Vol. 2, No. 39
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
Trick or treat drive thru event to Burer, Bayless to perform be hosted by Chamber on Sat. recitals at OBU this week Kelly Stiles Contributing Reporter
COVID-19 has taken away many of the activities people often take for granted. The Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce is determined not to let the pandemic steal Halloween. “Everyone is just trying to get back to normal,” director of administration and events Ashlee Vaughan said. “I feel like [the kids] still being able to dress up and get some candy will lift everyone up.” On Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on Main Street in downtown Arkadelphia, the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance & Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting their first ever Trick-orTreat Drive Thru Event. To replace the annual trick-ortreat event typically held at the Arkadelphia Recreation Center, this drive thru event
Photo courtesy of Kelly Stiles.
Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce Director of Administration and Events Ashlee Vaughan enjoys giving back to her community by helping bring people together.
Photo courtesy of Kelly Stiles.
Main Street of downtown Arkadelphia will be home to a COVID-safe Halloween event hosted by Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance & Area Chamber of Commerce.
will provide a safer way for children to show off their costumes and receive candy. “We decided that the drive thru event would be safer for our children,” Vaughan said. Arkadelphia community members will represent local businesses and organizations by lining the sides of Main Street to give candy and other goodies to children riding in cars. Each participant will be required to wear masks and gloves. 22 local organizations have signed up to participate thus far, including Simply You Boutique downtown and churches Trinity Tem-
ple Assembly of God, Third Street Baptist Church, and Park Hill baptist Church. A multitude of organizations from Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University have signed up as well. The Arkadelphia Police Department traditionally passes out glow sticks to children each Halloween and will be doing so while helping maintain the traffic that evening. Another traditional participant is the Kiwanis Club of Clark County that gives children reading books. “I’m excited to see the kids’ smiling faces,”
Vaughan said. Vaughan has worked for the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance & Area Chamber of Commerce for eight years. Born and raised in Arkadelphia, the city is dear to Vaughan, and she enjoys being a part of its development, from partnering with local businesses to throwing events to bring Arkadelphia citizens together. “I want to see this community thrive and grow,” Vaughan said. If your organization would like to participate in the event, please contact Ashlee Vaughan at ashlee@ arkadelphiaalliance.com before Oct. 29.
ARKADELPHIA, Ark.— Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Michael Burer in his senior trombone recital on Friday, Oct. 30, at 11 a.m. in McBeth Recital Hall. Seating in the hall is limited to current students, faculty and staff due to COVID-19; the recital also will be available via www.livestream. com/obu. Burer is a senior instrumental music education major from Forney, Texas. He is a student of Dr. Geoffrey Durbin, visiting assistant professor of music. Burer will open his recital with Robert Schumann’s “Adagio” from Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 and “Manipulations” by Allen Molineux. Next, he will perform “Trombone Institute of Technology” by Michael Davis. His recital will conclude with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Allegro,” “Andante” and “Allegretto” from Trombone Concerto. “In these past four years at Ouachita, I have learned so much and grown in so many ways,” Burer said. “Not just as a person but also as a musician. The Division of Music at Ouachita has helped me in so many ways, and I am glad for their support during my time here. Without their help I would not be where I am as a performer. “I hope that not only my personal progress is evident in my senior recital but the faculty’s work in helping me get there is evident, as well,” he added. “Thank you to all who have helped me come this far.” Burer will be accompanied on piano by Susan Monroe, Ouachita staff accompanist, and assisted on trombone by Andrew Coop, a senior worship arts major from Gladewater, Texas,
for “Trombone Institute of Technology.” ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Katelyn Bayless in her senior voice recital on Friday, Oct. 30, at 11 a.m. in McBeth Recital Hall. Seating in the hall is limited to current students, faculty and staff due to COVID-19; the recital also will be available via www.livestream. com/obu. Bayless, a senior choral music education major from Monticello, Ark., is a member of Kappa Delta Pi honor society for education. Bayless is a student of Catherine Durbin, instructor of music. “The significance of the pieces I have chosen are the stories that each one tells,” Bayless said. “Each song is unique in its own way and shows off different things that I have learned since being at Ouachita.” Bayless will begin her recital with “Seven Elizabethan Lyrics: I. Weep You No More” and “III. My Life’s Delight” by Roger Quilter, followed by “Die Forelle” and “Du bist die Ruh” by Franz Schubert. Next, she will perform “Extase” and “Le manoir de Rosemonde” by Henri Duparc and W.A. Mozart’s “Vedrai, Carino” from Don Giovanni. To conclude, Bayless will perform Richard Rodgers’ “I Have Confidence” from The Sound of Music. “Ouachita has given me lots of experience singing in front of people, and that has given me the chance to express myself during my performance, especially with my recital,” said Bayless. “I am most proud of just being able to get to this point in my degree and getting to share all that I’ve learned with everyone.”
