

DeValls Bluff City Hall Hazen Lodge Meeting 7:30p.m.

Lodge Hall

Monday January 16

DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting 6:00p.m.

DeValls Bluff City Hall

Hazen United Methodist Church Holds Christmas Cantata

Monday January 16

NO SCHOOL in recognition of Martin Luther King Day

Tuesday January 17

UCA Representative to talk to High School Seniors 10:30a.m. - 11:15a.m.

Mrs. Caviness’ Room High School Prairie County Master Gardeners Club Meeting 6:00p.m.

BancorpSouth DeValls Bluff Bingo 11:30a.m. - 12:30p.m.

Hazen School Board Holds Monthly Meeting

Book Club / Recipe Swap 12:00p.m.-1:00p.m.

Hazen Public Library

Wednesday January 18

Friendship Luncheon 11:30a.m.

DeValls Bluff Methodist Church

5-D Day Weather Forcast For Hazen, AR Wednesday Thursday

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The Hazen School Board held their regular meeting on Monday, December 19th at the Superintendent’s Office at 6:00p.m. In attendance were David Strohl, David Williams, Freddie Rogers, Vicki Skarda, Sandra Penn, Superintendent Nanette Belford, Cindy Ciganek, and Sarah Snider.

The minutes from the November meeting were approved before moving on to warrants. District Treasurer Warrants #23115-23256 and #42807-42915, Cafeteria Warrants #811506-81515, and Athletic Checks #76063-76091.

There were no action items to report at the meeting and no updates CPPC, PPC, or from the p r i n c i p a l s .

Superintendent Nanette Belford informed the board that the State monitoring of the cafeteria went well although some

changes will have to be made. She also reported that all Board members had met their required hours for the year before moving onto personnel items.

The School Board approved the recommendation to hire Ann Burroughs as the Cafeteria Supervisor. The recommendation to accept the resignation of both Katelynn Carrell and Daniel Furnell was then accepted.. Carrell served as a HIPPY paraprofessional and her resignation will go into effect on January 3, 2017. Furnell worked as a Maintenance personnel and his resignation will go into effect on January 1, 2016. The final matter of the night was to approve the Superintendent’s recommendation to hire Dominique Williams as a HIPPY home based Educator. The recommendation was approved and Williams will begin on January 4, 2017.

Page 2 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Obituaries Virgil R. Boyd 87, owner and longtime manager of Boyd Funeral Home, passed away Dec. 20, 2016, with his ‘girls' by his side. He went to meet his Lord, his beautiful wife, son, grandson and many other loved ones for a joyous Christmas.

He was born April 6, 1929 to Hugh and Lillie Burnett Boyd in Austin, Ark. He was raised in and around the Cabot area. In 1946 he met the love of his life, Margaret McVay while she was visiting a friend in Cabot. They married on Aug. 1, 1946. They started their family, Oct., 1949 with daughter, Patricia, and a son, Donald in 1953.

The Lonoke County community, especially Lonoke, has lost a dedicated, generous man who put their needs before his at all times. It never mattered to Virgil your station in life he treated everyone, rich or poor, black or white with the same love and respect. He has always been on call 24 hours a day for families that needed his help.

Virgil Boyd will be dearly missed not only by his immediate family, but by his family of devoted employees.

Some have worked for him almost 20 years. He was always respected, and loved by all that dealt with him in this business. If one member of each family he has served over the years showed up for his service, there would be standing room only. He has touched thousands over the 59 years he has been in Lonoke.

Preceding him in death were his parents, wife, Margaret, son, Donald, grandson, Doyle Wayne Baldwin, his brother Kenneth and wife Jean, and numerous in-laws that he loved as his own family.

