Oracle CE May 20, 2021

INDEX Events Comics COVID Update Sports

No. 2

Vol. 2

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May 20, 2021

Ouachita honors 364 graduates during 134th Commencement

Photo Courtesy of obu.edu

OBU’s graduated 364 in it’s 2021 commencement at Cliff Harris Stadium Saturday, May 8.

Rachel Gaddis OBU News Bureau ARKADELPHIA, Ark.— Ouachita Baptist University celebrated 364 graduates from the class of 2021 during its 134th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 8.

University officials conferred Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Associate of Arts degrees, with seven

students receiving Ouachita’s first ever post-baccalaureate certificates for dietetic internship.

The ceremony was held outdoors at Cliff Harris Stadium on Ouachita’s campus, with Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president, presiding over the commencement exercises. The ceremony also was livestreamed at www.livestream.com/obu for those unable to attend.

The recognized graduates featured 188 honor graduates, including 47 who graduated

summa cum laude with a grade point average of 3.95 or higher, and 25 who graduated with a 4.0 GPA; 76 graduated magna cum laude (3.75 GPA); and 65 who graduated cum laude (3.5 GPA). University officials also recognized a record number of 53 graduates who completed Ouachita’s Carl Goodson Honors Program.

Senior Class President Chris Cobb, a finance major from Little Rock, Ark., led the invocation. Scripture reading was led by the top graduates

Clark County Library Hosts Summer Reading Program

from the Pruet School of Christian Studies: Kara DeLaune, a community & family services and Spanish double major from Conway, Ark., and Laura Beth Warner, a Christian studies/Christian ministries major from Benton, Ark. Additionally, five graduates were recognized as commissioned Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army: Ben Adair, a kinesiology and leisure studies/recreation major from Alexander, Ark.; Chris Cobb, a finance major from Little

Rock, Ark.; Luke Hill, a biology major from Sheridan, Ark.; Anthony Kennedy, a Christian studies/Christian ministries major from Mena, Ark.; and Stephany Quintero, an accounting and finance double major from Arkadelphia, Ark. Graduate Joseph Presley, a biology major from Shreveport, La., also expects to be commissioned later this summer.

Ouachita Baptist University, a private liberal arts university in Arkadelphia, Ark., is in its 134th year as a Christ-

centered learning community and is ranked the No. 2 “Regional College in the South” by U.S. News & World Report. In fall 2020, Ouachita recorded its highest enrollment in 20 years and its highest-ever four year graduation rate with the class of 2020. The class of 2020 also recorded a 97% career outcomes rate despite the pandemic. Learn more about the university’s highly personal approach, reflected in a student/faculty ratio of 13:1, at www.obu.edu.

News About a New “S”

Photo Courtesy of Clark County Library

The Clark County Library is hosting a summer reading program for children ages 0-12 called Tails and Tales.

Tierra McCraney Staff Reporter The Clark County Li brary is hosting a summerlong program for children ages 0-12. This event, titled “Tails and Tales,” begins June 1 and ends July 31.

Betsy Fisher, the Library Director, describes “Tails and Tales” as a program that will “focus on animals and animal stories.”

Each week, TuesdayFriday at 2:00 p.m., children will have the opportunity to learn about animals through science, music, stories, and art.

On “Discovery Tuesdays,” staff will read a story

then introduce a sciencerelated skill and activity related to that story.

Wednesdays are for “Music in the Library,” which will consist of learning musical concepts, songs, and dances. “Summer Story” will take place on Thursdays. Here, children will learn about various animals and their habitats through story-time. And on Fridays, the library will provide “Take and Make” activities for children to complete at home. A video will be made available on the Clark County Library Facebook page for instructions.

Along with daily activities each week, the summer

program will also incorporate a reading challenge.

Each child will receive a badge for every ten books read. This badge represents one entry into a drawing for their age group: ages 0-4, 5-9, or 10-12. Additional badges are awarded for each event the child attends.

At the end of the program, the library will host a drawing for each age group where the winner will receive a gift card.

For more information about the summer program or registration, visit the Clark County Library website at clarkcountylibrary.ar.gov.

Photo by Lance Brownfield

The “Reddies” sign on top of the Garrison building at Henderson has been repaired after the “s” has been missing for weeks.

