Of the people, By the people, For the people
Home of subscriber
W.C. West
TUESDAY, February 9, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 6 / 75 cents
Food, drink and gratitude
The eighth annual Emergency Responders Dinner drew a crowd of close to 250 people Saturday evening at the Clinton High School Cafeteria. Awards were presented to dozens who have volunteered for at least 20 years with local fire departments. The dinner was started in 2009 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows to honor those who helped county residents after the devastating tornado in February 2008.
Changes coming for Head Start program The Head Start program in Clinton will undergo some changes this fall. Toby Atkinson, executive director of the Head Start program for Ozark Opportunities, told the Voice last week that the Clinton program is going to put the emphasis on children up to age 3 and cut out the classes for children ages 3-5. Atkinson said currently Head Start competes with Clin-
ton school's ABC Preschool Program to fill its 40 slots and studies have showed there is a greater need for the agency to expand care for younger children. He said he believes the Clinton preschool program will open more classrooms for ages 3-5 this fall and the Head Start program for that age will end. Currently, Head Start has 40 slots for ages 3-5 in Clinton.
The Head Start program in Shirley will not be affected by the change, Atkinson said. He said plans call for 16 slots to be available for children up to age 3 in January 2017. The Head Start program for ages 0-3 will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday 48 weeks a year, he said. It's a win-win situation, Atkinson said.
Baseball standout to play for CBC On Jan. 28 South Side Hornets baseball standout Colter Hinchey signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Central Baptist College in Conway. Hinchey, a left-handed pitcher, is excited about this opportunity. The senior is a valuable member of the Hornet Varsity Baseball team and was a member of the 2014 Hornet 1A State Championship Team. Pictured with Hinchey are (standing) CBC Coach Jonathan Buczek, South Side Coach Tye Glover, CBC Coach Jon Mark Abbey, and (seated) Hinchey's parents David Hinchey and Melissa Bradley.
Matthews
Brown
Pierre
Three Florida men who took a wrong turn while fleeing police in December were in Circuit Court last week. The three were being pursued by police in high-speed chase that started in Damascus on Dec. 18, 2015, when they turned onto a street in Clinton that leads only to the sheriff's office, according to reports. They wrecked their car and they ended up in handcuffs facing numerous charges. In Van Buren County Circuit Court on Friday, each man was represented by a different public defender. Angie Byrd, attorney for Darion Matthews, said she had just received discovery in the case and bristled at the suggestion that the defense be assessed the time before the next court date. "Why should we be strong-armed?" she asked the court. Nathan Morgan, defending Jermaine Brown, said he had been given discovery in the case some time ago and wanted a court date as soon as possible because
of the length of time his client has been incarcerated. Robert "Butch" Thacker said his client, Christopher Pierre, had informed him he would not be pleading guilty to anything and requested the earliest possible trial date. The three men are also facing charges in Cleburne County and as far as the attorneys could tell only Matthews has had a first appearance in that county. At one point during the proceedings, Brown asked if he could say something. "No," Morgan told his client. But later Brown persisted, asking Judge H.G. Foster, "Do I have a right to talk to you?" Foster told him he did have that right, but "it's not a bright idea." He explained that whatever Brown said could be used against him. In the end, a pretrial date of March 14 was set for the three with a trial date set for July 22, and plans were made to find out where the three stand in Cleburne County. According to court documents each of the defen-
dants is charged with five traffic violations, one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, and fleeing and theft by receiving, both D felonies. In another court case Friday, William Jones, 45, of Bee Branch was granted his request for a public defender. He is charged with felony fleeing after a high speed chase Jan. 29 that started in the Clinton city limits. Clinton Police Officer James Burroughs reported that Jones fled in a white Chevrolet Blazer after he was stopped at a gasoline station in Choctaw. Burroughs and a Van Buren County sherif's deputy gave chase. Burroughs' report said the Blazer turned off of Highway 9 West onto County Line Road, a dirt road, and was traveling more than 65 mph when they met a school bus and began seeing children. Burroughs said the chase was called off due to safety concerns. Williams was recognized by the deputy involved in the chase and later arrested, according to court documents.
Pretrial set for Florida trio