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TUESDAY, October 11, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 38 / 75 cents
Search turns up unmarked graves Hardin Cemetery looks like many other old cemeteries in Van Buren County. Dating back to the 1840s, it is well-manicured with rows of tombstones, some stately, some weathered and crumbling with age. But at Hardin Cemetery, there's more than meets the eye. Board members knew that beneath the ground there were other graves, and they wanted to find them. So at a cost of $600 they summoned GPRS out of Conway and Little Rock to the cemetery just off Highway 92 East in Morganton last Thursday. Ethan King brought
along his GPR device, which rolls around on three wheels and detects disturbances below the ground's surface. He said this was the third cemetery he has searched for unmarked graves. Usually his company works with builders and utility companies to find underground lines. King also brought along little orange surveyor's flags to mark the graves he found, and fortunately he had a can of white spray paint because he ran out of flags way before he was finished. When he had walked through the entire cemetery, King had discovered 149 unmarked graves. The board mem-
bers were surprised the number was that high, but they knew there were many graves without markers for a variety of reasons. In a cemetery as old as Hardin, sometimes families had nothing to permanently mark the graves. In the late 1980s the same tornado that hit South Side High School blew through the cemetery, knocking down trees and headstones. Not too long after the tornado, vandals struck the cemetery and destroyed some markers. Hardin is the second cemetery in the county to use GPRS recently to find un-
Ethan King of GPRS hunts for unmarked graves at Hardin Cemetery in Morganton last week. marked graves. The other was Bee Branch Cemetery. Now the Hardin Cemetery Board moves on to the next part of the project buying markers for 149 graves. The cost
they have found so far is $18 per marker, and that's a lot of money for a cemetery that depends on annual donations from families with loved ones buried there. Anyone who
would like to help the cemetery purchase markers for the graves can send donations in care of Carrol Bradford, 4356 Highway 92 E., Bee Branch, AR 72013.
7 issues on ballot for Arkansans
Free to fly - This swallowtail butterfly was spotted last week feeding on milkweed. (Photo by Marguerite Dory)
ID theft
A Fairfield Bay couple tells The Voice they were the victims of an identify-theft scam. Someone used information from a previous address they had to open a credit card account in their name. They
Notes Open House
The Voice is 1 year old this week. Please join us Thursday, Oct. 13, for our anniversary open house at our office at 260 Griggs Street in Clinton. Come have a tasty treat from L'Attitude Bistro and help us celebrate from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Vandalism
A large campaign sign for Lucas Emberton at the west entrance to Fairfield Bay was burned and destroyed during the night over the weekend. An investigation is underway. Destruction of campaign signs is a federal crime.
are working with the credit card company to straighten out the issue, but it is a good reminder to be vigilant and keep an eye on your credit. For more information about scams, visit the Arkansas Attorney General's office website at arkansasag.gov.
Homecoming Parade
There will be a parade marking Clinton's Homecoming on Friday, Oct. 14, immediately after the buses clear the school campus. The parade route will be from the arena to Yellowjacket Lane down into the downtown area, around the square then take a left before the fire station down to the stop sign, left through the end of Cash Saver parking lot to stop sign, left back to bus station hill and right on Yellowjacket Lane to the arena. Come join the fun and support the Yellow Jackets as they prepare to take on the Elkins Elks.
From legalizing medical marijuana to extending terms of many elected officials, Arkansans will have seven complicated ballot issues to decide Nov. 8. There are two ways for a proposed constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot: Legislators may vote to put an issue on the ballot. They may refer up to three issues to voters each general election. The other way is for citizen groups to collect signatures. For an amendment, 84,859 signatures, equal to 10 percent of the number of people who voted in the last governor’s election, are needed. For an act (a state law) 67,887 registered voters’ signatures are needed. This represents 8 percent of the number of people who voted in the last governor’s race. Here is a look at the ballot issues. No. 1 – Terms, election and eligibility of elected officials. Proposed by the Legislature. BALLOT TITLE: Proposing an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution concerning elected officials; providing for terms of office for certain county officials for four (4) years; providing that certain county officers
shall not be appointed or elected to a civil office during their elected term; allowing a candidate for an office to be certified as elected without appearing on the ballot when he or she is the only candidate for the office at the election; and defining the term “infamous crime” for the purpose of determining the eligibility of elected officials to hold office. FOR: A FOR vote means you are in favor of changing the Arkansas Constitution regarding all four components proposed. AGAINST: An AGAINST vote means you are not in favor of changing the Arkansas Constitution regarding one or more of the components proposed. Four-year terms would be for: county judge, sheriff, circuit clerk, county clerk, assessor, coroner, treasurer, county surveyor and tax collector. It would not include quorum court members. Either way, there is no limit on the number of terms they can serve. Supporters say it would allow county officials to initiate their own ideas and see them through, and would provide some ethics reforms by preventing county-level office holders from be-
ing appointed or elected to any civil office, thus preventing those charged with the public trust from having a divided focus. Opponents say it would lessen accountability for county officials if they didn’t have to run every two years. If approved, fouryear terms would start with the 2018 election. No. 2 – Allowing the governor to retain power and duties when absent from the state. Proposed by the Legislature. BALLOT TITLE: An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to allow the governor to retain his or her powers and duties when absent from the state. FOR: A FOR vote means you are in favor of changing the Arkansas Constitution to allow the governor to remain in power when leaving the state. AGAINST: An AGAINST vote means you are not in favor of changing the Arkansas Constitution to allow the governor to remain in power when leaving the state. Currently, Amendment 6 to the Arkansas Constitution shifts the power of governor to lieutenant governor in cases of impeachment, removal from office, resignation, inability to discharge
the powers and duties of the office, absence from the state or death. This amendment would remove the phrase “absence from the state,” meaning the governor remains in charge when he or she leaves the state. If passed, the legislation would go into effect 30 days after the election. No. 3 – Job creation, job expansion and economic development. Proposed by the Legislature. BALLOT TITLE: An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to encourage job creation, job expansion, and economic development; removing the limitation on the principal amount of general obligation bonds that may be issued under Amendment 82 of the Arkansas Constitution to attract large economic development projects; authorizing a city, county, town, or other municipal corporation to obtain or appropriate money for any corporation, association, institution, or individual to finance economic development projects and to provide economic development services; authorizing See Ballot on page 4
Lesson from a fireman - Casey Gifford brought a Clinton Fire Department truck to visit all the kindergarten classes at Clinton Elementary School. The students learned about the parts of a fire truck and what a fireman does during a fire. (Photo by Cindy Bradley)