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2 News

Thursday, May 20, 2021

I Support Our Police Bruce Westerman AR State Representative

When did it become a polarizing, political statement to say that one “backs the blue?” Tragedy has caused our culture to spiral into an intense anti-police mindset that has demoralized and dehumanized our good and honorable men and women in uniform. With chants of “defund the police” come consequences that will only hurt the American way of life. Upholding the rule of law is one of the most basic tenets of American government. Without it, our government doesn’t function, and our society slips into chaos.

In cities where police budgets plummet, crime rates have surged. Minneapolis, for example, successfully voted to dismantle the city’s police department, and violent crime skyrocketed. Homicides were up 49%, and total violent crime rose 22%. Predictably, the

city soon approved spending $6.4 million to hire more police recruits.

In Portland, Oregon, 80% of the city’s homicides occurred after the city cut the police department’s budget by $16 million. Between the funding cuts and resignations, the Portland Police Bureau lost nearly 200 officers in a matter of months. The Mayor of Portland attempted to fix the problem with a $2 million in emergency police funding grant, but it was blocked by the City Council.

These anecdotes are not unique, and I fear the trend will continue. When cities try to score political points at the expense of their police departments, their citizens suffer. These policy changes have not had the effect that I am sure Democrats were hoping for. According to the National Sport Shooting Foundation, more guns were sold in the first quarter of 2021 than at any point since 1999. Without police protection, people simply

do not feel safe and are taking matters into their own hands.

Police officers deserve respect. For many officers, their jobs are labors of love.

They run toward danger while everyone else runs away. They have seen horrors the rest of us can only imagine, just to show up to work the next day and do it again. It may seem fine for their departments to be defunded, until you and your family are the ones in need of help. Of course, that does not mean we shouldn’t hold police accountable for their actions. As the adage goes, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

While we hold bad cops accountable for their actions, we must uplift the hundreds of thousands of officers in our communities who do their jobs well. I implore my fellow Americans to remember police officers’ and their families’ daily sacrifices to keep us safe.

Our police departments’ successes are our successes.

“Wow Factor” Could Delay Water Park Opening Blanton Matthews Staff Reporter For the first time in its 19 year history, the Arkadelphia Aquatic Park is getting an upgrade. The city ordered a new play structure, standing at twenty-three-feet tall with the same number of water features. This structure will stand in the place of the long-standing “mushroom” feature near the front of the pool.

The underground work is already done, the water for the new structure will run from the same line that the mushroom got its water, and with the mushroom removed, the structure itself will be installed as soon as it can be delivered. Delivery is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, giving them a week and a half to install the structure, fill the pool, and get approval from the health department to open for business.

Arkadelphia Parks and Recreation director Junior Rodemeyer is hopeful that the structure will be delivered as scheduled and that the park will open on time.

Rodemeyer said that if the

structure is delivered, he expects any delay would be no more than one or two days.

The park has not had a major addition since its construction in 2003. Last season, the park got some much-needed maintenance, costing $60,000. At the end of the season, Rodemeyer decided it was time to do more than maintain the park as it was.

“We want to bring back the wow factor,” said Rodemeyer, and he hopes the $214,000 addition will do just that.

The play structure includes two kid-sized slides, water cannons, and a massive bucket at the top that pours out 280 gallons of water every few minutes, signaled by an alarm.

Despite the hefty price tag of the new structure, visitors need not worry about ticket price, which will not be increasing.

If the installation delays the park’s opening, it will be the second year in a row the park has missed its usual Memorial Day weekend opening, as last year the park opened June 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike last year though,

the park no longer needs to operate at 50% capacity.

Despite new CDC recommendations, the park is also not requiring guests or even employees to wear masks on the pool deck regardless of vaccination status.

“We’re complying with the Arkansas Health Department’s rules and keeping social distancing, spreading out the seating,” said Rodemeyer, but there is no longer a limit on the actual number of patrons they can bring in below the physical capacity of the premises.

Another change from previous years is that the park’s hours have moved up two hours, from 1 to 8 p.m. to 11 a.m. to 6 p.m..

“We got a new system last season,” said Rodemeyer, “which keeps better track of park attendance, and when we looked at the statistics we saw that people weren’t really coming in during the 6-8 period. Also, we used to have private night parties from 8-10 and now we can start those earlier as well.”

The Arkadelphia Aquatic Park is tentatively scheduled to open May 29.

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Events Upcoming Events May 20 5 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Annual Alliance and Chamber Banquet May 29-30 8 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Ball Till You Fall Spring Madness - BALL HAWGZ Youth Basketball June 3

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Performing LIVE on the stage, The Rodney Block Collective, Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at 7th and Main Street.