Survivors include, his sister, Geneva Hassen (Thomas) of Cabot; daughter, Patricia Baldwin of Lonoke; grand-daughters, Kyla Baldwin (Steve Fortune) of Cabot, Kasi BaldwinEllis (Matt) of Sherwood and Great-granddaughter, Mattie Keirsten Ellis; brother-in-law, Member 2016

James McVay (Marilyn), sisters-in law, Virgene and Eileen McVay; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The family received friends 6-8 p.m. Monday at Boyd Funeral Home Chapel. A funeral service was held 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 27 at Lonoke Baptist Church with burial following in Butlerville Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Palm Street Church of Christ building fund, Lonoke; Morrilton Children's Home or Sherwood Animal Shelter on North Hills Blvd.

Randy Garland Hicks of Lonoke died Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016 at his home. He was 63 years old, born Nov. 15, 1953 in Little Rock, Ark., to Robert Garland and May Eason Hicks. In recent years he had been a Lonoke City Policeman, a Lonoke County Deputy Sheriff, CS and Z Fire Fighter, EMT, and Board member. He was also owner of Hicks Egg Farm. Randy was a member of Mt Zion United Methodist Church. He had a great personality and was loved by all who knew him. Randy was a great husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend and will be missed very much.

Randy was preceded in death by his father Robert Garland Hicks and mother May Eason Hicks. He leaves behind his loving wife Sarah; daughter Brandy (Pomar) Snyder; Brandy's mother Vanessa Liles; grandsons, Mataio and Jett; brothers Bobby of Little Rock, Joe (Renee) of Lonoke; sister Jean (Jon David) Smith of Ridgeland, Miss.

Visitation is Wednesday, Dec. 28 from 6-8 p.m. at Boyd Funeral Home, Lonoke.

Funeral Service will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Mt Zion United Methodist Church with Rev. Paul Woolley Officiating. Interment will follow in Hicks Cemetery.

Olice Thornton 86, passed Dec. 21, 2016.

Visitation: Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec.

(USPS) 225-680

P.O. Box 370 111 Hwy 70 E Hazen, Arkansas 72064 Ph. 870-255-4538 Fax 870-255-4539

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Periodicals Postage paid at Hazen, Arkansas 72064 POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Grand Prairie Herald P.O.Box 370 Hazen, Arkansas 72064 Managing Editor Nathaniel Bradow Publisher/Business ManagerRoxanne Woods Bradow

96, passed away Thursday.

He was retired parts manager at John Deere. Survivors are his wife of 75 years, Dorothy Allen; their children, Arthur Allen (Janet) of Little Rock and Linda Griffith (Tom) of Anahuac, Texas; five grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren. A private graveside service is scheduled.

Martha Irene (Adcox) Hagar of Lonoke, departed this life on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at the age of 91. She was born November 21, 1925 in Tuckerman, the daughter of Clarence and Helen Irene (Whitlock) Adcox.

Mrs. Hagar retired from Victor Metal after 52 years, and was a member of the Holden Avenue Church of Christ. She had a strong work ethic and absolutely enjoyed working. Mrs. Hagar loved her nieces and nephews as though they were her own children, doting upon them.

Her family was of utmost importance to her, and she was known for her fried chicken and banana pudding.

Mrs. Hagar was preceded in death by her husband, Earl Hagar, Jr.; one brother, Joe Adcox; one niece, Karen Adcox; one nephew, Tommy Adcox; a special aunt, Christine Cole; and her parents.

She is survived by two brothers, Nick Adcox of Tuckerman, and Jimmy Adcox (Belinda), of Greers Ferry; one sister, Mary Rice of Lonoke; niece, Lisa Baxter (Sam); nephews, Andy Rice, Scott Adcox, James Adcox, and Travis Cole (Vanessa); greatnephews, Bill Baxter, Samuel Baxter (Sarah), Christopher Adcox, J.T. Adcox, and Theory Cole.

Visitation was 1 p.m.

Monday, with funeral services following at 2 at Jackson's Newport Funeral Home Chapel.

Interment was in Walnut Grove Cemetery.

