PARAGOULD, ARK – Paragould School District is seeking approval for a bond restructure to improve its existing facilities as well as new add ons.
The bond restructure will be on the March 2024 ballot, and if approved, the district will use the funds to finance projects within the “Master Facility Plan.” This plan includes various projects such as building a new arena, HVAC projects, baseball/softball complex improvements, a potential renovation of the main high school campus, and parking lot improvements.
Jimmy C. Dodd, Jr. of the Paragould Rams Sports Network said he believes this is the most significant opportunity the district has had in a long time. He said this would benefit both the students and the community. Dodd said the district has this opportunity because of their excellent stewardship.
“It’s because of that that we have the opportunity to do this without a millage increase,” He said. “That’s a really big statement about accountability and using taxpayer money well.”
In a public forum held by the Paragould School District on Feb. 9, the superintendent, Nick Jankoviak, said it is essential for the community to know the bond restructuring will not cause an increase in the tax rate. He said it is similar to getting a loan on a home.
“We are extending our home loan, but by doing that, we can generate funds that can be used for construction projects,” Jankoviak said.
Jankoviak said the construction projects involve building a new arena just east of the current arena, Doc Paynter Court, which the school has outgrown.
“The reality is, it’s no longer adequate for the students, for the coaches,” he said. “The reality is that we can do something better.”
Jankoviak said the plan does not involve tearing down Doc Paynter Court, seeing how the building is special to the district.
Paragould School District media coordinator Danielle Honeycutt said she thinks building a new arena will help the students build new memories they will cherish the way her family, who graduated from PHS, do.
“We’re like a family, and we’ve outgrown the house we’re living in.” She said.
Doc Paynter Court currently has a capacity of 851, but the new arena will hold 1,400.
Jankoviak said the ballot question can be confusing because the district could not change all of the language on the question. The district was only able to change one sentence at the top of the ballot, which reads,
“The total proposed school tax levy of 37.62 mills represents the same tax rate presently being collected.”
The options listed are “for tax” and “against tax,” which Jankoviak said may be confusing, but the district is not asking for an increase in the tax rate.
The community will vote on the bond restructure on March 5.
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Hot Check Program from the Craighead County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney’s office in accordance with ACA 16-21-120(c) presented the 2023 annual report of attorney fees and restitution fees on Feb. 12.
The Hot Check program was terminated in April 2021. Keith Chrestman, former Craighead County prosecuting attorney, terminated the program when realizing few people write checks anymore. It was costing Chrestman more than he was getting out of it.
Charlene Davidson, Managing Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Craighead County, presented the 2023 annual report.
“During the 2023 calendar year, our office received $13,011.21 from the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office to be entered as payments received from the defendants in the Hot Check Program,” Davidson said.
“During the 2023 calendar year, our office received $13,011.21 from the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office to be entered as payments received from the defendants in the Hot Check Program.”
Craighead County Managing Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Charlene Davidson
The Craighead County Prosecutor’s Office disbursed $32,991.73 towards victim restitution and $11,813.25 towards merchant fees that defendants were charged for the hot checks. The office also disbursed $8,259.09 in prosecuting attorneys fees.
The prosecuting attorney fees are entitled to the prosecuting attorneys by statute for managing the Hot Check program.
Davidson shared that money is still coming in despite termination of the program, when a committee member asked about the money situation and how it works.
“There is money still coming in. The defendants pleaded guilty and got on a payment plan. Some of them pay and some do not. Sheriff Marty Boyd has been really good about getting their tax refunds. We get money that has been owed for 10-15-20 years. There is still money coming in that needs to go out to the victims. I think money will come in for quite some time,” she said.
Once a defendant is found guilty of violating the hot check law, they enter a guilty plea. The defendant is ordered to pay restitution. The collection of restitution fees is managed by the Sheriff’s office.
“Until it is paid in full, it is still owed. It will continue to come in even though we are no longer prosecuting those types of cases,” Davidson said.
Now that the program does not exist, if someone sees suspicion of a hot check, they will present them to the law enforcement agency for investigation.
If the law enforcement agency finds probable cause for an arrest, they will forward it to the Craighead County Prosecutor’s Office.
In other business, Craighead County Judge Marvin Day announced Barbara Weinstock’s retirement after 27 years as Justice of the Peace for District Five at the Craighead County Quorum Court meeting on Monday.
Weinstock was responsible for $30,549,485 of grants of free money, helping people of Craighead County. The grants were used for mental health courts, veteran’s courts, drug courts, etc.
