75¢
See Page 4 Volume 116 Number 9 - USPS 225-680
Community Events Calendar Thursday - Friday March 3-4
Woodland Ownership Workshop for Women, 4H Center, Ferndale
Thursday March 3
Free in Christ Substance Abuse Problems Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at DeValls Bluff Gym
Saturday March 5
Hazen Masonic Lodge Scholarship Breakfast at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Monday March 7
Chamber of Commerce Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at BancorpSouth - Hazen Biscoe City Council Meeting at City Hall at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday March 8
Quorum Court Meeting at Des Arc at 6:00 p.m. 10th Grade Dinner and Auction at Hazen Community Center, Dinner and Silent Auction from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Live Auction starts at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday March 9
PAT Training at Prairie County Fairgrounds at 9:00 a.m.
Thursday March 10
GFWC Elsie McCain Club at Murry’s Restaurant, Caroyln Brakensiek, hostess, at 6:00 p.m. Free in Christ Substance Abuse Problems Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at DeValls Bluff Gym DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall Hazen Masonic Lodge at Lodge Hall, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday March 13
Daylight Savings Time Bgins - Forward Clocks 1 hour before going to bed on Saturday
Monday March 14
Hazen Chapter #5 OES, at Hazen Lodge Hall at 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday March 15
PC Master Gardeners at BancorpSouth, Hazen at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday March 16
Friendship Luncheon at DVB United Methodists Church 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m
Thursday March 17
ST. PATRICK'S’ DAY Free in Christ Substance Abuse Problems Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at DeValls Bluff Gym Hazen City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Community Events brought to you by
and the
Hazen Chamber of Commerce
Please call F&M Bank, 255-3042 to list events.
Hazen/DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
School Board recognizes Rogers for completed hours, rehires Belford as Superintendent 2017-2 2018 The Hazen School Board held their regular business meeting on Monday, February 22 at 6:00 p.m. in the High School Library. Those in attendance were Superintendent Nanette Belford; Secretary Cindy Ciganek; Board Members - Freddie Rogers, Sandra Penn, Richard Ingle, David Strohl, David Williams and Vicki Skarda; Terri TaylorRollins, Debbie Carlyle, Elementary Assistant Principal Rachel Wheeler and High School Principal Roxanne Bradow. After the meeting was called to order and a Quorum was established; Ingle opened the meeting with a prayer. The board approved the minutes of January Regular Meeting. The District Treasurer Warrants #21926-22042 and #41309-41418, Activity and Athletic Checks #75216-75275 and Cafeteria Warrants #81320-81325 was approved. ACTION ITEMS The Superintendent's recommendation to pay ASBA Workers' Compensation Trust $7,998.00 renewal premium for the January 1 December 31, 2016 was approved. The Superintendent's recommendation to pay T & M Truck Repair $8,125.92 for engine overhaul on bus #9 was approved. There were no bids due to the repair being an emergency service. Belford said that once the bus has been towed, it was best to have it repaired at that location than re-towed or moved. The Superintendent's recommendation to pay Reading and Language
Arts Centers $13,145.00 for 11-Phonics 1st Kits and 3 days of teacher Professional Development from Title I funds was approved. There were no bids due to this being provided by a single source provider. Skarda asked if the Phonics could be used with Pre-K teachers, lead teachers, as well. Belford asked Wheeler to check into it. Training will be conducted on campus in Hazen. INFORMATION ITEMS CPPC and PPC had nothing to report for this last month. Wheeler reported the latest events with Elementary since Tiffany Glover, Elementary Principal, was unable to attend. Wheeler stated that in February, the 3rd5th grade teachers were sent to a Co-Op for the ACT Aspire Training in both Math and Literacy. They had Leasha Hayes from the Co-Op come to the school to work with their K-5th grade teachers on Response to Intervention. Kristina Godfrey with the Arkansas Attorney General's office came to speak to the 6th-8th grade students about internet safety including cyber bulling, sexting, and internet predators. The P.T.O. sponsored a field trip to Altitude Trampoline Park and Cici's Pizza for our students in 4th-8th grade who scored either proficient or advanced in both areas (Math/Literacy) on the PARCC test last spring. They had 41 students attend that trip. On that same day the students who were either proficient or advanced in