Arkansas State Police Public Affairs Office
land address to an area hospital where she is being treated for a stab wound sustained while she was in a vehicle with two men traveling in the area. One of the men fled the crime scene and was later taken into custody by state police special agents. The 24 year-old man is considered a suspect in the attack on Compton and the deaths of Gruger and a third woman. Late yesterday Sharp County deputies and state police special agents located the body of Linda Janny, 72, in her home at 1 Lakeshore Drive, Cherokee Village. The bodies of Gruger and Janny have been transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory where autopsy examinations have begun to determine when the deaths occurred and each victim’s manner and cause of death. Information related to any criminal charges that may be filed against the lone suspect will be released by the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department.
Special prosecution for assault Continuing investigation of case and date for burglary case Sharp County homicides Ayanna Williams Crimes Reporter
As of Oct. 22, Judge Batson has ordered for a special prosecuting attorney for the sexual assault case against Adam F. Post. Originally from Wake Village, TX, Post is facing charges for sexual assault in both Arkansas and Texas.
Adam F. Post
The assaults took place in June of this year when Post, the victim, and a group of friends made a trip to Caddo Valley River Rats to float on the Caddo River. The victim, a twenty year old woman, was intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness near the end of the group’s time in Caddo Valley. It was witnessed by three people that Post had performed deviant sexual acts on the victim, and caused a disturbance that the Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to. At the end of the trip, when Post, the victim, and a friend of the victim were back in Texas, the second assault occurred. The victim’s friend witnessed Post assault the victim in the back of the vehicle, and subsequently stopped the assault from continuing. Post was then arrested, and is now being held in the Bowie County Jail with the bail set at $100,000.
The arrest warrant for the sexual assault occurring in Clark County has been issued as of Oct. 15. Due to complications in the case and a conflict in representation, there has been an order to appoint a special prosecuting attorney for this case. The arrest warrant for Post has yet to be served. As of Oct. 23, a court date has been set for the burglary case against Colt Rucker of Arkadelphia. He first appeared in court for the burglary case on Oct. 8 but will now be answering to the charges of residential burglary, harassment, and the possession of marijuana. The burglary and the other violations occurred on Oct. 7, when Rucker went to the residence of his previous relationship partner, Hannah McDaniel, who had ended the relationship earlier that day. While McDaniel was not at the residence, her roommate Krystal Lander was at the
present. At the moment, Lander’s two children were also in the residence. Rucker demanded entry, and proceeded to aggressively seek entrance at locations of the residence. Lander and her children retreated into a bathroom and locked the door while making contact with the police department. Rucker ended up gaining entry by forcing the garage door open, and proceeded to aggressively bang on the bathroom door, demanding to know where McDaniel was. As the police arrived, Rucker was exiting through the front entrance of the house, and was detained. Officers also discovered that Rucker had marijuana in his possession. A restraining order has been served to Rucker for the protection of McDaniel and Lander. Rucker will appear in the Clark County Circuit Courthouse on Nov. 3 at 9:00 a.m.
