Monthly Archives: March 2024

ASU Feminist Union to host women’s rights rally

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Upcoming women’s rights rally will promote abortion amendment and abolishment of tax on menstrual products

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Feminist Union at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will be hosting their first women’s rights rally this Saturday. It will be held from noon to 3 PM in the courtyard of the Craighead County Courthouse.

The event is open to the community, and those who attend can choose to sign for the Arkansas Abortion Amendment and Period Tax Petition. They will also hear from several female speakers who are important figures in the community. 

“Essentially, this rally is to…celebrate the advancement of women’s rights across the years but also to celebrate the women now who are making basically their mark on history, specifically women’s history,” said Christina Smith, the president of the Feminist Union and a student at ASU Jonesboro.

The Arkansas Right to Abortion Initiative–more popularly known as the Arkansas Abortion Amendment–is a movement that aims to get the amendment on the ballot for 2024 as a constitutional amendment in Arkansas. If instated, the amendment would allow abortion within 18 weeks of conception; in the cases of rape, incest, or fatal anomalies; or when the life of the mother is in danger.

The movement was started by Arkansans for Limited Government, a nonprofit organization that advocates for personal liberties and limiting government involvement, especially in regards to healthcare. They must collect at least 90,000 signatures by this July 5 in order for the amendment to be placed on the November 2024 ballot.

An Act to Exempt Feminine Hygiene Products and Diapers from Sales and Use Tax is being spearheaded by the Arkansas Period Poverty Project, which aims to increase access to feminine hygiene products in Arkansas, especially for those in poverty, by ending sales tax on feminine hygiene products and getting free menstrual products in public schools. They need 72,500 signatures by this July in order to make it on the November 2024 ballot.

Those are the two main movements that the Feminist Union is currently promoting, but Smith said there may be other causes represented at the rally. The speakers at the rally will be talking in general about women’s rights, but they also will most likely promote their own causes.

There will be four speakers: State Senate candidate Erika Askeland, who is running for District 20; Young Democrats of Arkansas president Allison Sweatman; Alison Guthrie, a community advocate from Little Rock; and another community advocate, Rebekah Pruitt, from Jonesboro.

Specifically, Askeland will probably speak about her campaign. Sweatman will most likely speak about the importance of voting, especially for women. Guthrie stated that she would be talking about disability rights. Pruitt, as a transgender woman, will most likely speak on transgender rights.

While it’s their first rally, Smith said that it wasn’t difficult to arrange. Since the courthouse’s courtyard is public property, she just had to call the courthouse to ask permission to use it and make sure no one else was using it at that time. Then she started promoting the event.

As for the speakers, Smith already had connections to them. She reached out to Guthrie and Pruitt and asked them specifically to speak. Meanwhile, Askeland and Sweatman volunteered when they heard about the event.

“I reached out to Alison Guthrie and Rebekah Pruitt because I’m a very big fan of their work within their own communities,” Smith said.

Smith works on Askeland’s campaign, so when Askeland heard of the rally, she offered to speak. Similarly, Smith is the president for the Jonesboro chapter of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, so when she mentioned the event to Sweatman, Sweatman also volunteered.

The ASU Feminist Union itself has only recently become active again. It was first established in 2018 but shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inactivity after the campus opened again caused the organization to die out. 

However, in fall 2023, Smith wanted to revive the Feminist Union. She had to register it again as a student organization and then recruit more members. Currently, the Union has around 60 to 70 members, but only about 10 to 15 members regularly attend meetings and activities.

“The hardest part was getting members…active members,” Smith said.

They have meetings every two weeks on Wednesdays and events every month. They have hosted panel events, in which they invite community advocates, elected officials, or female candidates for discussion; readings and movie nights about feminism; and tabling events where they hand out free condoms. Next semester, they’re also planning to start handing out emergency contraceptives.

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Avery Jones 

Avery Jones is a junior in The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She can be reached at avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Note: Featured image is from one of the Feminist Union’s previous events.