Prairie County, AR Primary Election Results March 1, 2016 **Unofficial Results**
SUMMARY REPORT STATISTICS Votes, Percent Ballots Cast - Total 2,402 Ballots Cast Democratic - 1,298, 54.04% Ballots Cast Republican - 1,100, 45.80% Ballots Cast Nonpartisan - 4, .17% DEMOCRATIC Presidential Candidates Marin J. O Malley - 51, 4.73% John Wolfe - 33, 3.06% Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente - 20, 1.85% Bernie Sanders - 385, 35.63% James Valentine - 32, 2.97% Hillary Clinton - 558, 51.71% Sheriff/Collector James "Jim" Hambric 238, 18.84% Rick Hickman 1,025, 81.16% Treasurer Tamara Dabney 736, 60.18% Becky Johnson - 487, 39.82% Justice of Peace District #3 Mary Sue Roe - 84, 56.76% Judy Hinson - 64, 43.24% Unopposed Democratic Candidates For - 1,024, 100.00% REPUBLICAN Presidential Candidates Ted Cruz - 466, 42.52% John R. Kaisch - 11, 1.00% Marion Rubio - 230, 20.99% Rick Santorum - 1,
.09% Gov. Chris Christie - 1, .09% Donald J. Trump - 326, 29.74% Lindsay Graham - 2, .18% Mike Huckabee - 9, .82% Ben Carson - 44, 4.01% Rand Paul - 2, .18% Bobby Jindal - 0 Jeb Bush - 3, .27% Carly Fiornia - 1, .09% US Senate Curtis Coleman - 280, 26.85% Senator John Boozman 763, 73.15% Prairie County/Circuit Clerk Vanessa Peters - 231, 24.29% Phillip Mapps - 240, 25.24% Rhonda Cheshier 480, 50.47% Unopposed Republican Candidates For - 769, 100.00% NON-PARTISAN State Supreme Court Chief Justice Position 1 State Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson - 1,007, 46.84% Judge Dan Kemp 1,143, 53.16% State Supreme Court Associate Position 5 Judge Shawn A. Womack 1,281, 63.35% Clark W. Mason - 741, 36.65% State District Court District 23 Division 2 Phyllis Worley - 910, 42.92% Judge Mark Derrick - 1.210, 57.08 Unopposed Nonpartisan Judicial Candidates FOR - 1,718, 100.00%
Belford presenting Rogers with his plaque. only one area received of the ACT. Bradow and popcorn and a drink along Taylor-Rollins attended a with an extra recess. All CET advisor meeting. the students in 4th-8th They are trying to get grade were given an extra businesses involved, a big recess for all their hard Regional Meeting will be work on the PARCC test. held soon. She said they The P.T.O. are also work- are going to talk to Cabot ing on plans to reward and Searcy area to see 2nd-3rd grade students for how it works in their their performance on the areas. She said students IOWA test last spring. The are will be needing the Jr. High Quiz Bowl team soft skills - show up for sponsored by Mrs. work, not be tardy. She Tammie Lee finished 2nd passed out the upcoming in the 2A State. The month's calendar, Student Council Baseball and Softball Representatives have Schedules. Williams asked been coming over from Bradow about the ACT. the High School to do She said that the State anti-bullying lessons. So decided since students far they have completed have to use the ACT to Pre-K and Kindergarten. get in college, then stuThey will be doing 1st, dents need to be testing 2nd and 3rd grades this on the ACT. She said the week. The FFA with Ms. students will be taking Echo Dickson will be the ACT Aspire in 3rd planning to do a rotation through 10th Grade. The with our 8th grade stu- State will pay for all 11th dents on February 23 to Graders to take the ACT introduce them to FFA at Hazen School District and what it is all about. in the Gymnamsium. She On February 26, the Jr. announced that Echo Beta Club will go with Dickson received a grant Lee and Mr. Hutson to for $500 from Farm UALR to the AR Stem Bureau. She turned the Festival. The only thing floor to Taylor-Rollins to scheduled in March is the discuss about the other P a r e n t / T e a c h e r grants they have applied Conferences and Spring for, but will not hear anyBreak. thing until April. TaylorBradow proudly Rollins discussed the announced that the Math- teacher orientation proA-Thon participants gram that has had 37 sturaised $4750. She stated dents being tutored in the that the High School had High School by High their Financial Aid Night School students. There in February. Students have been a lot of Jr. and spoke to Senator Sr.'s that have been volJonathan Dismang at the unteering. Bradow said State Capital and held that is one thing that jobs money from the and schools look for is volTreasurer's Office. She unteerism. The students said that they are fixing will be volunteering at to have Juniors take the the Methodist Church to ACT and the state is pay- hand out commodities and ing for it. They are work- the football players and ing on the infrastructure cheerleaders have also