June 8 Voting on local economic development funding and moving Clark County forward.

July 23 9 a.m.

Willie Tate Golf Tournament Classic

Recurring Friday Night Magic The Gathering - Atlas Gaming ♦♦♦ 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 870-230-2975 or 870-260-9277. ♦♦♦ The Arkadelphia Arts Center directors are looking forward to the day when we can open the doors to the public. Meanwhile, enjoy our rotating exhibits that may be seen through the window and glass door.

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. ♦♦♦

Rendering of the new play structure

Photo courtesy of Arkadelphia Parks & Recreation

Pediatrics Plus is excited to announce that our brand new facility is now open. Our new facility is located at 702 Hickory Street. The new facility offers includes a Developmental Preschool and Therapy Services that include: ABA, Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy. In addition, our brand new, state-of-the-art facilities include a House Next Door suite which offers a homey feel for children learning daily living activities like cooking, feeding therapy, making the bed, getting dressed, and more! Other features of the new facility include a new playground, gross motor gym, high stimulation and low stimulation gyms, and a library! Enroll Now to get a spot in our new location! ♦♦♦ 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.

Photo by Blanton Matthews

The “mushroom” has been removed and the water park awaits the delivery of the new structure.

Oracle:CE

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Page 3

Comic by Blanton Matthews

The Ranger Riddler Escape Room at DeGray Lake Resort Phoebe Darley Staff Reporter One of Arkadelphia’s newest attractions is The Ranger Riddler Escape Room located on DeGray Lake Resort State Park. The resort bought into the trending activity that’s sweeping the nation in late April by adding the escape room to their list of many attractions at the park.

Escape Rooms became popular in the late 2000s but really swept the nation when the 2019 movie Escape Room hit theaters. An escape room requires participants to be locked in a room with a small group of people trying to escape within a time limit.

At The Ranger Riddler Escape Room every team has 60 minutes to find the hidden clues and solve the puzzles.

The room is designed for ages 10 and up. DeGray’s escape room is open Fridays and Saturdays.

Groups have a maximum limit of eight people and minimum of three.

This activity is relatively safe for family and friends during COVID times as your group will be isolated in the room for the duration of the escape attempt. The standard rate to participate is $20 per person but a

10% discount is offered to overnight park guests.

Advanced registrations for the escape room are required and can be made by calling (501) 865-5850 or at the lodge’s front desk.

You can find more information on the Ranger Riddler Escape Room at their website, https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/degray-lake-resort-statepark-escape-room.

Arkansas Department of Health COVID-19 Update

Mayor Proclaims May 10th- 14th Economic Development Week in Arkadelphia Lance Brownfield Editor-in-Chief

Arkadelphia’s Economic Development Week (EDW) has concluded, giving the city’s businesses a second wind. The initiative, which was led by tMayor Scott Byrd, was aimed at celebrating the professionals who lead city projects and “increasing awareness for local programs that create jobs.”

Some of the newest city projects include the newly renovated baseball field at Feaster Park sponsored

by Southwest Auto Collection and the new corporate hangar at the Dexter B. Florence Memorial Field Airport.

The ribbon cutting for corporate hangar no. 4 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 26 at 10 a.m.

How to place Classified Ads in the

Send an ad with payment addressed to “Oracle” to 1100 Henderson Street Box 7693. Tell us how often the ad should run. Deadline for ads: For ad changes, to cancel ads; tell us by Thursday.

The week before publication. No extra charge for bold or caps. Phone number and full name are one word.

Cost: 25¢/word “$7/photo.”

Call Reddie Media Group (RMG) at 870230-5220 or rmg@hsu.edu for a detailed rate card or any other questions. Ask us about our duration packages.

Arkansas Department of Health

According to the Arkansas Department of Health Administration in its COVID-19 update, there are a total of

73,841 probable cases in the state as of April 19.

In reference to ADH’s graph, there are a total of 338,782 cases. There have been 251,659 individuals partially immunzed and 847,696 fully immunized.

Crites & Tackett Tree Service Tree removal, trimming, topping and stump removal.

Free estimates, worker’s comp, and liability insurance.

501-337-1565 or 501-337-9094

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.

Vaccines are now available for a limited amount of people. Baptist Health in Arkadelphia has been supplying shots for weeks for selected employees across town.

Golf, softball, women’s volleyball, and basketball are in full swing, so sports teams are

keeping an eye on COVID guidelines. That’s not to say that there aren’t precautions, however, as games are being cancelled left and right to coincide with regulations.

