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Verl Sanders
TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 18 / 75 cents
Thieves hit garage, steal truck fuel Thieves stole more than $1,800 in diesel fuel from a Clinton garage last week. The fuel was taken from the tanks of several trucks left at Scooter's Truck Repair sometime in the early hours of April 26, according to a report from the Clinton Police Department. Garage owner Grady Keith told police he had worked late April 25, so the theft occurred after midnight. The thieves are believed to have a trailer with a 500 gallon to 1,000 gallon tank and an electric pump, according to the report by Investigator John Willoughby.
A time to grow
Flowers and plants put on a colorful show at the home of Berniece and Dee Linn Jones of Alread. For tips and more about growing plants, flowers and veggies, see The Voice's special Gardening Section, Pages 6-7.
Shirley School District seeks dismissal of lawsuit The Shirley School District has asked dismissal of a civil lawsuit concerning a student injured jumping off a moving school bus in 2014. Deborah Widener of Clinton filed the complaint against the district in early April 2016. The complaint alleged that a bus driver, identified in the complaint as Jason Cowell, a coach at
Shirley schools, told Widener's minor son that he did not have time to stop at the boy's house and ordered him to jump off the bus as it slowed. The complaint says the boy was seriously injured and suffered permanent scarring and disfigurement when he did as he was told. In its answer, filed April 18, the school
district claims that any injury to the plaintiff "was a result of the negligence of plaintiff." It also requests a "pro ration of fault among all parties pursuant to Act 649 of the Acts of Arkansas." The district also states in its answer that the Shirley School District is immune under Arkansas law and can only be liable as to the appli-
ama - American Invasion, 1989; Operation Restore Hope, 1992-1993; Persian Gulf War, 1991; United Nations Operation in Somalia, Haiti - American intervention, 1994-1995; Operation Allied Force, 1999; Peacekeeping forces - Bosnia and Hercegovina, Operation Joint Guardian, 1999; War on Terrorism, 20012009; Afghan War, 2001-present; and the Iraq War, 20032011. Contact Mrs. Nelson at 501-6542200, or e-mail jnelson@southsidebb. org if you are, or know, a Veteran in our community willing to be interviewed for this project.
South Side to honor 1949 graduate
Story and photo courtesy of Ed Wood
cable insurance policy limits. The district joined Widener in requesting a trial by jury. No date has been set. Andy L. Turner and Ben C. Hall of Turner Law Firm in Cabot are representing the school district. Widener is represented by Steve Harrelson of Harrelson Law Firm in Little Rock.
Students need help with project Students in Julie Nelson's Distance Learning Lab at South Side-Bee Branch are organizing to help The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Students will collect first-hand accounts of U.S. veterans from the following wars: World War II, 1939-1945; Cold War; Korean War, 1950-1953; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Grenada - American Invasion, 1983; Pan-
The thieves apparently drove onto the parking lot next to the trucks and pumped them dry. The trucks that were targeted and the amount of fuel taken were: Stevens Stone Supply, 350 gallons worth $654.50; Teddy Bramlett Trucking, 150 gallons worth $280.50; Gillihan Logging, 75 gallons worth $467.50; Scooter's Garage, 80 gallons worth $149.60; and Terry Lee Trucking, 140 gallons worth $261.80. The total amount is $1,813.90, the report states. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Clinton Police at 745-4997.
Track champions
The South Side Senior Boys Track team swept the 1A North Central Conference title by 125 points last week at the Hendrix Wellness and Athletic Center. Beau Pennington won the high-point award, scoring the most points of any male at the meet. The Junior High Boys team also won the Conference championship. The Junior High Girls and the Senior High Girls placed second. South Side has 17 athletes going to the State Track meet in Harrison. They will compete in 22 different events. The track teams are coached by Lori Jean Rooney.
Sammy Collums was born and raised in Bee Branch. The house that he lives in today is in the same place as his childhood home. He is a 1949 graduate of South Side School where he played the trombone in the school band and was on the basketball team. During his senior year, he was part of the basketball team that won third place in the State Tournament by beating West Memphis. Immediately after high school, Sammy left the state to find work. He ended up in Detroit, Michigan, and rode a bicycle delivering telegrams for Western Union. Then he moved to San Francisco and worked in a bakery and from there he went to Wichita, Kansas, and worked in the Cudahay Packing Co.
Sammy was drafted in the Army on December 1, 1952. He was sent to basic training at Camp Roberts, California, then was sent to Korea for 14.5 months. When he left for Korea, he jokingly said, "When I go over there I am going to end the war," and the war ended while he was over there. While in the war he was in the 81 Mortar Company and when the war ended he got put in the mess hall and became a cook. He was in special services entertaining the troops via music. He left the Army on October 12, 1954. Sammy attended ASTC College in Conway (now UCA) and received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Education with a major in Speech and a See Collums on page 2