Special Agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division are continuing their work today assisting Sharp County sheriff’s deputies in developing leads and collecting evidence connected to the apparent murders of two women and the assault on a third. Officers of the Cherokee Village and Highland Police Departments have also joined the investigations. Agents were called to 28 Warpath Drive in Cherokee Village before noon Monday, Oct. 19 where the body of Hayleigh Gruger 23, was discovered by local authorities inside the victim’s home. During the course of processing the Warpath Street crime scene, state police CID special agents were sent to a second crime scene at 101 FM Road in Highland, southeast of Cherokee Village. Debra Compton, 41, was transported from the High-
The electoral college and you: how it works Julie Young University Correspondent
Does your vote matter? Yes, but it’s harder for some of us to make our voices heard. The electoral college plays a major role in all of this, but what is it exactly? In 2016, the last presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, with nearly 2.9 million more votes than Republican nominee Donald Trump. She didn’t win the election, though. Why is that? Donald Trump became the 45th President because despite losing the popular vote in the United States, he won 304 electoral votes — 77 more than his opponent. The electoral college of the United States is a “body of people representing the states of the US, who for-
mally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president,” as defined by Oxford Language. Essentially, a group of individuals from each state in the US who formally elect the President. 435 representatives, 100 senators, and 3 electors from the District of Columbia, totaling 538 people. The number of electors each state is allowed is dependent upon the population of the state updated after the decade’s census. For instance, Florida has 29 electoral votes, but Arkansas only has 6. Because it’s much more work to campaign in states with smaller electoral votes for a lesser end result, presidential nominees are more likely to campaign in “swing states.” Swing states are important to the election for two reasons: One, they hold
many electoral votes, and two, they’re not exclusively red or blue. California has 55 votes, but historically the state votes blue for the Democratic nominee, so current nominees don’t feel they need to campaign there. On the other hand, Arkansas is a historically red state, voting blue only a handful of times — notably for state governor Bill Clinton in 1996. Because it is unlikely, but not impossible, for Arkansas to go blue, and because we only hold 6 votes, nominees don’t campaign here, either. That leaves swing states like Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. In 2000, the presidential race between George Bush and Al Gore was so close
that they had to recount Florida’s votes by hand, changing the way we vote forever. The issue was eventually taken to the Florida Supreme Court, who settled a recount dispute involving confusing butterfly ballots and “hanging chads,” as some voters either didn’t punch the hole in the butterfly ballots well enough or confused which nominee they were casting their vote for. Al Gore won the popular vote by 537 votes, but he still lost the race. The final result was decided three weeks after election day when Florida declared republican nominee George Bush their winner, earning him the state’s 25 electoral votes and the presidency. However, this left a lasting impression to voters that sometimes an election really can be that close. At the
same time, what does it say about our voting system that a nominee can secure the majority vote and still not win the presidency? Although this system of voting can make it seem impossible to have your voice heard if you’re a republican in a blue state or a democrat in a red state, that isn’t necessarily the case. Back in 2018, congressman Beto O’Rourke ran against senator Ted Cruz’s re-election campaign for U.S. Senate. The democratic nominee fell just 220,000 votes short of unseating Cruz. The Texas election was closer than the state had seen in a very long time. Despite his loss, that Texas midterm election saw nominations of two U.S. House seats, two state Senate seats, and 12 state House seats. Texas typically votes red in presidential elections,
but the midterm was proof that the state can flip, and even though that particular race didn’t have the electoral college to contend with, it’s proof that Texas could be considered a swing state in the current election. In 2016, 44,107 voters ages 18-29 voted early in Florida. A week out from this year’s election, over 257,720 have voted so far. So does your vote matter, really? It can, if you choose to vote. The current outdated system makes it tricky and unfair, but possible — and even more motivation to vote in candidates you trust to implement change to the voting system. The past is proof that change is possible on any front, but not unless we show up.
2 News
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
Arkadelphia Dispatch
Westerman on applying to a U.S. Service Academy Bruce Westerman US Representative
Every year, I have the honor of nominating exceptional young men and women from the Fourth District to U.S. Service Academies. These young people make a commitment to serve their country while furthering their education at the same time, and acceptance into these academies is an incredible achievement. The deadline to apply this
year is quickly approaching, so if you or a young person you know is interested in applying, make sure to submit all materials by November 1. This will be the last day for students to apply to the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. If you have any questions about how to apply or what the process looks like, please visit my website
at westerman.house.gov/ services/military-academynominations. You can also give my office a call at (501) 609-9796 to speak with David Witte, my experienced veterans affairs staffer who handles these nominations every year. I wish you all the best in this process, and I hope to be able to congratulate many of you on your acceptance into a prestigious military academy. Thank you for your willingness to serve our country!