REGULAR HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BEGINS

Grand Prairie Herald

Herald Publishing Company

Arthur Allen

Mid-Delta Community Services, Inc. Press Release

Arkansas Press Association National Newspaper Association

Published Weekly By

27, 2016 at 2 p.m. both at Integrity Funeral Home Chapel, 206 W. Washington, Stuttgart, Ark. Personal care for family entrusted to Integrity Funeral Home

Hazen Hornet Basketball Plays Clarendon Lions

Monday, January 9, 2017 Mid-Delta Community Services, Inc. will be accepting Applications for the 2017 REGULAR Home Energy Assistance Program in Phillips, Monroe, Prairie and Lee Counties until funds are depleted.

These funds will assist eligible residents with payment on their home heating source only.

Elderly and disabled households selected by the Department of Human Services in Little Rock will receive their applications by mail. Applications will be accepted until funds are deleted.

The Regular Home Energy Assistance Program will assist lowincome eligible households with home related expenses. The benefit amount is a one-time payment based on household income and size and is sent directly to the energy supplier on behalf of the applicant.

All applicants will receive notification in writing, if application has been approved or denied. Eligible applicants should allow 35 days for processing and payment to the utility company. Payments may not cover an entire month’s bill and will not stop shut-offs or disconnect service. Applicants must continue paying their heating source in the usual manner to avoid a crisis situation.

To avoid delay in the application process, households that do not receive an application in the mail must provide proof of all income received in the prior month (check stubs, award letters etc.).

Please provide a copy of both utility bills to verify account number and utility company.

Applications will be processed by first come first serve basis.

Applicants are asked to come to the community center location (listed below) nearest to where

they live.

Lee County Lee County Community Services Center 53 Poplar Street Marianna, AR. (870)295-3697 Monroe County 1.

Brinkley Community Services Center Cedar View Apartments 705 West 6th Street Brinkley, AR. (870) 747-1236

1125 Columbia Street Helena, AR. 72342 (870) 338-3412 or (870) 338-3411 Monday through Thursday 9:00am to 4:00pm 2.

Lakeview Community Center

14426 Highway 49 Tuesday and Thursday 2:00pm to 4:00pm 3. B.G.A.D.C. Center 1112 Highway 49 Marvell, AR. Tuesday and Thursday 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Holy Temple Church 407 North Water Street Hazen, AR Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2.

Clarendon Community Services Center 553 N 7th Street Clarendon, AR. (870) 747-5610 Prairie County Devalls Bluff Community Center Sycamore & Ash Street Devalls Bluff, AR. (870) 998-2005 Phillips County 1.

North End Community Center

Pastor and First Lady Fred and Loretta McFadden, and Church Family are inviting you to our Christmas and watch night week services. Come, let’s celebrate the birth of Jesus Together DEC. DEC. DEC. DEC.

25/ 28/ 29/ 30/

~DECEMBER SERVICE TIME~ CHRISTMAS MORNING 10:00A.M.-NOON WATCH WEEK SERVICE (WWS) 7:00-9:00P.M. WWS 7:00-9:00P.M. WWS 7:00-9:00P.M.

Page 3 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Getting Started with Honey Bees in Arkansas full length coveralls with an attached zip-on veil.

Bee hives can get a bit sticky. A hive tool is designed to help open the boxes and more easily remove frames for inspection. It is also used to scrape excess wax and propolis from the parts of the hive. A bee brush is used to gently move bees around on the combs and hive without upsetting them.

It is also useful to brush a stray bee from clothing after examining hives.

Keeping honey bees is an increasingly popular activity for both leisure and profit. Many people have become interested in recent years after hearing alarming reports about large-scale declines of honey bees and other pollinators.

Others are seeking to increase pollinator success in their gardens and orchards. While others are primarily interested in producing honey and other hive products.

Whatever their motivation to take up their first hive tool, most find beekeeping a fascinating and rewarding endeavor.

Honey bee hives can be managed safely and productively, even in urban areas. Keeping bees can be a relaxing and enjoyable pursuit, immersing you directly in the natural world. As a hobby, or a sideline business, keeping honey bees can be a perfect activity for you and your family to enjoy together!

