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Of the people, By the people, For the people
Wayne & Sally Beavers
TUESDAY, October 3, 2017 / Vol. 3 Issue 37 / 75 cents
Gurley takes over as sheriff Longtime Chief Deputy Randy Gurley took over as sheriff of Van Buren County at midnight Saturday. Gurley was selected for the job Thursday by the Van Buren County Quorum Court. The vote was 5-3; Justice of the Peace Dale James recused because of a conflict of interest. Also seeking the job was Darriel Ezell, owner of Clinton Funeral Service and a part-time officer for the Clinton Police Department. The justices of the peace went into executive session for almost 2½ hours be-
fore making their decision. Those who turned out to hear the discussion heard only a little as Gurley and Ezell each got three minutes to tell the public why they wanted the job and what their credentials are. Gurley said he began his law enforcement career in 1976 with the Pine Bluff Police Department. He became police chief in White Hall in 1980. Gurley left law enforcement from 1984 until 2000 to run his trucking company. In 2001 he joined the Van Buren County sheriff’s office.
Gurley said he has occasionally bumped heads with former Sheriff Scott Bradley and there are some things he plans to change, including the criminal investigative division. Ezell told the audience that he has been a highway patrolman and reserve police officer for seven years. He said his success as a funeral home owner taking on a well established competitor is proof that he knows how to run an organization. James has a connection with Ezell through the sale of funeral policies.
Van Buren County’s new sheriff, Randy Gurley, is sworn in Oct. 1 by Circuit Judge H.G. Foster. (Facebook photo) Justices of the peace voting for Gurley were: John Bradford, Brian Tatum, Dell Holt, Gary Linn and Kevin Hous-
ley. Those voting no were: Mary Philips, Todd Burgess and Rick Sundelin. Bradley resigned effective Sept. 30 to
take the job of director of the Arkansas Sheriffs Association. He was Van Buren County’s sheriff for more than 14 years.
School Board OKs budget Over the objections of a couple of members, the Clinton School Board approved a budget for the 2017-18 school year while it avoided talk about the threat of a federal lawsuit. New board members D.L. Webb and Brent Treadaway joined with Timothy Barnes at the Sept. 25 meeting to object to having received the budget proposal only moments before being asked to vote on it. The total budget for 2017-18 is $10,5551,926, up from the previous year’s $9,930,476. That budget includes $260,000 for incentives and $100,000 in salary increases, Superintendent Andrew Vining told the board. That’s not enough, Barnes said. He noted that the district has been spending a lot of money on inanimate things such as football bleachers, vehicles, etc. but needs to be “spending on things that breathe.” Barnes said
Autumn’s arrival October arrived Sunday with this beautiful sunrise in Alread. Photo by Robert R. Gaut
At right, this Sunday morning sky is called a “mackerel sky” and old-time sailors said that when this sky appears it will rain within 24 hours. Photo by Robert Snyder
Town Hall meetings set
There will be three Town Hall meetings in October to discuss the proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase. The first meeting is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 5 at the downtown Clinton Fire Department. The second meeting will be Oct. 16 and the third meeting Oct. 23. Fire Chief D.L.
Webb has requested the sales tax increase to fund the fire department. Only residents in the Clinton city limits will be allowed to vote in the Nov. 14 election.
Budget meetings begin
The Van Buren County Quorum Court has started its fall budget meet-
ings. The budget committee met Sept. 26 for preliminary talks and the news was not good. Chairman Dale James said about $500,000 must be cut from the county’s budget. “Payroll is overwhelming us,” he said. The committee will meet with department heads on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24.
teachers are not paid competitively, that their salaries are $2,000 or $3,000 below other school districts. As a result, he said, teachers are leaving and Clinton is having to hire teachers late in the summer. “I’m tired of having to hire teachers in July,” Barnes said. He said inexperienced teachers are having to work with students that need the most help. “We’re getting into teacher inefficiency,” he said. Keeping veteran teachers is important, he said. Vining said that if a budget was not submitted to the state by Oct. 1, the district would get no funding, and he and other members of the board said they will be holding a retreat soon and will discuss the budget and salaries then. The board approved the budget on a 5-2 vote with Barnes and Treadaway voting against it. See School Board on page 4
Senate confirms Hiland Van Buren County native Cody Hiland was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Hiland was the 20th Judicial prosecuting attorney for Van Buren, Faulkner and Searcy counties prior to his Sept. 28 confirmation. His term is for four years.
Hiland was recommended by both Arkansas senators, Tom Cotton and John Boozman and then nominated by President Trump. “I am pleased that the Senate confirmed Cody, who I am confident will be an excellent U.S. Attorney,” Boozman said in a news release. “He has the commitment, experience, and ex-
Hiland pertise necessary to tackle the challenges he will face in this See Hiland on page 4