Legislature provides new federal relief money Bruce Maloch US Senator
The Legislative Council approved spending $48.5 million in federal relief money to fund a grant program that will help tourismrelated businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. The grants will be available to small businesses that hire up to 250 full-time employees. The program is called the Business Interruption Grant Program for the Arkansas Service and Hospitality Industries. An individual business can qualify for a grant of up to $250,000. The Parks, Heritage and Tourism Department and the Department of Commerce will review grant applications. Grants can be used to defray expenses caused by the need to mitigate covid-19, such as protective equipment, supplies needed to sterilize surfaces and plexiglass shields. The grants also can be used for expenses caused by government order that interrupted business activity, whether it was a local government, the state or a federal mandate. For example, a business that was forced to close may use the grants for rent or mortgage payments, franchise fees, insurance and payroll costs. Grants may not be spent
for certain expenses that include taxes, lost profits, entertainment or lobbying expenses, depreciation and severance pay. The program will allocate 15 percent of the grants to businesses owned by minorities and women. The application period is from November 16 and through November 25, with the goal of announcing recipients by late December. Depending on the number of applicants, grants may be awarded on a prorated basis. In other words, applicants may not be awarded the entire amount for which they applied. One factor that the review committee will consider is the difference in the sales tax that a business paid from March through September of last year, as compared with the same period in 2020. The Legislative Council is the main committee of lawmakers that monitors state government operations during the interim between regular sessions. At its most recent meeting, the Council considered a list of recommended expenditures from the CARES Act steering committee, a group of state officials appointed by the governor to review how best to spend $1.25 billion federal aid. The federal aid was made available after Congress approved the CARES Act in late March.
CARES stands for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. One of the larger expenditures approved was for $25 million to match federal dollars and pay unemployment insurance benefits to workers who have lost their jobs. The Legislative Council also voted to use $4.24 million for rental assistance, as well as $5 million for suicide prevention and mental health treatment for veterans. Also, about $5.5 million in relief funds will go to small-scale meat processing plants. The purpose is to help smaller businesses while strengthening our capacity to withstand any further disruptions in the supply chain in the meat industry. According to the state budget director, Arkansas now has about $81.6 million remaining from the original $1.25 billion the state received from the CARES Act. The Council approved using $1.82 million for the Arkansas Hunger Relief Partnership. Also, lawmakers approved using $5 million for social services in high poverty areas. The state Human Services Department will put the money in its Community Outreach Investment program.
OOPS!
BYRON ROLLINS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Charles Apple | THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
The picture above — which was taken 72 years and nine days ago — is more than just about an incorrect headline. While the Chicago Tribune was certainly at fault here, plenty of blame can also go to poor polling techniques, overconfident politicians and voters who, by golly, just didn’t vote the way they were expected to.
THE POLLS
THE ELECTION
THE HEADLINE
Presidential election polling wasn’t invented until the Franklin Roosevelt years. Roosevelt had won his four elections so easily that political pollsters never really learned what a close election might look like.
Harry Truman had been plucked out of the Senate by Roosevelt to be his running mate in the 1944 election. Roosevelt died three months into his fourth term, thrusting Truman into the Oval Office.
Truman was not popular among newspaper editors. He was endorsed by only 15% of the nation’s daily newspapers. And the ultraconservative Chicago Tribune was certainly not one of them.
THE ELECTORAL VOTE
Truman had embarked on an ambitious array of civil rights programs, which angered the segregated South.
The Tribune’s early edition had very early Election Day deadlines, thanks in part to a strike by the typesetters’ union.
By the spring of 1948, only 37 percent of Americans polled by Gallup said they approved of the job Truman was doing. At the Democratic convention in July, a number of delegates from the Deep South walked out, rather than accept Truman’s civil rights planks, and formed the Dixiecrat party. The Dixiecrats, in turn, nominated South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond for president.
That’s why portions of the Front page were created by typewriter, as opposed to the usual linotype machine ...
1932
472
Roosevelt
59
Herbert Hoover
1936
523
Roosevelt Alf Landon
8 1940
Truman also found himself under attack from his party’s left wing. Progressive Democrats also departed and nominated FDR’s previous vice president, Henry Wallace.
449
Roosevelt
82
Wendell Willkie
... and part of that night’s lead story was printed upside-down.
1944
432
Roosevelt Thomas Dewey
99
Another piece of the puzzle: how polls were taken back then. Pollsters used a technique called quota sampling — workers would seek out subjects who fit criteria so a sample would have so many men vs. women, city dwellers vs. rural dwellers, and so on.
As the early deadline approached, the paper’s longtime Washington correspondent, Arthur Sears Henning, assured managing editor J. Loy “Pat” Maloney there was no way Thomas Dewey — who had run unsuccessfully against Roosevelt in 1944 — could lose. Hence, the infamous headline Truman enjoyed so much the next day when his train passed through St. Louis:
Gallup’s lack of random sampling, for example, had caused it to overestimate the percentage of Americans who would vote Republican in each of Roosevelt’s final three elections. This had never been fixed.