The time required for beekeeping varies considerably by season (see Arkansas Beekeeping Calendar). During the first year, a new beekeeper should expect to spend more time among the hives than someone with more experience.

Spring is the busiest season for both bees and beekeepers. The winter months require less time in the hives, but can be spent repairing and preparing for the spring season. Honey bees are living creatures.

Beekeeping requires the same commitment of responsibility as owning any other pet or livestock.

Providing your bees with adequate shelter and care takes an investment of time, energy and money.

Expect to spend a minimum of $350-400 to get started in beekeeping.

While this initial price tag may seem high, remember that most of these expenses are startup costs. After the initial purchases of hives, tools and bees, the equipment should last for many years if properly cared for. And as long as the bees are healthy, they should perpetuate themselves for many years as well.

To get started keeping bees, you will need a little space, some special tools, some honey bees, and a hive for them to live in. Everything you need is available from mail order suppliers who specialize in beekeepers' needs.

An internet search can instantly connect you with many of the leading manufacturers. A great resource is the website www.beesource.com, which lists many suppliers of equipment and honey bees, and provides plans for building your own hives as well. To find local suppliers of honey bees and equipment in Arkansas, check the listings from the Arkansas Beekeepers Association.

Honey bees are usually not available for sale before mid-April.

However, in recent years they have been in high demand and short supply. Begin shopping for your spring bees in early January to ensure a timely delivery date.

Set up your bee yard before your bees arrive; they will need a place to live right away. In Arkansas, beekeepers must register their apiary locations with the Arkansas State Plant

Board. There is no fee for registration, just a simple form to fill out.

For more information on this process, contact the Apiary Section of the Plant Board at (501) 225-1598. Honey bee hives don't require much space, but should not be placed near areas of excessive activity by your family, pets or neighbors. Use common sense and be considerate. A barrier of thick vegetation or a 6-foot privacy fence will encourage your bees to fly higher as they come and go from the hive, avoiding most people.

Beekeeping is legal in most communities.

However, some municipalities may restrict the number of placement of bee hives within city limits. A property owners association may also have restrictions. bee smoker Honey bees are not naturally aggressive creatures, but they may react defensively (by stinging) when they feel that their hive is threatened.

Honey bees communicate their alarm to each other by emitting a chemical odor, which the other bees detect, and which may cause them to become defensive as well. Beekeepers use a smoker to temporarily mask the bees' communication. By applying a bit of gentle smoke, honey bees will remain calm and docile, and working with them will be much easier. Most beekeepers wear some protective clothing while working with their bees.

A bee veil keeps the bees away from the face and head, while bee gloves protect the hands and arms. Protective clothing is available in many styles, ranging from a minimal hat to

The bee hive is the bees' house. It is where they live and raise their young, and where they store their delicious golden honey. A bee hive is full of wooden frames, each of which hold a single wax comb.

By encouraging the bees to build their combs in these wooden frames, beekeepers can remove the combs to examine them without disturbing or destroying all of the bees' hard work. This modern style of bee hive helps us to keep bees healthy and aids in harvesting their surplus honey. The internal dimensions of a modern hive are standardized and should be very precise.

The Bee Hive A modern movable frame bee hive, is also known as a Langstroth hive. It is named after its inventor, Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth.

While many types of hives are used around the world, some version of this design is the standard for efficient honey production. The secret to the success of these hives was understanding and utilizing the bee space. This is the amount of space that bees always leave between two honey combs, and is around 3/8 inch. It is just sufficient room for two bees to work on opposite combs, back to back.

Honey bees will tend to build additional honey comb in any space larger than the bee space.

Any space smaller than this is considered unusable by the bees, and they will seal it off with a substance called propolis, composed primarily of resins they collect from trees. Honey bees will coat the inside of the hive with additional propolis, which is naturally antimicrobial, and helps to protect a colony from bacteria and fungi.