Paragould School District Approves Vehicle Purchase

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PSD School Board votes to purchase new superintendent vehicle

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, March 15, 2024

By Shelby Russom | Contributor

PARAGOULD, ARK. — The Paragould School District voted to approve the purchase of a new vehicle.

A 2019 GMC Sierra will replace the superintendent’s current vehicle, a 2014 GMC Acadia. The district will then transfer the previous vehicle to a different department within the school district for professional development, and the vehicle currently used for that purpose will go to the maintenance department. 

“We’ve got to be able to get our people around the district,” Superintendent Nicholas Jankoviak said. “With multiple vehicles, we’re able to divide and conquer.” 

“We’ve got to be able to get our people around the district, With multiple vehicles, we’re able to divide and conquer.” 

Superintendent Nicholas Jankoviak

It is the district’s responsibility to provide a vehicle for the superintendent’s business and personal use according to the PSD superintendent’s contract. The district will also assume all expenses related to this vehicle’s use, including insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc. 

During the March 11 meeting, the school board voted to purchase the vehicle. The vehicle, with just over 28,000 miles, combined with a six-year or 120,000-mile warranty, will cost the district $48,828.

Michael McBryde, senior vice president of Stephens Inc., presented a plan to the board concerning the district’s plan to sell their bonds and the next steps the district should take now since the bond restructure passed March 5. 

Michael McBryde, senior vice president of Stephens Inc., presented the board with a plan to sell the district’s bonds.
Shelby Russom | Delta Digital News Service

McBryde said it is important to have one final meeting with the school board before selling the bonds to ensure everyone is on the same page. 

“It’s just kinda always one of those things,” he said. “Before you sell a couple million dollars worth of bonds, it’s always nice to have a little touch-in meeting.” 

McBryde said he believes if the district sells its bonds in the current market, it will have a better interest rate.

 “That means you’ll get your $17 million and actually reduce your total annual payment,” he said.

Josh Honeycutt, school board secretary, said the proposal is fantastic and will save the district $3 million over 30 years. 

The bond sale will begin with the state-required publishing of the sale in the local newspapers. Currently, the bond sale will take place April 9. 

PSD school board motioned to approve an alternate calendar based on hours, not days. A traditional academic calendar requires a minimum of 178 instructional days. The board-approved alternate calendar requires the district to have 1,068 instructional hours, allowing them to save additional time for days off, such as inclement weather. 

Currently, the district is banking 1,101.42 hours, meaning the district will have 33.42 hours to bank. 

“We can bank over five six-hour days,” Jankoviak said. “So, what will happen is if we get bad weather, we can allow the students to stay home five times without having them make up any days at the end of the school year.” 

The district will utilize the extra days for professional learning communities (PLC), which act as teacher collaboration days. Jankoviak said this year, the district really focused on incorporating PLC days and believes they will help improve the district. 

He said PSD currently employs two of the only high-impact teachers in northeast Arkansas, and he believes allowing them to collaborate with their colleagues will help improve the district. 

Oak Grove’s principal, Jamie Dial, stated the academic achievement of the students of Oak Grove Middle School (OGMS). The school’s current enrollment is 503, with 234 fifth and 269 sixth-grade students. The average attendance is 91%. The school employs 32 certified teachers, with 22 having over six years of teaching experience in the district. 

“Our staff is strong,” Dial said. “They’re doing a great job; we’re doing everything we can for the kids.” 

Dial said the teachers within OGMS have gone above and beyond in grasping PLCs with math, science and language arts. 

Within the OGMS math department, the PLC meets every week to discuss remediation pathways from previous testing data. Dial said both sixth-grade math teachers show growth as high as 17% with their students’ ACT Aspire test scores. 

OGMS began Imagine Math Small Group on Demand Tutoring. This year-long virtual program will help 56 high-risk students bridge the gap in their math skills. 

In other business:

  • The school board elected Jeremy Hancock as president and disbursing officer, Teresa Hill as vice president and Josh Honeycutt as secretary. The remaining board members were elected as secondary disbursing officers. 
  • Due to law changes, the board approved policy updates from the Arkansas School Board Association effective July 1, 2024. 
  • The board expelled a 10th-grade student for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year for actions that violated student policies 4.18, 4.20, 4.21 and 4.22 and student rule two in the Paragould High School Student Policies Handbook. 