RESPONDENTS WHO SAID THEY’D VOTE REPUBLICAN 1936
44% 38%
Gallup predicted Actual vote 1940
48%
Gallup predicted
45%
Actual vote 1944
48% 46%
Gallup predicted Actual vote
So in 1948, incumbent President Harry Truman’s poll numbers were so bad that overconfident pollsters stopped polling weeks before the election itself. The Roper Poll, for example, stopped following the race in September. When Truman’s summer and fall campaigning changed the voting plans of the voting public, pollsters were not there to measure that shift.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Editorial cartoon by Clifford Berryman of the Washington Evening Star, Oct. 19, 1948. Conventional wisdom held there was simply no way for Truman to pull out a victory with the Democratic party divided three ways. So when Truman embarked on a low-frills, “whistle-stop” campaign tour in the summer of 1948, most observers considered it to be too little, too late. In fact, it proved to be enough to win — but just barely. Five states were decided by less than 1 percentage point: California Electoral votes: 25
Illinois Electoral votes: 28
Indiana Electoral votes: 13
Ohio Electoral votes: 25
Margin of victory:
Margin of victory:
Margin of victory:
Margin of victory:
New York Electoral votes: 47 Margin of victory:
0.44%
0.84%
0.80%
0.24%
0.99% ... and the night’s final edition of the Tribune softened that up quite a bit more:
Here’s how the three major polls at the time measured up against the actual Election Day results:
Truman CROSSLEY POLL
Others
5%
45%
6%
GALLUP POLL
44% ROPER POLL
38%
9%
ELECTION RESULT
50%
As the night went on, however, it became clear to Tribune staffers that the result would be closer than they had expected — much closer. A later edition of the Tribune led page one with a slightly less emphatic headline ...
Dewey
50% 50% 53% 45%
DEWEYDEFEATSTRUMAN.COM
Dixiecrat party: 39 electoral votes
All editions of the Nov. 3, 1948, Tribune are prized by collectors. By editors of the Chicago Tribune, perhaps, not so much.
Upcoming Events >>> <<< The Spring Hazardous Household Waste event that was scheduled for last Sat. was cancelled as a result of COVID-19 precautions. The Southwest Regional Solid Waste Management District will continue with the Fall Household Hazardous Waste event on Oct. 17. The Southwest Regional Solid Waste Management District is the planning board that oversees solid waste management for Clark, Garland, and Hot Spring Counties. >>> <<< Garvan Gardens will be open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily. The Chipmunk Cafe is open 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily. Ongoing >>> <<< Alcoholics Anonymous hosts two meetings a week in Arkadelphia. The meetings are open to anyone interested in AA’s program of recovery. The Arkadelphia Group meets at 7 p.m. every Tues. in the Sturgis Building at North 9 and Caddo Streets. For more information on the Arkadelphia Group Meetings, call 870-403-3001. The U-Turn Group meets at 7 p.m. every Thurs. on the front, upper level of Park Hill Baptist Church, 3163 Hollywood Road. For information on that group’s meetings, call 870-2302975 or 870-260-9277. >>> <<< Now on display through the Arkadelphia Arts Center window is a colorful display of handmade quilts by several members of the Clark County Quilters Guild and a handmade reed basket by Regina Weiner. Several pieces are for sale. For more information about the Arkadelphia Arts Center and the Caddo River Art Guild find their pages on Facebook or visit CaddoRiverArtGuild.com or CCAHC.org. >>> <<< With Late ‘til 8, local businesses stay open to 8:00 pm so that customers can shop and also win door prizes! this is a monthly event that happens every first Thursday of every month. >>> <<< Al-Anon meetings, designed to help family and friends affected by alcohol, are held three days a week in the Arkadelphia area: - Tues. at 7 p.m., Sturgis Building, corner of 9 and Caddo. 870-403-2019; Thurs. at 6:30 p.m., Park Hill Baptist Church. 870-403-2019; Fri. at noon, Clark County Library, 609 Caddo St., side door. 512-750-2292.