volunteered to load/unload Elementary students. She said she was very proud of the students for volunteering. Belford presented Freddie Rogers a plague as Master Board Member for earning at least 50 hours of board development training, Arkansas School Boards Association 2015. Belford said that she will have to meet with PPC to discuss the upcoming year's school calendar. She said that the ACT infrastructure trial in the gym will consist of tarping the gym floor, placing desks and using WiFi. She said that yes the students will be in their own environment, but it is on computer. She said that they are doing research and will have to get used to the program. She said that students will start taking the ACT Aspire which will get the students used to it by the 11th grade instead of taking the Benchmark and PARCC test. She said that Elementary will still take the IOWA test (1st and 2nd) and the Qualls Assessment. She passed out the Basketball Regional Tournament Brackets for 2A East Boys and Girls to the board. She has been working the last 2-3 weeks, hitting hard to get ready for the tournament. She said school was dismissing at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday Friday and the people should start showing up around 3:00 p.m. She discussed the brackets for each day and stated that the Hazen Police Department was going to help with security at the Tournament. People are to enter through the side doors when purchasing tickets so it won't be confusing with the concession stand line. There will be 3 to 4 officers on patrol each night. She said that Coach Besancon was stocking up the concession stand for the tournament. PERSONNEL The board went into an executive session at 6:32 p.m. to discuss the Superintendent Evaluation; at 6:39 p.m. Belford was asked to join the board in the executive session. The board returned at 7:37 p.m., Skarda made the motion to extend Belford's contract to 2017-2018. After no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. The next school board meeting will be Monday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. in High School Library.
Quorum Court holds emergency meeting, appoints County Clerk By Lisa Mills Prairie County Quorum Court held an emergency meeting February 29th. Present at the meeting were Judge Mike Skarda, Secretariat Sharon Brown, Attorney Tim Isaac and Justices Bobby Willeford, Eddie Ciganek, Matthew Sterling, Mary Sue Roe, Ronnie Eans, Buddy Sims, Doyle Sullins and Lawrence Holloway. Due to the resignation of County Clerk Vanessa Peters on February 17th, the court was required to appoint an acting clerk before the election on March 1st to certify the election results. Attorney Isaac read a resolution declaring and filling the vacancy of the County Clerk. The resolution was passed. Justice Holloway recommended that current Deputy Clerk Rebecca Hayley be appointed as the acting clerk. Justice Buddy Sims asked Judge Skarda if Hayley would accept the appointment
and if anyone else was interested in the appointment. Judge Skarda said that Hayley would accept the appointment and no one else who is qualified was interested. He said that current Secretariat Sharon Brown, who is currently fulfilling the duties of the clerk, does not want the position but is willing to continue helping in the clerk's office part-time for the remainder of 2016. Former County Clerk Janell Taylor, who was recently hired to help in the clerk's office, is not interested in the position but is also willing to continue working part-time for the remainder of 2016. Deputy Clerk Rhonda Cheshire, who is running for the office of County Clerk is not eligible for the position because she is a candidate. Justice Matt Sterling asked how Hayley's increase in pay from Deputy Clerk to County Clerk would be covered and if the money is avail-
able to keep all the current employees in the Clerk's office. Justice Holloway explained that the current budget covers the pay for all the employees including the increase for Hayley. The only position not in the current budget is the part-time position Sharon Brown will hold after her position as Secretariat ends when Hayley becomes acting County Clerk. Holloway said there is money in the Recorder's fund to cover any extra expense but with all the changes that will take place in everyone's salary it all comes out okay. Judge Skarda asked Attorney Isaac if the court had to set the salary now for Hayley, if appointed and he said no it could wait until the regular meeting in March. The Court did unanimously appoint Rebecca Hayley as acting County & Circuit Clerk for the remainder of 2016. Hayley will assume her duties effective March 1st.