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Betty Ingram
TUESDAY, November 8, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 42 / 75 cents
Tough decisions ahead, James warns The Van Buren County Quorum Court Budget Committee held another round of talks last week, hearing about special projects, from a judge and more about the animal shelter. At the conclusion of the meeting, Dale James, who is the budget committee chairman, warned his fellow justices of the peace, "We have some very, very, very difficult decisions to make." Those decisions, he said, will affect people and animals. After hearing from those scheduled to
present their budgets Tuesday evening, talk again turned to the Van Buren County Animal Shelter. James read the original memorandum of understanding with the city of Clinton, which he says obligates the city to paying for 50 percent of the costs of Animal Control. The city and mayor don't seem to think they owe more than $20,000 per year, he said. The memorandum also states that decisions on running the facility are up to the county, James said.
A representative from the Fairfield Bay animal shelter told the committee earlier that the shelter will receive $30,000 from the Community Club, $10,000 from the city of Fairfield Bay, and $5,000 from the Animal Protection League. Currently, the Fairfield Bay shelter has 10 dogs and employs one full-time and one part-time worker. The shelter, which had been rumored to be on the verge of closing by the end of the See Budget on page 7
This log truck overturned Friday on Highway 92 East curves near Morganton. No further details were available.
The ultimate sacrifice County’s Gold Star soldiers
Pearl Mahaney, joined by son J.C. Mahaney and daughter Barbara Carroll, as well as other relatives and friends, celebrated her 106th birthday on Oct. 31. (Photo by Kay Weaver)
Birthday party marks 106 years Not many people live to be 100. Pearl Mahaney beat those odds years ago, and Monday, Oct. 31, 2016, she celebrated her 106th birthday. Mrs. Mahaney is from Shirley. She now lives at Ozark Health Nursing Center in Clinton, where her party was planned and held on Monday. It was a double celebration with Halloween and many of the nursing home staff was dressed for the occasion. Mrs. Mahaney was recognized by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who sent her a letter saying, in part, "I can only imagine the changes you have seen in this great state and in our nation over the past 10 decades. I commend you for your faithful commitment to your community and for your sincere devotion to your faith, your family and your state."
Attending the celebration were County Judge Roger Hooper and Clinton Mayor Richard McCormac. In his letter, McCormac proclaimed her "the true first lady of Clinton." Family members attending were her daughter Barbara Carroll, son J.C. Mahaney and his wife, Zelda, granddaughter Sandra Powers and her husband, Tony, granddaughter Linda and great-granddaughter Amanda, and several friends. Mrs. Mahaney has been a joy to know, says friend Kay Weaver. Her beautiful smile is contagious. Her faith in God and love of family have sustained her across the years, Weaver says. "She is a true Southern lady, one to be admired." We all wish Mrs. Mahaney health and happiness for many more birthdays.
Before the war, they were mill workers, dairymen and auto mechanics. Mostly, they were farmers. World War II took them to the far corners of the world, to places they had only read about or maybe never even heard of. They answered Uncle Sam’s call. Some of them did not make it home. They are Van Buren
Kay
Trawick
Kemp
County’s Gold Star boys. In honor of Veterans Day, The Voice offers a snapshot of some of our local heroes of World War II. Earnest T. Bigelow of Clinton: Infan-
try. Inducted November 1942. Served in the European Theatre. Engagements: Normandy. Medals: Purple Heart, American Theatre Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre
Ribbon, Victory Medal. Rank: Sergeant. Served 18 months. Died of wounds received in action May 11, 1944. Family in-
Events to honor veterans
* There will be a special breakfast for veterans on November 11 at the Shirley School cafeteria. All vets eat free.
See Veterans on page 7
* Ozark Health Nursing Center will honor all veterans with a ceremony from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Main Dining Room. All veterans are invited for a free lunch afterward.
Fake check lands man behind bars
The dawn of a new day -- An early November sunrise above Clinton. (Photo by Robert Snyder/for The Voice)
A Tennessee man apparently tried to use a fraudulent $118,000 cashier's check to buy a piece of property in Clinton. Gary William Holt, 64, of Friendship, Tennessee, told Clinton Police Chief John Willoughby that he was given the check by a man in Little Rock to buy a home. The check bore the name of the First Service Bank branch in Shirley, and Willoughby asked Holt how the check made its way to Little Rock then back to Van Buren County, according to the police report. Holt had no answer for that, the report states. A background check on Holt showed that he was on active parole out of Tennessee and was not supposed to be in Arkansas, the report states. Holt was on parole for armed bank robbery and had been sentenced to 35 years, the report states. It also was discovered that Holt had at one time escaped from prison, the report states. Holt was placed under arrest on charges of forgery in the first degree and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, the report states. He is being held in the Van Buren County Detention Center.