A bee hive is an efficient factory for producing honey and raising honey bees.

bee hive. A solid wood bottom board is traditional, but many beekeepers now use a floor of 1/8" mesh. The screened bottom allows for better ventilation and helps to passively eliminate some varroa mites (a honey bee parasite).

When equipped with an oil-filled tray beneath, it can help to eliminate small hive beetles (another pest).

(3) Entrance Reducer A notched wooden block can be placed across the entrance to help a small colony of bees better guard their hive. It may also be placed on the hive during winter to keep out mice.

(4) Brood Chambers These boxes contain the bees' living quarters.

The queen bee lays eggs in the cells here, and the developing brood is nurtured. Pollen is also stored here, to feed the bee larvae. Some honey is stored here for the bees' immediate use.

(5) Movable Frames Wooden frames fit into each hive body. A sheet of foundation (beeswax or plastic) inserted into the center of the frame provides the bees with a place to begin building straight honey combs.

The success of modern beekeeping is greatly due to a beekeepers' ability to remove, inspect and rearrange individual combs. It is against the law in the U.S. to keep honey bees in any type of hive that does not allow combs to be removed for inspection.

Separate wooden pieces of a bee hive suspended in air stacked from top to bottom in order of assembly 1 thru 9.

(6) Queen Excluder This device keeps the queen bee in the brood

Each component of a modern bee hive has a particular function: (1) Hive Stand Supporting the hive off of the ground keeps it dry, free of termites, and improves ventilation beneath the hive.

(2) Bottom Board - This is merely the floor of the

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chambers, as she is too large to pass through the excluder and deposit eggs in the honey combs above; another optional but sometimes useful item.

(7) Honey Supers Boxes of frames are added on top of the hive as needed to give the bees more room to store their surplus honey.

These boxes are removed by the beekeeper when the honey is harvested.

Various standard size boxes are widely available from beekeeping suppliers.

In recent years many beekeepers have trended toward using medium sized supers for honey because they are considerably lighter (50 pounds) when full of honey, compared to the traditional deep boxes, which can weigh up to 90 pounds when full of honey. Smaller shallow supers may also be used, but are mostly employed for comb honey production.

(8) Inner Cover - This creates a dead air space for insulation from the heat and cold, reduces condensation in the winter, and it makes the telescoping cover much easier to remove. Some may incorporate a vent to allow excess moisture to exit. The hole in the center should precisely fit a one-way bee escape.

(9) Telescoping Cover The telescoping outer cover protects the hive from the elements. An aluminum or galvanized metal covering sheds water and helps to reflect some summer heat.

Although fairly heavy, high winds can sometimes lift the lid off the hive, which can quickly kill a colony in the winter. Other lids may be made of plastic or polystyrene.

While functional, they are not suitable for resting a hot bee smoker upon.

Page 5 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Classified Ads

THE RATE FOR CLASSIFIED READER ADVERTISING IS $7 FOR 25 WORDS OR LESS, PLUS 10 CENTS PER WORD FOR EACH WORD OVER 25. THE RATE FOR CLASSIFIED DISPLAY ADS IS $5.50 PER COLUMN INCH (NON-COMMISSIONABLE) FOR AREA BUSINESSES. THE DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING IS NOON ON MONDAY OF THE WEEK OF PUBLICATION. THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL $2 SERVICE CHARGE FOR ALL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING NOT PAID IN ADVANCE.

HELP WANTED The Hazen School District is hiring for a maintenance position.

General maintenance knowledge is needed.

Applications may be picked up at the Superintendent's Office

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Ads must be 25 words or less and must be placed in person, by mail, or by telephone.

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Free ads will run in paper for one week.

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Page 4 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, December 28, 2016

State Capitol Week in Review From Senator Jonathan Dismang One of the most important developments in state government in 2016 was the full implementation of lower personal income taxes for about 688,000 middle class Arkansas taxpayers.

Combined with other tax cuts approved by the legislature in 2015, the reduced income taxes will save Arkansas families about $100 million a year.