Arkadelphia Dispatch
News 3
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
How to have a fun and safe Halloween tradition makes changes Halloween in Arkadelphia RaeLynn Dinger Contributing Reporter
Without a doubt, this year, everyone’s favourite spooky holiday will be a little different. Door to door trick or treating is out of the question and your typical Halloween party has the potential to be a superspreader event. Fortunately, the Halloween spirit doesn’t die so easy. Here are some safer alternatives that keep in line with the spookiest night of the year.
Photo courtesy of Kelly Stiles.
Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce director of administration and events Ashlee Vaughan enjoys giving back to her community by helping bring people together.
1. Movie Night Just because you can’t watch your favourite horror flicks with your friends in person this year doesn’t mean it can’t happen at all. There are tons of video calling apps out there that allow you to share your screen when chatting with friends. Zoom, Teleparty, and Discord can make it easier for you and your friends to watch classic Halloween movies together, all while following proper Covid-19 guidelines. 2. Pumpkin Carving Carving up a jacko-lantern is something you can do from the safety of your own home. Once again due to the availability of video calling apps, you can still do that with your friends, too! Just make sure everyone has a pumpkin, the proper tools, and adult supervision for the kids. Try not to get pumpkin guts on your phone or computer! 3. Drive-Thru Events Because people are so desperate to get their Halloween fix, there are two big events happening in Arkadelphia that coincide
Photo courtesy of Henderson State University.
Photo courtesy of Kelly Stiles.
Representatives from local organizations will line Main Street to pass out candy to children in passing cars during the Trick or Treat Drive Thru on Halloween night.
with social distancing protocols. Henderson is doing their annual Henderson Halloween event on October 30th from 5:30 - 7:00, featuring drive-thru trick or treating to reduce risk of Covid-19 transmission. The city of Arkadelphia is also doing their own drive-thru event on Halloween proper from 5:30 - 8:00 on Main Street in downtown. Even though Hal-
loween will be different this year, the spooky spirit can still remain thanks to the wealth of alternatives we have when it comes to connecting with friends and loved ones. So, go ahead and plan your Zoom Halloween party, pick out your favourite scary movies, and take tons of pictures of your costumes--even if you don’t plan on going out.
Continuing Arkansas COVID-19 case update from Arkansas Department of Health
Henderson State University celebrates Halloween every year by putting on their Henderson Halloween where representatives from the school and student organizations hand out candy to children. This year, the event will be drive thru only. Steve Fellers Marketing and Comm. HSU
Henderson State University’s Student Activities Board will host its annual Henderson Halloween Friday, Oct. 30, from 5:30-7 p.m. This year, due to COVID-19, the event will be drive-through-only. More than 40 student organizations will hand out treats along Henderson Street. Tables will be set up on both sides of the street, and students will be wearing
gloves and masks when handing out candy while vehicles drive by slowly. Drivers are asked to enter the campus from 10th Street onto Huddleston Street near the Dunn Student Recreation Center, then turn left on 12th Street. They will then turn left on Henderson Street, and exit onto 10th Street. Traffic on Henderson Street will be one-way during the event. Henderson police and volunteers will direct traffic.
Arkadelphia Dispatch Editor: Pete Tubbs Online Editor: Harley Whisenhunt Crimes Reporter: Ayanna Williams Sports Reporter: Hannah Hodge University Correspondant: Julie Young University Correspondant: MacKenzie Hall Staff Reporter: Lance Brownfield Staff Reporter: Philis Woods Staff Reporter: RaeLynn Dinger Contributing Reporter: Kelly Stiles arkadelphiadispatch@gmail.com 870-230-5221 Calls will be returned. The Arkadelphia Dispatch is published weekly by Nashville Leader, Inc., 119 N. Main, Nashville, AR 71852.
AR. Department of Health
According to the Arkansas Department of Health Administration in its COVID-19 update, there are a total of 7,618 probable cases in the state as of Sept. 21. In reference to ADH’s graph, there are a total of 107,679 cases with 96,322 recovered. The counties are colored by light to dark in terms of density of cases.
The Dispatch will post an updated version of this graph weekly according to what is available from the Department of Health and state officials. As the cases continue to rise, more and more states are reverting back to more strict quarantine and social distance rules. Masks are nearly universally required to enter most businesses. They are available in most grocery and convenience stores.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced in early August that contact sports are expected to continue as planned in the fall. Football players may only practice in helmets, however. Schools have begun opening at both collegiate and pre-collegiate levels. They have many guidelines
in place that were recommended by the ADH. People are encouraged to continue social distancing and staying at least six feet away from others. Testing is widely available in most cities.
