INDEX Events Comics COVID Update Sports
No. 3
Vol. 2
2 3 3 4
May 27, 2021
A Brief History of the Half-Cent Sales Tax Blanton Matthews Staff Reporter
Photo by Blanton Mattthews
Voting on the tax initiative and the proposed bypass is Tuesday, June 8. Early voting runs June 1-4 and Monday, June 7.
The Clark County Strategic Planning Initiative was introduced in 2007, including a sales tax increase that was approved by voters on June 12 of that year by a count of 1,755 for and 804 against. The tax, half a penny on every dollar, went to incentivize companies to open plants in the county. It was intended to be a temporary measure to jumpstart the local economy and reverse negative trends in employment figures and population. In the following year, Alumacraft expanded its Arkadelphia plant both in physical size and by adding 15 new employees, and Hitco Carbon Composites (now SGL) opened a plant in the Clark County Industrial Park, hiring 60 workers. Most of the money—70% to be precise—collected from the tax goes into municipal capital expenditures, buying and maintaining infrastructure to entice businesses to locate or expand in Clark County. Advocates for the renewal of the tax say that the un-
employment rate in Clark County being lower than surrounding counties and a 20% average increase since 2011 in manufacturing wages compared to a national 8% average increase are directly linked to the introduction of the sales tax. The tax was supposed to sunset after seven years, but Clark County voters chose to renew it in 2014 for another seven, rescheduling its expiration for 2021, hence the new vote to renew it. However, this vote will renew it for 15 years, rather than another seven, sunsetting in 2036. This time, the tax renewal shares the ballot with a new bond that would be paid for by the tax. If both measures are approved by Clark County voters, $8 million from the tax will go to the bond to fund a truck bypass that should improve traffic in the downtown area by routing big trucks past downtown. The bond is also the reason for the tax being up for a 15 year renewal as opposed to another seven, as bonds for 15 years have a lower interest rate. Opponents argue that the retention of the tax, specifical-
ly as for the bypass, is unnecessary. Justin Gonzales, state Representative for the 19th District, says that any slow traffic that could be sped up with trucks rerouted around downtown Arkadelphia is not worth the $8 million price tag that the tax would go toward. “In the last few years, businesses in the area have worked hard to improve downtown,” Gonzales said. “And bypassing downtown would hurt those businesses.” Dr. Wesley Kluck, co-chair of Clark County Strategic Plan, says on his Facebook page that the bypass is necessary because one log truck passed through town every five minutes, and that Arkadelphia is the second most expensive areas per highway mile for trucks to pass through in the United States per ARDOT and US Bureau of Labor statistics. Also, despite some misconceptions to the contrary, the bypass will not happen without Clark County voters electing for both the renewal of the tax and the new accompanying bond. Early voting is open from June 1-4, then again on June 7, and election day is June 8.
United Way of the Ouachitas Offers Financial Courses to Surrounding Areas Keyuna Thrower Contributing Writer United Way of the Ouachitas in Hot Springs offers free online financial courses to everyone in the area surrounding Garland County, including residents of Clark County. The Financial Empowerment Classes, or FEC, are partnering with local financial institutions to help the community reach their financial goals. “Because we all know financial independence is security,” said Sarah Fowler, the executive director of United Way of the Ouachitas. “And security makes us all feel better.”
If you have a phone or laptop, then you can attend these classes. Classes will be held weekly on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10 and Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 unless stated otherwise. All courses are virtual and you must download the application to attend. The non-profit organization wants to reach the community, specifically where COVID-19 has impacted many people. Not only do they provide free classes but also offer assistance in securing food, shelters and much more. “Our goal is to really educate those in the Ouachitas region with the right
financial tools to make better financial decisions on behalf of themselves and their families,” said Fowler. The United Way Worldwide, and their partner agencies’, service area includes Garland, Montgomery, Polk, Clark, Hot Spring, Pike, and Saline counties. For more information visit their website at www.unitedwayouachitas.org. To sign up for any of the classes, please call 501-623-2505 or email Sarah Fowler at sarah. fowler@local.unitedway. org to reserve your space.
Photo Courtesy of United Way
United Way of the Ouachitas is a nonprofit based in Hot Springs with the goal of helping local residents to achieve financial security and literacy.
Say What? HSU No Longer Offers French or German Lance Brownfield Editor-in-Chief Henderson’s budget may be on the way to recovery, but the effects of the crisis are still being felt in many departments. The department of English, Philosophy and Foreign Language has lost several key instructors and courses. One of the biggest losses to the foreign language department can be felt in the French and German programs. When Dr. Val Gudrian, who taught both languages, retired last May, the university replaced her with adjunct professors. With concerns over the budget, Henderson decided not to hire for these positions for the upcoming school year.
“We hoped we would be able to hire a replacement in her position and continue offering those languages,” said Dr. Angela Boswell, the dean of Ellis College of Arts and Sciences. Because the university’s foreign language courses require students to stick with one language for four semesters, students who have already taken French 1 and 2 or German 1 and 2 will be allowed to finish their program of choice. Students will not be allowed to start French or German from this point on, however. This means that students at Henderson only have one choice to meet their foreign language requirements. Spanish is the only offering
available for the time being. “As we always have, we will be glad to accept transfer credit from another university for Spanish, German, or French,” Boswell said. “We have not yet discussed if we will accept other languages transferred in from other universities.” There are still many unknowns with the future of Henderson’s foreign language department, but the requirement remains for many seeking a degree at the institution. Even though Henderson has recently aligned with the ASU system, there is no online offering for Henderson students to take in place of Spanish. In an ever-shrinking world, languages like French and German have
become important in many career fields. German is especially useful in the world of business and trade, while French can be of use to missionaries, artists and many others. Spanish is certainly the most common second language in North America. It is a very handy language
to learn and it’s a good thing that Henderson still offers it. Henderson looks to teach German and French again whenever they are in a better place financially. Then maybe to expand the language department to its former glory, teaching other tongues such as
Japanese or Russian. Unfortunately, for now students are left with just Spanish in the course catalog. Perhaps the ASU system will help Henderson regain financial stability in the near future, so Henderson can resume teaching German and French.
Photo by Lance Brownfield
HSU will no longer offer French or German courses due to a reduction in the foreign language department.
From Weather.com
FRI - May 28 scattered thunderstorm
SAT - May 29 scattered thunderstorm
SUN - May 30 partly cloudy
MON - May 31 partly cloudy
TUE - June 01 mostly cloudy
WED - June 02
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Precipitation: 43% Wind: WNW 5 mph Humidity: 81%
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