With Joe Biden as the new President of the United States and vaccines being given to those that meet the needed qualifications, things are changing week by week.

People are encouraged to continue social distancing and staying at least six feet away from others. Testing is widely available in most cities.

Oracle Online Want all the Oracle with less of the hassle?

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Editor in Chief: Lance Brownfield Ads Manager: Harley Whisenhunt Oracle Editor: Kaela McKim Sports Editor: Donovan Lee Staff Reporters: Phoebe Darley, Blanton Matthews, Tierra McCraney, Juliann Reaper, Aaron Weatherford, Jaylon McKewen, Madison Hardcastle, Haven Hughes Adviser: Steve Listopad

oracle@hsu.edu 870-230-5221 1100 Henderson Street, Arkadelphia, AR - 71923 Calls will be returned.

Mailed subscriptions now offered -$60 for 6 months -$100 a year All views and opinions are those of Oracle writers and editors and they do not represent the beliefs of Henderson State University. The Oracle: CE is printed by the Nashville Leader in Nashville, AR*

4 Sports

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Oracle: CE

Reddies Put Four on 2021 All-GAC Baseball HSU Media

RUSSELLVILLE— Henderson State had four players named to the 2021 All-Great American Conference baseball teams on Thursday.

Junior pitcher Spencer Taack earned First Team honors, senior outfielder Danny Mitchell Jr. was selected to the Second Team, and senior shortstop Joe Myers and senior reliever Taylor Langston garnered Honorable Mention recognition.

Taack, a right-hander from Dallas, Texas, capped off a break-out season by joining Bryant Haralson

and Brittain Diamond as just the third HSU starting pitcher to be named to the GAC First Team. Taack boasts a 4.30 ERA and 6-1 record this season in 58.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 63 batters and walked just 18. Henderson is 9-2 in games Taack has started this year and he has not lost a start since his season debut on Feb. 12 against Southern Arkansas.

Mitchell Jr., from North Little Rock, Arkansas, earned the second All-GAC nod of his career and was slotted onto the league’s Second Team. The talented outfielder has a .289 batting average this season to go along with 43 hits, 26

RBIs, six home runs and a team-high 11 stolen bases.

Mitchell Jr. has thrived since moving to the leadoff spot in the lineup for the Reddies and has hit .381 in the last month of the year.

Myers, a fifth-year starter from Little Rock, Arkansas, was named Honorable Mention All-GAC at shortstop. Myers has had the best season of his career for the Reddies and has racked up 48 RBIs, 11 home runs and 43 runs scored behind a .290 batting average and .600 slugging percentage. A proven big bat in the lineup for HSU, Myers has an OPS of 1.013 and ranks third in the GAC in RBIs, eighth in runs scored and ninth in

home runs.

Langston, from El Dorado, Arkansas, was selected to the Honorable Mention All-GAC Team as a reliever — the second All-GAC honor of his career. A 2018 All-American, Langston has put together another strong campaign this season for the Reddies and carries a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings of relief. The big right-hander has struck out 33 batters, walked just two and earned two saves and three wins for HSU this year. He has not walked a batter in his last 19 innings pitched and has surrendered just 10 earned runs in his entire three-year playing career at Henderson.

Photo courtesy of HSUsports.com

Kaden Argenbright swings for the fences last Friday when HSU defeated the Muleriders 9-6.

The No. 7 seed Reddies (23-17, 18-15) open GAC Tournament play tomorrow at 6 p.m. when they travel to Magnolia, Arkansas to

face No. 2 seed Southern Arkansas in the league quarterfinals.

Reddies Upset SAU 9-6, Advance to GAC Semifinals HSU Media MAGNOLIA— Henderson State used a grand slam from Kaden Argenbright and a threeinning save from Taylor Langston to upset regular-season conference champion Southern Arkansas 9-6 on Friday night and advance to the semifinals of the GAC Tournament.

With the victory, the No. 7 seed Reddies (2417) earned a date at their home field with No. 3 seed Oklahoma Baptist on Monday at 4:30 p.m. in Arkadelphia. The winner will play for the 2021 GAC Tournament title on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Argenbright led HSU at the plate and was 3-for-5 with five RBIs. Five other players recorded two-hit games for Henderson, who racked up 16 total hits in the win.

Spencer Taack got a no-decision in his 12th start of the season for the

Reddies. Taack pitched four innings, surrendered four runs on five hits, struck out four and walked four. Brayden Bebee was excellent in relief of Taack and pitched a scoreless two innings to earn his second win of the year.

