Of the people, By the people, For the people
Home of subscriber
Margie Pounds
TUESDAY, February 21, 2017 / Vol. 3 Issue 8 / 75 cents
How it all began – What started as a slab of concrete several months ago became a monument to the National Chuckwagon Races over the weekend. The monument, situated outside the Clinton Feed Store, tells the history of the races, which began as a Labor Day gathering of few a friends and has grown into a huge event that attracts thousands of people worldwide. It was started in 1986 by Dan and Peggy Eoff. (Photos by Robert Snyder/for The Voice)
Sheriff asks to replace worker Just a month after the county was put under a hiring freeze, the sheriff was asking the Quorum Court for a waiver. Sheriff Scott Bradley told the justices of the peace at last Thursday’s meeting that one of his office workers had turned in her resignation and said he needs to replace her with another fulltime worker. Asked if he could make the position part time, Bradley said he could if he had to, but really felt the position needed to be full time. There was some debate over how to go about requesting hiring a full-timer, and it was decided it should be done through a resolution. Bradley said he will bring a resolution to next month’s meeting and ask again. Chad Brown, representing the 20th Judicial District, said he was in
Notes New alderman
Sunny Hargis (center) receives a plaque of appreciation Thursday for her 18 years of service on the Van Buren County Library board. Presenting the plaque was Rhonda Davis, board president. Also pictured are John Hargis, librarian Karla Fultz and board member Glenda Stagg. the same boat, that the Drug Task Force needs to hire for a position in Van Buren County but he was unsure how to make the request. By a unanimous voice vote, the JPs approved making hiring requests through resolutions. Also at the meeting, Ozark Health Medical Center’s CEO David Deaton presented its annual report. He said the facility employs more than 300 people, saying, “340360 pay checks are cut every two
weeks.” The center paid $14.9 million in payroll and benefits in 2016 compared to $13.8 in 2015 for an increase of 7.9 percent. He gave numbers comparing 2015 and 2016, showing that hospital patient days were down 9.1 percent while “observation hours” were up 12.8 percent. Observation hours are time spent observing patients before deciding whether to admit them. The big change, he said, is in the
number of home health visits, up 30.9 percent (15,120 in 2015 to 19,799 in 2016); and in nursing home days – from 28,470 in 2015 to 31,248 in 2016, a 9.8 percent increase. According to Medicare.gov, the nursing home in Clinton has 118 certified beds, with 86 residents for a 73 percent rate of occupied beds. In the latest reports available, inspections in October 2016 found eight deficiencies at the nursing home,
which is higher than the state average of 5.9 and the national average of 7.2. The report states that the deficiencies were corrected in November 2016. Also at the meeting, Animal Control Officer Reta Tharp reported that the shelter currently has 10 dogs and five cats. She said a rescue group in Massachusetts plans to make two trips to Van Buren County for dogs in March and wants to take 15 dogs each trip.
Request for ‘weed’ lands man in jail A witness called police on Valentine’s Day to report a man at the City Park in Clinton was asking people if they had any “weed” or meth. A Clinton Police officer found the man at the bathroom of the park and the man acknowledged he had “asked a guy
if he had any weed,” according to a police report. The officer informed he man he would be cited for disorderly conduct. After placing the man in handcuffs, the officer found a capped syringe in the suspect’s pocket and informed the suspect he would be charged
with a felony for having the needle, according to the report. On the ride to the Detention Center, according to the report, the suspect threatened to sue the officer if he was struck or his property got lost. He also called the officer a vulgar name, the report said. The
suspect had two dogs with him and they were picked up by animal control. The officer went back to meet with the witness who called police and was told the suspect was acting strangely, “twitching” and “scratching,” and then asked if the witness had any
drugs on him, the report said. The suspect has been identified as Matthew Johnson and his residence was listed as California. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a felony, and loitering, a misdemeanor, according to the report.
David Cook has been chosen by Shirley aldermen to join the City Council. A seat was left vacant after Johnny Sowell resigned as mayor at the end of last year and Lisa Hackett, the longest-serving member of the council, was selected as the new mayor. Also making a bid for the council seat was Wanda Poynor and Brandy Kimmons.
Hunters’ Ed
There will be a free Hunters' Education Class from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Saturday, February 25, 2017, at the downtown Clinton Fire Department. Anyone born after December 31, 1968, must take a class to hunt in Arkansas. Register online at register-ed. com or call Jay Hagans at (501) 592-2472.
New contest
We’re starting a new contest here at The Voice. See Page 10 for all the details.
Rural life
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture has released See Notes on page 4