4 Sports
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
Arkadelphia Dispatch
Persistence, faith key in Castillow’s Remember this month in Reddie Athletics journey: Ouachita Baptist sports Column by HSU Sports
Ouachita Baptist Sports
Whatever challenges lay ahead for Ouachita volleyball’s Lexie Castillow, they probably won’t be anything she can’t handle. The junior libero is a two-time cancer survivor. After removing her kneecap, doctors told her she would never play sports again. She didn’t listen. Doctors first discovered a tumor in Castillow’s right patella in 2010. A bone graft seemed to take care of the problem. But in 2012, the tumor returned, and the only solution was to remove the kneecap. “I don’t think it really hit me as hard the first time, because it was a benign tumor,” Castillow said. “They took it out and I didn’t have any more problems. The second time it came back, when they had to completely remove my kneecap, they told me that I’d never play sports again. The thing that was going through my mind was ‘How would I play sports again?’” Thus began a year of recovery – six months relearning how to walk, another six months to get back onto the volleyball court and softball field, all done with the help of a custom-made brace doing the job a kneecap would normally do. Then in 2014 came a diagnosis of sarcoma of the lungs. “There was like a two percent chance the cancer would travel to my lungs,” Castillow said. “And that’s what it did.” She underwent surgery to remove one-third of her
HSU Crushes ArkansasPine Bluff, 58-7 | Oct. 12, 1985 Behind 24 first quarter points and 370 rushing yards, Henderson State breezes past UAPB 58-7 in Arkadelphia. Five different players score rushing touchdowns for the Reddies in the win and Kenny Fells goes for 98 yards and two scores on the ground. Darrell Kominger intercepts two UAPB passes to lead the HSU defensive effort.
Photo courtesy of OBU Sports.
Lexi Castillow went through multiple bouts of cancer but still pursued her passion in volleyball by focusing on her faith and her family’s support.
right lung and as well as a mass in her left. But doctors found several smaller specks that could not be removed without a transplant, which meant they would have to regroup. “The doctors were trying to game plan and figure out something to do, because [this form of cancer is] so rare that they didn’t really have anything for it,” Castillow said. “My dad came across a treatment for bone cancer patients that had gotten approved that week. So the next week, that’s what I started, and I took that from eighth grade all the way to my senior year of high school. It was pretty rough. I would get sick a lot. Had to miss a lot of school. But I basically started learning how to adapt to it. I just wouldn’t eat anything before, which
helped, and I’d try to drink a lot of water to flush it out of my system as fast as I could. That’s pretty much all you really can do.” The Greenwood, Arkansas, native didn’t just get through that treatment. She became one of the top prep volleyball players around, earning three All-Conference nods and the 2017 River Valley Preps Volleyball Player of the Year award and leading Greenwood to the 2017 Class 6A State Championship. She began her collegiate volleyball career at Arkansas-Fort Smith, where she played in 31 matches and was fourth on the team with 263 digs in 2018. After transferring to Ouachita, Castillow earned Second Team All-Great American Conference honors, leading the GAC with
5.32 digs per set. These days, she is off treatment for cancer. The specks on her lungs are still there, but doctors believe they are calcified. She still has regular checkups to monitor them. The process of rebuilding the muscles around her knee is still ongoing. “I guess I’m pretty proud of myself, but I think it just goes to a lot of my faith,” Castillow said. “The man upstairs is the one that made it all possible, along with my parents. I’m just proud of my whole entire family always rallying behind me, and my coaches and teachers along the way. It makes me feel really to be from a community that completely wraps their arms around you and supports you.”
Second Half Shutout Carries HSU Over Southern Arkansas | Oct. 12, 1991 After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Henderson State out-scores Southern Arkansas 34-3 over the final 45 minutes of game action and defeats SAU 34-13 in Magnolia, Arkansas. HSU scores 20 points in the second quarter and holds the Muleriders scoreless in the second half. Quarterback Dexter Nelson rushes for 120 yards and a touchdown to lead the Reddies.