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Shelby Russom

Shelby Russom is a senior in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University. She can be reached at shelby.thompson1@smail.astate.edu

NOTE: Feature photo of Paragould School District School Board meeting by Shelby Russom.

Lake Frierson State Park hosts ‘Women In The Woods’ workshops

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Program teaches camping and outdoor skills

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Mar. 13, 2024

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Women in the Woods, a new outdoors program hosted by Lake Frierson State Park, recently started in February. They will meet every first Sunday of the month (except for April due to the eclipse). Their most recent meeting was held on March 3 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Lake Frierson State Park. 

Cathy Combs

Each meeting focuses on a different outdoors skill. The first meeting, originally planned for February 4 but postponed, was about backpacking. This most recent meeting taught Dutch oven cooking. Future events will teach foraging, fishing, kayaking, canning, geocaching, horseback riding, and camping.

According to Cathy Combs, the park superintendent at Lake Frierson State Park who arranged the event, the purpose of Women in the Woods is for women to “grow their roots” at the park. 

“The entire series aims to grow closer to the park, grow friendships with friends new and old, and grow outwards towards adventures that can be found in other parks in our area,” Combs stated.

She and other employees at the park wanted to start programs that are geared towards certain groups. They typically host several programs that are open to everyone in the Jonesboro and Paragould communities. 

The wide variety of their activities is meant to be an example of the diversity available at not only Lake Frierson, but also other parks across the state. They also hope to foster community connections.

The events are free to attend, and there’s no limit on attendance, unless supplies are being provided in which case there’s a small fee and a limit on the number of attendees. The Dutch oven class had a limit of fifteen people and cost $15 due to the Dutch ovens and food being provided.

The series is planned to end in November, but it will return next year. They might change some activities depending on which were the most popular, but the essential concept will remain the same.

According to Combs, this event is specific to women because there’s a large network in Northeast Arkansas of women who enjoy outdoor activities and are looking for activities to do and to make new friends. 

“This is really just the park opening up its doors and saying, hey, our backyard is your backyard,” Combs said. “Come hang out, have fun, try something new, and then make new friends.”

“This is really just the park opening up its doors and saying, hey, our backyard is your backyard. “Come hang out, have fun, try something new, and then make new friends.”

Cathy Combs, superintendent at Lake Frierson State Park

However, Combs emphasized that women are welcome at all events held at the park, and there are also several events for other demographics. In addition, if someone has an idea for an event, they can call the park, and it will be taken into consideration.

When determining what activities should be included in this event, the park sent out a survey to the community asking what outdoor activities women would be most interested in learning. From the results, they chose the activities that had the most votes for Women in the Woods.

“It was really important that everything that we chose not only fit in with the resources that we had here and in our area, but also what people were wanting to explore for themselves,” Combs said.

At the Dutch oven cooking class, the women made chili, broccoli cheddar soup, soda bread, cornbread, and dump cakes. The class was full with at least fifteen attendees. None of the women who came were familiar with Dutch oven cooking, which is partially why they wanted to participate.

Ali Smith, who was there with her mother-in-law, had never been to Lake Frierson before and only heard of it because she was invited to the Dutch oven class. However, she and her mother-in-law love doing outdoor activities, and Smith was excited to visit a park she had never been to before.

“I’m not much of a cook, but I was down to come along to see basically the lake because I’ve never been out here before,” Smith said.

Kim Quinn and Tammy Stevens are also both outdoor enthusiasts and enjoy activities like hiking, kayaking, camping, and biking. They’re familiar with Lake Frierson, as well as many other state and national parks. They attended because they were interested in learning about Dutch oven cooking.

Laura Newberry, another attendee, is also an outdoorsy person and goes to Crowley’s Ridge State Park every day since it’s near her house. She wanted to come to the Dutch oven class because she wants to be more prepared.