Even taking into account lower revenue due to the tax cuts, state government ended the fiscal year with a budget surplus of $177 million. The fiscal year ended on June 30.

Because of action during a May special session, the state Highway and Transportation Department has a vital interest in the amount of the next surplus.

When the current fiscal year ends on June 30, 2017, the department will receive a fourth of the budget surplus for road and bridge improvements.

During that special session legislators also approved an act to begin the laborious process of shoring up weak and failing levees throughout the state. Although some levee boards in some areas of Arkansas function well and maintain levees, in other areas the boards have

vacancies and don’t ever meet. In some areas local landowners may not even know if the board exists.

The legislature created a process by which the county judge can appoint members if vacancies exist in local levee boards.

Also during the special session the legislature passed a bill allowing people to create a property right of their images and autographs.

They can then bequeath those rights to family members and other persons after their death.

Other states have a version of this law, which prevents unauthorized advertisements using images of deceased people without permission from the family.

The legislature convened in fiscal session to approve a $5.3 billion general revenue budget for state government.

Fiscal sessions are limited to budget measures, although there is a mechanism for bringing up non-budget bills that require super majorities.

This year’s fiscal session lasted less than a month, and was very uneventful compared to the regular sessions of odd-numbered years.

Senate leaders have filed a resolution that would refer to voters a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal fis-

cal sessions.

O n e appropriation passed during the fiscal session generated publicity because it directed state officials to seek permission from the federal government to limit cash welfare benefits to necessities.

The bill lists necessities as housing, food, clothing, utilities, child care, medicine and transportation necessary for obtaining medical care.

A similar bill has been filed for consideration during the 2017 regular session. It would prohibit the use of food stamps for buying junk food and soft drinks. If the legislature passes the bill, state officials would have to seek permission from the federal government in order to implement it.

Also in 2016, Arkansas voters approved a constitutional amendment legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. A newly created Medical Marijuana Commission has begun meeting to determine how best to license growers and sellers of medical marijuana. In addition, numerous bills affecting medical marijuana are expected to be introduced when the 91st General Assembly convenes at noon on January 9.

The year 2016 proved to be an unusual one for the Arkansas General Assembly. Typically in the even numbered years, we only address the budget during the Fiscal Session.

This year, as the Governor called two special sessions, we tackled everything from funding highways to streamlining government.

The legislation passed will pave the way for more improvements in the upcoming session.

The first Extraordinary Session this year addressed the framework for Arkansas Works.

Arkansas Works replaced the program previously referred to as the Private Option, which uses federal Medicaid funding to provide private insurance plans for the state’s lowest income residents.

The program now provides medical coverage for more than 300,000 Arkansans.

Most of the provisions in the legislation were recently approved by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

Arkansas Works makes changes to the program such as directing the unemployed to work training programs,

Disaster Prep Column

by Dave Robinson The topic of Disaster Preparedness seems to resonate more with Seniors than with the younger set, partly because of vulnerability due to special age-related issues. Many Seniors live alone and some are dealing with health or mobility issues.

Yet most have developed a wisdom that often accompanies gray hair that something bad CAN happen because they have lived through at least one disastrous event in their lives.

The mantra of “Get A Kit, Make A Plan, and Be Informed” still applies to the mature crowd and there are many low cost-things Seniors can buy and nocost plans they can make to avoid that feeling of helplessness and despair.

In my humble opinion, the single most important thing anyone can do to prepare for a disaster is to organize their neighborhood.

And it doesn’t cost a cent!

Contacting your neighbors, especially fellow

Seniors can build a sense of community and camaraderie along with an assurance no one need to face adversity alone.

Introduce the topic at the Senior Center, or your church group or the quilting group. Collaborating on projects can not only bring some peace of mind, but just may bring some new friends into your life.

According to the American Red Cross it is still your responsibility to know what to do when disaster strikes.

Remember, the first responders are going to be overwhelmed and Y.O.Y.O. (You’re On Your Own).