Weinstock shared her thoughts on her appreciation of the committee and her time as part of the Justice of the Peace.
“I’ve learned a lot, I really have. Thank you, it has been a pleasure,” Weinstock said.
“I’ve learned a lot, I really have. Thank you, it has been a pleasure,”
District 5 JP Barbara Weinstock
Judge Day said Weinstock would retire Friday but continue to help. He also shared his appreciation of Weinstock and the future of her replacement.
“We are looking for a replacement. We are excited for her,” Day said.
Craighead County quorum court will meet again Feb. 26.
Brayden Morse is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.
JONESBORO, Ark. – Permaculture, an agricultural practice focused on sustainable land management and design, has become a growing topic of conversation in recent years. The concept itself has been around since the 1970s, but thanks to rising concerns over climate change, food insecurity, and similar issues, many people are discussing various approaches to such problems.
There are a few farms and communities in Arkansas that are growing using sustainable methods like permaculture, such as the Lucky Star Farm near Rush and the Wilken Creek Farm in Huntsville. However, organizations like these are primarily located in Northwest Arkansas, and there isn’t currently much of a permaculture effort in Northeast Arkansas, where commercial agriculture dominates.
David Corbett, a local resident, is looking to change that. He’s been studying permaculture for 10 years. Corbett grew up in Alicia on a rice farm and has been living in Northeast Arkansas ever since. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a permaculture design certificate, and has worked in healthcare and information technology.
Corbett’s main concern about permaculture and related issues is that it’s less of a “topic of action” than it is a topic of conversation. He sees people talking about it, but not many willing to take action.
He’s attempted to gather people like him who are interested in permaculture, to start a garden or to teach them, but he’s discovered that most people want him “to do it for them” rather than putting in the work themselves. For instance, he once had a Facebook group with 200 people in it for a community garden, but very few people actually wanted to participate.
As for himself, Corbett has been actively gardening for the past 10 to 15 years. He started out using conventional methods with tilling, pesticides, and fertilizers. By the time the pandemic had started in 2020, however, he had switched completely to more sustainable methods.
He first became interested in permaculture after doing some research on sustainable gardening methods. From there, he started eliminating his use of chemicals and tillage. During the pandemic, Corbett had up to 30 laying hens, 15 beehives, and was growing fruit, vegetables, and berries.
“Between my home garden, a community garden…I did pretty much solo for three years, and another three-acre plot I could use…for free on a handshake deal…while others feared empty shelves and little to eat, I barely noticed,” Corbett stated.
“Between my home garden, a community garden…I did pretty much solo for three years, and another three-acre plot I could use…for free on a handshake deal…while others feared empty shelves and little to eat, I barely noticed,”
David Corbett
Later, Corbett earned a permaculture design certificate from Oregon State University and received soil food web and essential rainwater harvesting training under professionals, in addition to self-study over the last 10 to 15 years.
Corbett proposes that permaculture could be part of the solution to what people call “food insecurity” or “food deserts.”
“It doesn’t make sense that there can be a hunger problem while there’s also an obesity epidemic at the same time,” he said
“It doesn’t make sense that there can be a hunger problem while there’s also an obesity epidemic at the same time,”
David Corbett
According to Corbett, the problem is not a lack of food but a lack of proper nutrition. In most other countries, he says, the definition of “the hunger problem” is lacking enough food to survive. Here, though, while many people may lack access to fresh food and produce, there’s no shortage of processed and prepared food.
“Most people think that permaculture is a gardening method,” Corbett said. “But it’s not. That’s where it started, in raising food. But it’s actually a design system based on ethics and principles…whether you’re doing a garden, a homestead, a business, a family, a church, a community, a city, you can take those principles and ethics to help guide you…in designing whatever that is to keep you going in the direction that’s going to be regenerative and abundant as opposed to consumer and extractive and degrading, which is what our current agriculture is.”
Corbett has an intimate knowledge of the farming industry due to growing up in it. He explained that the focus of commercial agriculture is always on bulk and yield. There’s rarely a discussion of quality.
When they test the harvest at the mill, they’re testing for anything that’s not rice; they’re not doing any nutritional analysis. There’s not a question of quality because it’s a commodity. Average consumers aren’t looking for quality, but for quantity and consistency.
However, Corbett says that we should eat not just for filler but for nutrition. When he first became interested in permaculture, it just made more sense to him. He feels that what he puts inside his body matters, and if that’s the case, then where it comes from and how it’s grown also matters.