The Reddies took a 1-0 lead on a Joe Myers RBI single in the first inning, but SAU answered quickly with three runs on three hits in the bottom half to surge in front, 3-1. Both teams traded runs in the third and fourth, but after a scoreless fifth frame, Henderson broke through in the sixth.

A two-out RBI single up the middle from Greyson Stevens cut the deficit to 4-3, and after a fielding error loaded the bases, Argenbright took advantage. On the first pitch he saw, the freshman unloaded a grand slam to right-center which flipped the game on its head and gave Henderson a 7-4

advantage.

HSU’s momentum continued in the seventh, as the Reddies scored on heads-up baserunning from Jake Dunn and another RBI single from Stevens to make it 9-4.

With a five-run lead, Henderson turned to Langston, who entered in the seventh attempting to match his longest Photo by Lance Brownfield outing of the year.

The 2021 Mid South Open took place Saturday at the Lake DeGray Lower Dam Disc Golf Course.

The Muleriders got to There were two rounds of 18 holes at the event.

Langston in the bottom half, plating two runs on three hits, but that was the extent of their damage. The senior AllGAC selection locked the game down from that point on and struck out eight batters over the final three innings to secure the win for HSU. The victory was the first for Henderson against SAU in Magnolia since 2013 and marks the Reddies’ first GAC Tournament win since 2018.

Photo by Lance Brownfield

People came from all over the state Saturday to take part in the 2021 Mid South Open Disc Golf at the Lake DeGray Lower Dam Disc Golf Course.

Warriors fight for regional title Aaron Weatherford Staff Reporter

With only one senior, Ouachita’s baseball team took home the 1A regional title despite starting the year as one of the bottom tier teams in the division.

They lost their first eight out of 10 games before finally blanking Conway Christian 16-0 back in mid March. Ouachita would then go one and six over the period of their next nine games.

“Nobody benefited from having last season shut down,” Nail said. “ Especially this team. We were essentially trotting a bunch of freshman out there and even our sophomores were kind of freshman from an experience standpoint.”

Things quickly turned around on April 8 when defending 3A state champ Haskell Harmony Grove came to town. Ouachita would hold a 1-0 lead until Harmony Grove added two runs in the sixth inning.

The Warriors would then win in walk off fashion in the bottom of the seventh, winning 3-2.

“We got that big win at home in about early April and used that to keep rolling through wins,” Nail said.

This game gave Coach

The Ouachita Warriors won the 1A regional championship, but were defeated by the Mammoth Springs Bears last Thursday.

Nail and his team the fuel it needed to be a contender in the 1A division as a whole.

Over the course of the next 12 games up until the district tournament, Ouachita would go 11 and one.

“We played with so much more confidence after that big home win,” Coach Nail said after beating Carlisle 5-2 in the regular season finale.

With 1A being such a small conference, the Warriors only had to play two district tournament games.

In the first game, they defeated a small Kirby team 5-1. When they got to the championship game, they faced Mt. Ida who had previously beat them 5-3 earlier in the season. Ouachita would end up losing to Mt. Ida 7-5 and advance into regionals as a two seed.

In the first day of regionals, Ouachita would clobber Bradley 11-4 setting up a rematch with Taylor, who also previously beat them 22-14. The Warriors were fired up about the rematch

and it payed off. Taylor at the time of this game was number two in class 1A. Ouachita would go onto win 8-7, shocking the state entirely.

With that win, the Warriors would have to face their conference foe once again, Mt. Ida. This time, Coach Nail and his players were ready. Ouachita pummeled Mt. Ida 13-1, winning the 1A Region 4 Championship. Ouachita earned a one seed and a birth in the state tournament, which is the

Photo courtesy of Shirley Asher McDade

expectation Coach Nail has brought to this program.

Unfortunately, the round one matchup with Mammoth Springs did not go as planned. The Bears scored three runs in the first inning and they didn’t look back. Mammoth Springs would then score two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. Ouachita did what they could, scoring a run an inning, but was not enough to advance. Ouachita’s season came to an end with a 7-4 loss to the Mammoth

Springs Bears.

“I’m expecting to have more experience next year,” Nail said. “Having mostly sophomores and juniors will allow the incoming freshman to learn and to get more reps.”

Even though the season ended in disappointment, the Warriors finished the season 19-17 while also earning a regional championship. Not too shabby for a team with one senior.