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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012
The
Daily Citizen
TheDailyCitizen.com
Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854
BALD KNOB GETS SMOKE DETECTOR GRANT BISONS’ WIDE RECEIVERS PLAY KEY ROLE The Bald Knob Fire Department received a grant for 100 smoke detectors from a state commission. — PAGE 3A
Blocking is as crucial as catching in Harding’s offense, and the wideouts take that role seriously. — PAGE 1B
Candidates differ on health care Dismang, Rogers discuss Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion The state has until 2014 to implement health care exchanges, which are organizations that will be formed with the goal of creating an organized and competitive market for individuals and small businesses with 100 employees or less to purchase health
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Before and after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — incumbent State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, and his challenger State Rep. Tiffany Rogers, D-Stuttgart,
have different feelings toward the act and how Arkansas should go forward with implementation.
Guilty pleas
Please see HEALTH CARE | 2A
Dismang
Readings concern Higginson officials
Judge sentences 2 men in theft cases
Garner meter reads differently than Higginson’s end of meter BY MOLLY M. FLEMING mfleming@thedailycitizen.com
HIGGINSON — A wastewater flow meter between Higginson and Garner is causing some financial concerns for the city of Higginson. Mayor Randall Homsley said the flow meter that Garner’s waste- Homsley water passes through before entering the sewer pond is registering a low-
Man sentenced to 18 months in prison BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Two men pleaded guilty in White County Circuit Court Tuesday to felony charges involving theft. In July, Jesse Rayburn allegedly stole telephone wire, valued at more than $3,000, from AT&T, which he sold to a local recycling company. He was charged with two counts of theft by receiving, class D felonies. The guilty plea led to a probation revocation stemming from an earlier theft by receiving case, resulting in a third felony. Rayburn was sentenced to 18 months for each felony, and his time will be served concurrently for one 18-month sentence Tyler Schaefer pleaded guilty Tuesday to breaking and entering, a Class D felony, and theft of property, a class A misdemeanor. In February, Searcy police were called to investigate suspicious activity, where Schaefer and another man were allegedly
Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com
Please see COURT | 3A
Ryder Brown, 2, of Searcy, plays on a swing at Berryhill Park Tuesday afternoon. Many kids were at the park enjoying the 70-degree weather.
Please see WASTEWATER | 2A
AG honors slain officer for valor Associated Press
the department said. "That is an area of concern that we seem to have less spending, taxable spending, going on," said Richard Weiss, the department's director. "Who knows all the reasons for it? Clearly gas prices have been up more than they were same time last year and all that. Utility bills have been higher since
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' attorney general honored a slain Trumann police officer Tuesday, noting that instead of running and hiding after being shot in the face, the policeman protected his sergeant. Jonathan Schmidt died April 12, 2011, after pulling over a car in his hometown. A videotape of the traffic stop showed that a wanted man in the back seat shot Schmidt in the face when the officer tried to detain him, then shot again as the officer pleaded for his life. "This is an amazing honor for our family to know that Jonathan is not forgotten," the officer's widow Andrea told those attending the 2012 Outstanding Law Enforcement Officers of the Year Awards. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel awarded a special "valor tribute" to Schmidt and his family.
Please see REVENUES | 2A
Please see OFFICER | 2A
Revenues rise despite slip in sales taxes BY ANDREW DEMILLO Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' finance office said Tuesday that the state's revenues are ahead of last year's figures and are beating expectations, but officials said they're worried about sales tax collections sliding for the third straight month. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the state's net available
revenues in September totaled $494.7 million, which is $31.9 million above last year and $29.9 million above forecast. The state's revenues for the fiscal year to date, which began July 1, total $1.2 billion and are ahead of forecast by $42.1 million. The monthly figures were boosted primarily by individual income tax collections, which were $36.7 million above last
WEATHER Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 80. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Vol. 158, No. 237 ©2012 The Daily Citizen
Officials in the city of Higginson think the waste water flow meter from the city of Garner is not working properly, as the amount of water registering on the meter is not the same as the amount Higginson is having read on its meter. Higginson is having to bear the financial burden of filtering the water that Garner is using but is not paying for because of its flow meter.
Rogers
TUESDAY WEATHER PERFECT FOR SWINGING
Jesse Rayburn: Pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by receiving and had his probation revoked Tyler Schaefer: Pleaded guilty to breaking and entering and theft of property
Higginson
year's figures and $29.8 million above forecast. Individual income tax collections for the month totaled $275.5 million. The gains offset another dip in sales tax collections, which totaled $177.8 million for the month. The collections were $1.2 million below last year and $7.2 million below forecast. It marked the third straight month that sales taxes came in lower than expected,
INDEX NATION & STATE, 2A OPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5A CALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6A SPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B
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Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. CARL SAGAN
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20th Century American astronomer and astrophysicist
Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277