“I’m not going to say it was a religious conversion, but it’s kind of on that level,” Corbett said. “Because a lot of religion and religious conversions really to me seems to boil down to the why. What’s the meaning, what’s the purpose, why does it matter, why should I care?”
“I’m not going to say it was a religious conversion, but it’s kind of on that level,”… Because a lot of religion and religious conversions really to me seems to boil down to the why. What’s the meaning, what’s the purpose, why does it matter, why should I care?”
David Corbett
According to Corbett, if you don’t know how or where something is produced, it’s the equivalent of unknowingly putting chemicals into your body. Just because the pesticide or fertilizer used can’t be seen or tasted doesn’t mean it’s not there or not having effects.
The original patent of RoundUp, a pesticide, was as an antibacterial. While “bad” bacteria does exist, bacteria is also very important to the human body; without bacteria, we would die. RoundUp also binds to certain nutrients in the soil, such as magnesium, to get rid of them. Such nutrients are essential for plant health.
Preventing “pests” is about a change in perspective, Corbett says. Pesticides are a fairly recent invention, and most of human history has gotten along without them. What people often consider pests or weeds are often “indicators.”
Weeds and pests often indicate a lack or excess of a nutrient that’s needed for the plants. It may take a while, but if the “pests” are left alone, they’ll eventually fix the problem and work themselves out.
For example, aphids feed on sap, which is high in nitrogen, so that means there’s an excess in nitrogen. If left alone, the aphids will get rid of the excess.
“They’re not the problem, they’re telling you there’s a problem,” Corbett said. “And just killing them doesn’t fix the problem.”
Furthermore, with a lack of habitat, other benefits such as ladybugs that could help control the aphids won’t appear. Planting in meticulous rows and cleaning out the leaves and weeds drives away predators that control the pests.
When attacked by pests or fungi, plants produce a defense mechanism called phytochemicals, which to us are nutrients and antioxidants. If a plant never has to produce those chemicals, it’s not going to be as nutritious.
With this in mind, Corbett’s overall goal is to eventually have a farm designed using permaculture so that he can help feed the small community of Alicia where he grew up. He says that people who live there have to drive 20 miles or more to the nearest grocery store for fresh food.
“They live in the middle of millions of acres of farmland, but even the farmers can’t eat because none of them garden. They can’t eat unless they come to [bigger towns]…” Corbett stated. “If you’re having to drive twenty miles through farmland, and there’s nothing there to eat, what are you growing? Is it food? I don’t think it is.”
“They live in the middle of millions of acres of farmland, but even the farmers can’t eat because none of them garden. They can’t eat unless they come to [bigger towns]…” Corbett stated. “If you’re having to drive twenty miles through farmland, and there’s nothing there to eat, what are you growing? Is it food? I don’t think it is.”
David Corbett
Corbett pointed out that the rice has to be industrially processed. The same goes for some other commercially grown crops, like grains or soybeans. Grains and soybeans could be processed at home, but most people don’t have the resources or time for that.
Right now, he’s got a small property in Jonesboro which he hopes to eventually turn into a market garden with a nursery and classroom to teach others about gardening. He hasn’t been able to fully execute his ideas yet because he has to take care of family.
There’s also 900 acres of riceland around Lawrence County and Jackson County which he’ll eventually inherit. He wants to keep using it as farmland, but not as it currently is. He hopes to eventually use less chemicals and tillage. One of the fields is a mile outside of Alicia, which is the field he wants to use for the town.
In order to better execute his plans, Corbett hopes to start a nonprofit organization. He already has an LLC called Hippocrates’s Garden. With his organization, he wants to gather a group of like-minded people which will help him with his permaculture farm and to educate others about alternative farming.
However, he realizes that he probably won’t be able to execute his ideas in full for many years. In addition to caring for family, he’s also restricted by being unable to find people willing to participate or agree on anything long enough to get something done.
With a nonprofit organization, it’s easier to gain visibility and access to more resources. As an individual, it’s difficult to fund and run a community garden and similar projects, but nonprofits have more influence and benefits like tax write-offs.
“Right now, the first step would just be trying to find some truly dedicated, like-minded people who would be willing to go through the process with me, put their name on the line,” Corbett said.
He’s attempted before to bring attention to other community gardens around the Delta region. He said there’s one in Manila, Trumann, and at least three in Jonesboro. He tried helping in a community garden in Jonesboro, but with certain restrictions, his ideas didn’t fit with their project.
He believes that gardening should be a cycle. Rather than constantly taking from the soil for crops, the nutrients in the soil need to be renewed using other plants such as fungi, food scraps, and waste.