First thing to do is gather enough supplies to get by for several days without going to the store. In the event of an earthquake, the stores will sell out within hours and there will be nothing to buy anyway. If you live in a location that requires evacuation, you will want to store your supplies in totes that have

wheels. Easier to move that way.

If you require a cane, walker or wheelchair, be sure to label it with your name, address and phone number just in case you and your equipment get separated.

Either that or store your supplies with a friend out of the danger zone.

Remember to rotate your supplies. Keep an eye on the “best if used by” dates. Then simply rotate your stored supplies into everyday use.

Also shift your batteries, medications and other perishable items before they expire.

Keep in mind you may want to stock up on certain medications. Most doctors are sympathetic to your needs regarding planning for disaster and are willing to cooperate by prescribing most maintenance medications in advance. The difficult thing here is to get your insurance to get on board with that concept.

So any advance preparations you make in that regard may have to come out of your own

pocket. Then be sure to take special care to mind the expiration dates on your meds. I’m told that most medication doesn’t actually “go bad” but it does tend to lose its potency and effectiveness over time.

Also try to see your way clear to pick up an extra pair of eyeglasses. Some of us have enough trouble keeping track of our glasses even without a disaster, so adding a pair of drugstore “cheaters” to our kit just might not be a bad idea either.

As always send your questions and comments t o disasterprep.dave@gmail .com. Previous columns can be found on my blog at www.disasterprepdave.blogspot.com. Dave Robinson is the Postmaster in Bandon, Oregon, and the author of “Disaster Prep For The Rest Of Us,” available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online booksellers.

requiring wellness exams, and allowing partial payment of premiums for individuals making above 100% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Another change allows us to offer incentives for employers to offer employer-based insurance to employees agreeing to leave government funded insurance plans. The federal government agreed to this provision if the employer is offering coverage for the first time.

In the Fiscal Session, we passed a $5.3 billion balanced budget which included increases to education, corrections, foster care programs, behavioral health programs and Arkansas Works. We also restored funding to previous cuts in libraries and senior citizen centers.

In the second special session, the General Assembly approved a bill to provide a match to federal highway funds for the next 5 years which will result in $1 billion to improve our roads. That legislation diverted existing revenue and does not require a tax increase.

The legislature also voted in favor of legislation implementing an expiration date for task forces that either rarely meet or have not met in some time. The efficiency bill transferred the Arkansas History Commission from Parks and Tourism to the

Department of Arkansas Heritage. In addition, this bill streamlined the paperwork process for Children and Family Services workers who oversee foster care cases.

Other legislation passed in that session included eliminating a state trust fund for workman’s compensation claims while lowering the taxes for policies paid by businesses, a bill to allow school elections to share the same ballot and polling site as the general election races on election day, and the Frank Broyles Publicity Rights Protection Act which prevents someone’s image from being used for commercial purposes without their permission.

And we approved a measure to put a pause on school districts from being declared in academic distress for the 2016-2017 school year.

This allows schools time to adjust while a new accountability system is being implemented.

Each year brings new ideas and new issues for the legislature to consider.

We know in the upcoming session we will be asked to consider increases to education funding, changes to higher education funding, tax cuts, and much more.

The Regular Session begins January 9. We look forward to updating you frequently through the new year.

HHS Hornet Band receive Donors Choose grant The Hazen High School Hornet band will be sent 21 tuner/metronomes to use during their personal practice outside of class.

The $475 grant for the equipment will be distributed by Donors Choose, an online website where teachers can request donations for projects and needed equipment from people from around the world.

ensure that our ensemble plays in tune. “The more the students understand their intonation and designated tempos the better the ensemble will sound and perform,” she said.

“Our goal is to improve our overall balance and ensemble blend by implementing the use of these units to guide the students when they practice outside of class.”

Band director, Johnna Creasey, said that with this equipment each student will be able to monitor his or her intonation as he or she practices scales and get to know what adjustments need to make when playing to

This is the second HHS band project that has funded by Donors Choose.