Reddies Outlast West Alabama on the Road | Oct. 12, 2002 Henderson State rushes for 393 yards and holds on late to defeat West Alabama 30-27 in Livingston, Alabama. Quarterback and future Hall of Honor inductee Blake Christenson carries 26 times for 211 yards and two scores to lead HSU in the win. HSU’s ball control offense holds possession for 23 minutes and 42 seconds in the second half to keep UWA’s explosive offense off the field. Volleyball Rallies on the Road at SNU | Oct. 12, 2019 Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Reddies take the fourth set 25-21 and then capture a 19-17 win in a wild fifth frame to rally and defeat Southern Nazarene 3-2 on the road in Bethany, Oklahoma. Courtney Bolf finishes with 18 kills and 31 digs to lead Henderson State. Once down 10-7 in the fifth set, HSU staves off four matchpoints from the Crimson Storm before finally closing it out with a kill from Adrianna Hartmann.
Badgers burn Ashdown in 47-20 game Game Story by MaxPreps
In Friday’s league game, the Arkadelphia Badgers (Arkadelphia, AR) football team knocked off the host Ashdown Panthers (Ashdown, AR), by a final score of 47-20. The Badgers (5-0) will now prepare for their game against Bauxite (Bauxite, AR). The Miners come into the 4A Region 7 game with a 3-5 record. In their last
game, Bauxite was dropped by Robinson (Little Rock, AR), 52-3, in a league game. The Panthers now hold a 6-2 record. They take the field next when they travel to Robinson for a 4A Region 7 game on Friday, October 30. Ashdown will battle a Senators team coming off a 52-3 league win over Bauxite (Bauxite, AR). The Senators record now stands at 5-3.
Arkansas sports media high school football poll Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll Following is the Overall Top 10 high school football teams in Arkansas and the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending October 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and last week’s ranking: OVERALL Record Pts Prv 1. Bryant (25) 7-0 250 1 2. Bentonville 8-0 216 2 3. North Little Rock 7-0 200 3 4. Greenwood 8-0 164 4 5. Pulaski Academy 8-0 155 5 6. Conway 5-2 123 6
7. Wynne 8-0 65 9 8. Lake Hamilton 7-0 64 10 9. Cabot 5-2 57 7 8. Benton 5-3 22 8 Others receiving votes: Springdale Har-Ber 15, Joe T. Robinson 6, Newport 5, Arkadelphia 4, Fort Smith Northside 4, Harding Academy 4, Bentonville West 3, Harrison 3, Jonesboro 3, Little Rock Christian 3, Little Rock Parkview 3, Texarkana 3, Fordyce 2, Shiloh Christian 1. CLASS 7A Record Pts Prv
4. Conway 5-2 48 4
2. Wynne 8-0 94 2
5. Cabot 5-3 18 5
3. Harrison 7-1 58 5
Others receiving votes: Springdale Har-Ber 8. CLASS 6A Record Pts Prv 1. Greenwood (25) 8-0 125 1 2. Lake Hamilton 7-0 92 3 3. Benton 5-3 73 2 4. Jonesboro 5-2 46 4 5. LR Parkview 5-1 35 5 Others receiving votes: Sylvan Hills 4.
1. Bryant (25) 7-0 125 1
CLASS 5A
2. Bentonville 8-0 95 2
Record Pts Prv
3. North Little Rock 7-0 81 3
1. Pulaski Academy (25) 8-0 25 1
4. Texarkana 5-0 51 4 3. LR Christian 5-2 40 3 Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 4, Morrilton 3.
CLASS 3A Record Pts Prv 1. Harding Academy (18) 5-1 112 1
CLASS 2A Record Pts Prv 1. Fordyce (25) 8-0 125 1 2. Gurdon 6-1 90 3
2. Newport (6) 8-0 89 2
3. Des Arc 8-0 79 2
3. Prescott 6-0 83 3
4. Junction City 4-2 42 5
CLASS 4A
4. Hoxie 7-0 35 4
5. Bigelow 8-0 26 NR
Record Pts Prv
5. McGehee (1) 6-0 30 5
1. Arkadelphia (10) 5-0 86 1 2. Shiloh Christian (10) 7-1 78 2 3. Joe T. Robinson (3) 5-3 72 4 4. Nashville 5-2 53 3 5. Rivercrest (1) 7-0 42 5 Others receiving votes: Stuttgart (1) 36, Ashdown 3, Central Arkansas Christian 3, Pocahontas 2.
Others receiving votes: Rison 9, Osceola 9, Paris 3, Glen Rose 3, Booneville 2.
Others receiving votes: Clarendon 2, Dierks 1.