Vol. 2, No. 24
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Controlled burn on S. 11th New members, zoning amendment Street Mon. brings crowd
Photo by Pete Tubbs Arkadelphia Fire Department members keep a purposeful fire at bay after a controlled burn was executed on Monday.
the neighborhood. 20 AFD firefighters practiced fire management at the vacant home owned by First Assembly of God as well as Fire Chief Jason Hunt, who organized the controlled training environment. Resi-
dents around the Cutler and 11th streets area were happy to see the vacant house removed yesterday evening. In addition to Arkadelphia Fire Department members being present, there was also a crowd of
30-40 people in attendance. The fire-fighters were also breaking in their turnout gear while members from Arkadelphia and the Caddo Valley Fire Department trained.
Pete Tubbs Interim Editor in Chief President of ASU Dr. Charles L. Welch announced last Wed. that Elaine Kneebone has been replaced as head of HSU. The new Interim Chancellor of Henderson State University, pending further approval, is Dr. Jim Borsig. Because of the complicated semester, the search committee that was appointed to hire a permanent chancellor was forced, with the use of Zoom meetings,
to look at candidates for an Interim Chancellor instead. According to Welch in his address to HSU last week, Dr. Borsig was introduced to him by “‘The Registry,’ which is recognized st the leading organization in higher education for assisting with the placement of interim administrators.” Dr. Borsig was previously president of Mississippi University for Women from 2012 to 2018. Before this, he served in several roles in the Mississippi Institutions
Service of Higher Learning which, according to Welch, “is the governing body for eight public universities.” Borsig will start his tenure at HSU in late July following “state approval of the Registry contracting process,” Welch wrote. “Upon approval, Dr. Borsig will receive a one-year employment contract with the understanding that we could extend to a second year by mutual agreement.” A salary of $230,000, “the lowest of the ten public
university CEOs in Arkansas,” according to Welch, will be allocated to Borsig. Welch elaborated that more information would be available soon, and he thanked Elaine Kneebone who was Acting President for one year. Welch stated, “Elaine excelled in a position to which she did not aspire and brought much needed stability to our university during one of the most difficult times in the history of Henderson.
Pete Tubbs Interim Editor in Chief Elaine Kneebone, Acting President of Henderson State University, sent an email to the campus community that stated that “seven student-athletes returning to campus for voluntary summer workout activities have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The email stated that a total of 135 student athletes were tested in all. The students that tested positive are in “quarantine until they complete Center for Disease Control and Prevention protocols,” Kneebone wrote. Each of the seven students were put in their individual rooms when they got to the campus on Sunday.
Kneebone wrote that the “head coaches, assistant coaches, and administrative staff who could possibly come into contact with student-athletes recieved no positive results.” The email encouraged staff and students of HSU to continue practicing social distancing and to wear masks to “mitigate virus
spread. Kneebone finished by saying that the university will soon “implement a daily screening questionnaire for students, faculty, and staff to assess wellness and provide assistance where needed.” Students experiencing COVID-19 sypmtoms were urged to ontact (870) 230-5102 for telephone screening.
By Julie Lacy City Comm. Director Arkadelphia Fire Department gets fired up with the First Assembly of God church. A Win-Win for our community as the urban blight went up in flames in
New Interim Chancellor of HSU
By Pete Tubbs Interim Editor in Chief On Tues. the City Council board of Arkadelphia reconvened in Town Hall. While a customary practice in recent months, the group did not wear facemasks. They did, however, remain six feet apart in accordance to social distancing norms. The first item on the docket was the third reading to amend the zoning ordinance which, like the first two times, unanimously passed. Next was the listing for a city building that was for sale, this also passed. The members, moving quickly, next voted to approve the new Water Sewer Committee members. The two were unanimously voted in. Julie Lacy and Shacresha Wilson were also introduced as the new Communications Director and Treasurer, respectively. Both women spoke and were extremely excited about their futures in the city. The city recently submitted a grant for reroofing the Depot building for the amount of $70,700 to cover some of the $214,185 cost to the AHPP. This was unanimously accepted. Approval was seeked for the donation of two runway lights to the Star City municipal airport was up next. It was explained that the equipment was forbidden
to be sold, so the Star City Municipal airport was the best choice to relocate the un-needed equipment. The group then announced that they would adjourn into a public hearing to amend the zoning ordinance. It was to speak of a tool called a special use permit that would allow for a business to be in a place that would benefit the town even when there isn’t a permit to support such move. Mayor Byrd suggested that the group talk it over with the public before adjourning, and that was agreed upon. The room then entered into a lengthy dialogue about what all went into this new amendment. It was decided that the issue will be brought up again the following meeting. The next major thing on the docket was talk about bids on Grandall Financing. There are currently three bids. Regions Bank had the highest bid of the three. The council talked the implications of this over, then agreed upon the regions bank offer. After these discussions, the council went into executive session to discuss a City Manager personell matter. Afterwards, the City Manager’s Report and Routine Business were conducted ending with Mayor Byrd’s adjournment.
Seven COVID cases at HSU
Photo by Pete Tubbs Shacresha Wilson (left) and Julie Lacy (right) were introduced as the new Treasurer and Communications Director, respectively, for the City of Arkadelphia.
Bateman and Rowland pretrials have begun By Ayanna Williams Crime Reporter Tentative Trial Dates Set For Former Henderson Professors Involved in Drug Scandal As of July 7, the pretrials for the case against Terry Bateman and Bradley Rowland have started, and the tentative trial dates are also being held soon . Bateman and Rowland are former professors in the science department at Henderson State University. However, the two defendants are now facing charges of the manufacture of controlled substances, as well as the use of drug paraphernalia. The investigation started in late 2018, when the current Acting President of Henderson State University Elaine Kneebone gave a statement about possible criminal activity affiliated
with Bateman and Rowland. During the start of the investigation in Jan. of 2019, there was no proof that any criminal activity had transpired at the time. However, in Oct. of that year, a chemical spill in Reynolds Hall on Henderson’s campus caused further investigation. In the next month, after students gave statements of suspicious activity, police officers executed a search and seizure warrant on the Bateman and Rowland’s personal offices. Officers discovered hidden flasks of substances that tested as methamphetamine, and written chemical formulas related to the synthesis of the controlled substance were found as well. The trial dates for both Bateman and Rowland are now set to be on July 20 at 9:00 a.m., as per Circuit Judge C.A. Blake Batson.
Photo courtesy of Arkansas Online Terry Bateman and Bradley Rowland shocked Arkadelphia last year when the news broke that they were allegedly experimenting with drugs in the Reynolds Science Building at Henderson State University.