Of the people, By the people, For the people
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Mary Chism
TUESDAY, May 22, 2018 / Vol. 4 Issue 21 / 75 cents Memorial Day
The Voice newspaper will arrive a day late next week because the Post Office is closed Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day. The Voice office also will be closed Monday in observance of the holiday. We honor America’s veterans on this day and always.
Fun and health
Concert
The Van Buren County Community Band will holds its annual Memorial Day concert at 6 p.m. Monday, May 28, at Archey Fork Park behind Subway. In case of rain, the concert moves to the Van Buren County Fairgrounds.
The Big Event at Ozark Health Medical Center, featuring labs, a bouncy playground, food, and more, drew a crowd Saturday. Plans are already in the making for next year’s event. (Photos from Ozark Health Facebook)
Bot attack
If you sent us an article, photo, or perhaps even an ad in the past week and don’t see it in the paper this week, that’s probably because our e-mail, and some other Arkansas Telephone Co. clients’ e-mail, has been under attack. Hackers are using bots to disrupts e-mail, the phone company says, and we have been unable to get to ours for several days. A couple of times, the technicians there were able to get us reunited with our e-mail accounts (thank you fellows for trying), but overall we’ve been without. So, if we missed you, we apologize.
Dreams do come true: Arthur always wanted to ride in a Ford Model T and Saturday it happened thanks to Donnie Brown.
SWAT team proposal fails Justices of the peace rejected an ordinance last week that would have created and funded a SWAT team for Van Buren County. Two main points were raised by members of the Van Buren County Quorum Court in rejecting the proposal. One, the money requested for the team, $30,000, is not there; and two, creating a SWAT team should be left to the next elected sheriff if he thinks it necessary. Current Sheriff Randy Gurley was appointed to the position last fall and cannot run for re-election. JP Mary Philips questioned the immediate need for a SWAT team and asked why Gurley didn’t ask for the money to be taken from his budget as a transfer if he felt there was a hurry. “What’s the rush?” she asked, saying that taxpayers expect good stewardship of their money. Gurley responded that he already had cut $112,000 from his budget.
JP Dale James said that the budget for the sheriff’s office and detention center for 2018 - $2.6 million - is actually more than for 2017 when it was $2.3 million. “Numbers don’t lie,” he said. James said if spending continues at this pace, the county will have a hard time making payroll by October. JP Todd Burgess pointed out that the county had a Swift Response Team and former Sheriff Scott Bradley disbanded it. There also was mention of a sheriff’s office auction of confiscate items to raise the money. Gurley said they have 108 firearms, two vehicles and some other items. The last sheriff’s auction apparently was in 2008. A motion to table the proposal failed on a 4-4 vote. The ordinance then was brought up for a vote. It failed on a 6-2 vote with JPs John Bradford and Brian Tatum voting in favor it it. Gary Linn was not at the meeting.
Hornets baseball
We’re sad to report that the South Side-Bee Branch Hornets lost Friday, May 18, to Woodlawn (from Rison) by a score of 4-2 in the Class 1A State Baseball Tournament. Congratulations on a great year.
Wrecks
Local law enforcement reports they have worked more than a dozen car accidents in the past several weeks, one of which, on May 1, caused serious injuries. Use caution while behind the wheel, that road construction and pipeline work is going to continue for quite a long time.
Watch where you step - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says it isn’t so but a lot of folks say they are seeing more snakes than usual this year, from rattlesnakes to copperheads. AG&F says the snakes were jarred out of their complacency because the weather has heated up recently.
Water system takeover gets closer Two arrested after agents The city of Shirley moved closer to turning its water system over to Community Water at its last City Council meeting earlier this month. John Metrailer, engineer with PMI, reported that the Water Department had been pre-approved for a 100 percent grant for a new distribution line connecting the north and south sides of town. This funding did not include water meters or water tank painting. Metrailer stated getting approval for the grant is a six
to 12 month process. The next step would be the collecting monthly billing and income and expense information. Metrailer stated that PMI was on board to take care of everything needed and Tim Shaw stated that CWS was prepared to take the project on when they take over the system. The city of Shirley would not have to borrow any money. Under a management agreement, CWS will take over the monthly reading of meters, supply a person qualified and
licensed through the Arkansas Department of Health as an operator to provide necessary oversight and operation of the system, make all emergency and non-emergency repairs/adjustments and the town will pay for the cost of parts. Mayor Lisa Hackett and Melissa Worthing, city recorder/treasurer, will take over the entry of the meter readings and printing and sending out the monthly bills. The motion passed unanimously. Deborah Kerrigan was absent.
search home in Shirley Two Shirley men were arrested during a search of their home by Department of Community Corrections agents and Drug Task Force Agents on May 10. According to an affidavit for arrest, one of the men tried to conceal a jewelry bag containing a white substance from a shelf by a bed. The report states that the suspect attempted to flee and was subdued after a brief struggle.
The second suspect turned over a sunglasses case with a larger bag and a small bag, both containing methamphetamine, according to the report. Jonathan Ramer, 33, and David Ramer, 60, each was charged with possession of methamphetamine with purpose to deliver, a Class A felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class D felony.