“I was planning on doing more camping, so I was like, this’ll be great,” Newberry said. “And I might be by myself sometimes, so it’d be good to know.”

Martha Bunch isn’t usually an outdoorsy person, but she wants to be. She’s also always thought that food cooked directly over a fire looks very appetizing, so she wants to find out and be able to do it herself.

“I’ll be booked camping most of the time completely by myself, and I’d like to have the confidence to do what I need to do,” Bunch said.

“I think it’s great that they’re doing it for women only because it’s not as intimidating to come to something if you know that it’s just going to be women,” Stevens said. 

“We’re a community, too,” Newberry added.

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Avery Jones 

Avery Jones is a junior in The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She can be reached at avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Jonesboro School Board approves purchase of tablets & computers for food services

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Students and staff to receive iPads and MacBook Air laptops

Delta Digital News Service

Wednesday, March 12, 2024

By Brayden Morse | Contributor

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Jonesboro Public School Board approved the purchase of tablet computers for food services and Apple iPads and MacBook Air laptop computers for staff and students Tuesday night.

The school board approved the purchase of 790 Apple MacBook Air laptop computers, 1,317 Apple iPads and 1,117 rugged iPad cases. The total cost is $1,151,607.15.

Students at The Academics at Jonesboro High School will use 560 of the Apple Air laptop computers, including a three-year AppleCare+ warranty. Staff members will use 230 of the computers, including a four-year AppleCare+ warranty. All 1,317 Apple iPads will be used at K-6 campuses. All purchases come from Title I funds, ESA funds and ARP ESSER funds. The 44 Dell Latitude 7230 food service tablets cost $117,106.22.

Jonesboro Public Schools Superintendent Kim Wilbanks shares details on the software needed for the tablets and computers.

“This is not a very high-end software that requires a lot of oomph to the computer. Even though the food service employee doesn’t include Aramark, they are responsible for the delivery of the meal. We hold responsibilities in terms of the service of the food or delivery of the food,” Wilbanks said.

Jonesboro Public Schools Superintendent Kim Wilbanks

The tablets and computers will be ready for use in Fall 2024. There is not a set date of when the tablets and computers will be delivered, but Jonesboro School District federal programs director Kris Williams said, “Apple is pretty quick on shipping. They will probably be in late April at the latest. That will give staff enough time to prepare for next school year.”

In other parts of the meeting, the school board approved moving the non-student day/non-contracted day from April 19 to April 8, which is Eclipse Day. The total solar eclipse will attract more than two million additional people in Arkansas and 750,000 additional automobiles, estimated by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

The Academies at Jonesboro High School counselors presented the 2024 Pathway of Study. The pathways include health and human services (HHS), business, communication arts and law (BCAL) and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

HHS provides the medical science pathway, family and consumer science, navy national defense cadet corps, educational training, nursing and culinary arts.

BCAL provides the pre-law pathway, visual arts, journalism, banking, criminal justice, office administration, digital marketing, automobile collision repair, automobile service technology, digital cinema productions and advertising and graphic design.

STEM provides the advanced mathematics pathway, engineering, industrial technology, computer networking and cyber security, pre-professional sciences, construction-HVAC technology, advanced manufacturing, robotics/mechanical engineering, computer science and programming, welding technology and unmanned aerial systems.

Jonesboro high school counselor Charles Gabe shared information on the increase in STEM students over the past couple years and the impact the welding class has made on students.

“Many months ago we started the STEM academy capped at 200 students because we only had 200 computers to give to students. We’ve built on that, worked on that over the years and now we’re up to 450 students. Welding is probably our most popular class. We’re getting more females who want to be welders so that’s exciting as well,” Gabe said.

…Welding is probably our most popular class. We’re getting more females who want to be welders so that’s exciting as well,” Gabe said.

Charles Gabe, Jonesboro High School Counselor

With recognition at the beginning of the meeting, the school board recognized Terrance Brown for top scholar 7A athlete of the year and Trey Harding for 6A athletic director of the year. Brown played football and basketball for Jonesboro, finishing his high school career with a 4.25 grade point average.

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.