The first grant, for which the band received $622, bought high quality drum heads for the marching band percussion section.

Page 6 - The Grand Prairie Herald - Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Hazen Elementary Students Enjoy Classroom Christmas Parties

Plant of the Week

Parsley

Latin: Petroselinum crispum

By: Gerald Klingaman, Retired Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals Each week since 1997, Dr. Gerald Klingaman has offered readers a unique window as he chronicles of the social history of plants.

takes the sharp edge off of strong foods such as garlic. It retains its flavor after drying so is sold both fresh and dried.

Seeds are also sold as an herb. It was believed by the Romans to reduce the effects of too much wine.

It is sill listed as having many medicinal properties.

"What always interested me was the background of the plants and how they got there and the people involved in bringing them forward," he said.

Parsley is usually started from transplants planted out around the time of the last freeze in the spring. It is best in a sunny or lightly shaded location with average soil and some summertime moisture. Leaves can be picked as needed during the growing season. It can also be grown as a container plant during the summer but be sure to keep it well watered.

Plants can be dug and moved indoors for use as a wintertime pot-herb, with fresh sprigs produced through the winter.

Klingaman, a retired extension horticulturist who is now operations director for the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has created is a library of hundreds of plant histories that run in newspapers across the state and have become a favorite of gardeners in Arkansas and beyond. We hope you'll enjoy our extensive archive of his works and return each week to see what's new.

Plant of the Week: Weeds, Soil Seed Bank Growing up, we ate from our freezer or the vegetable garden. Being part of a large meat and potatoes kind of family, our range of vegetables was a bit limited. Parsley was not on the list. I probably met parsley (Petroselinum crispum) for the first time as a garnish on my baked potato at a steak house somewhere.

I was not impressed at first meeting.

Parsley is a member of the carrot family and is one of two currently recognized species native to the Mediterranean region. It has been grown in Southern Europe for well over two thousand years, so pinning down its exact point of origin

involves a bit of guesswork. It grows wild in the Mediterranean region but also England, where it was probably brought by the Romans.

Parsley is a biennial, growing in a leafy rosette the first year and bolting into flower the spring of the second year. Plants are winter hardy to zone 5 and overwinter throughout Arkansas but, unless plants are being saved for seeds, they are usually treated as an annual.

Two types of parsley are

common, but three forms are available. All have three-times divided leaves with serrate edges.

Leaves remain green until temperatures fall into the low 20’s F. Greenish-yellow flowers are produced in flat heads in the spring on 2-3-foottall spikes.

The curly leafed form, P. c. var. crispum, is the most common. It grows about 10 inches tall and wide with new leaves produced from the center of the crown during most of the season. It has a milder flavor and is pri-

marily used as an ornamental garnish. Variety neapolitanum, the flatleafed or Italian form has a sharper flavor and is most commonly used in cooking. Variety tuberosum, the Hamburg parsley, appeared in the 17th century and is grown for a carrot-like white tuber that has not much caught on outside of Germany.

Archeological finds support the idea that parsley has been used by civilizations dating back to the beginnings of the Neolithic era, about 10,000 years ago. It was

used medicinally in many societies and by the Egyptians and Greeks where it was associated with death and the afterlife. Both the curly and flat-leaf form were known to Theophrastus in the 3rd century BC. It was probably introduced to the English Isles during Roman occupation. It was an early import to the United States, showing up in catalogs by 1806, but probably here long before that.

Parsley was used in cookery during ancient times for it blends flavors and

Seed germination in parsley tends to be slow and sporadic. Seedlings ready to transplant can be produced in six to eight weeks. For gardeners into butterflies, parsley is one of the principle foods for the black swallowtail.

For more information about horticulture or to see other Plant of the Week columns, visit Extension’s Website, www.uaex.edu, or contact your county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

By: Gerald Klingaman, Retired Extension Horticulturist Ornamentals Extension News - Dec. 16, 2016

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