Furthermore, he wants to be more focused on teaching people to garden rather than simply providing food. Community gardens are no doubt beneficial, but he says it would be more beneficial if there was a bigger focus on teaching people to grow their own.
“There’s just so many ways of…tightening that cycle…We need to repair what we’ve done,” Corbett said.
He emphasizes that he doesn’t want to “feed the world”; he’s concerned about his immediate family and community. He doesn’t think the solution is to put the control of food supply into fewer hands, but instead empower others to grow their own food in a sustainable way.
Avery Jonesis 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: Feature photo is of Corbett teaching a Cub Scout troop at a community garden in Marion, Ar.
JONESBORO, Ark. – Amidst a unanimous decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to ban TikTok nationwide, mental health experts discuss concerns over social media’s negative impact on young people’s well-being.
The use of TikTok created a point of contention in the United States, with national security concerns being the primary reason for its potential ban. Yet, additionally, state lawmakers raised concerns about the impact of social media, particularly TikTok, on the mental health of young people. This resulted in the implementation of age parental consent policies. However, the importance to question whether TikTok specifically is a genuine concern for young people’s mental health decline remains crucial.
“Research shows that teens are spending upwards of five plus hours a day consuming social media (such as TikTok and YouTube), and one of the most relevant links has been girls’ social media use and loss of confidence,” Daniel Wysocki, a licensed psychological examiner for Wysocki Psychological Services, said.
“Research shows that teens are spending upwards of five plus hours a day consuming social media (such as TikTok and YouTube), and one of the most relevant links has been girls’ social media use and loss of confidence.”
Daniel Wysocki
Wysocki identified social media as significantly shaping the mental health of young people outside of family dynamics. According to the 2023 Girl’s Index, 57% of girls reported social media influence on their desire to change their appearance and to plummet their self-confidence by falling under social pressures to “feel pretty.”
However, this does not just affect young girls; Wysocki advises parents to be alert to teenage boys’ growing distress with their physical appearance.
“In my practice, I’ve observed an increase in distress and obsession with appearance among young men compared to earlier years of my practice,” Wysocki said.
Wysocki said as a provider, he offers Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) testing and experienced many people coming into his clinic based on TikTok recommended videos to identify ADHD tendencies or through ADHD “hack” videos. Wysocki notes an additional positive outlook as he is also seeing young people’s social media usage encouraging teens to seek help and to learn how they can lead a promising life, reducing the stigma of asking for support/help and talking with mental health professionals about their wellness.
“TikTok has changed how children consume social media as it is now endless,” Wysocki said. “It is no longer a connection to friends and acquaintances; it has expanded into every aspect of daily life, and they can live vicariously alongside their favorite influencer. TikTok is (still) the leader in creating an endless loop of consumable snacks.”
Wysocki said critics may not address the root causes of mental health issues among the youth and should at least offer alternatives.
“There are no simple answers to most of the issues we are facing when raising our children, but free and endless access to unrestricted social media is a big enough risk to developing minds that regulation should be considered. It would be no different than a license to drive a vehicle,” Wysocki said.
As Wysocki highlighted the transformative nature of TikTok on social media consumption, JoAnne Powell, a licensed professional counselor from Elysian Counseling Service, discussed the nuanced complexities surrounding TikTok’s impact, emphasizing both positive and negative attributes.
Powell claims that connection, support, access to information, expression and creativity highlight these positive attributes of the social media app. The negatives consist of young people comparing themselves or fearing missing out (FOMO). This often manifests itself in creating an “unrealistic portrayal of life” and leads to teens feeling inadequate, inhibiting low self-esteem and FOMO. Other negatives Powell recites are cyberbullying, addiction, distraction (decreased senses of productivity, poor sleep quality, increased feelings of loneliness and isolation) and validation seeking (manifest in difficulties in creating boundaries).
“Teaching youth ritual thinking skills and media literacy can help them navigate social media more responsibly and discern between accurate information and harmful content,” Powell said. “While social media has the potential to positively impact the mental health of youth, it is essential to address the negative consequences and implement strategies to promote responsible and healthy usage.”
Powell said through her professional observations, she noticed an increase in young people’s anxiety, stress, their sense of negative self-perception, and an impact on social and interpersonal relationships, which affected other social skills like trust, conflict resolution and basic communication skills.
In therapy sessions, Powell said exploring these observations with clients help them develop better coping strategies, build resilience and cultivate a healthier relationship with social media.
“This may involve psychoeducation on the impact of social media on mental health, teaching stress management techniques, fostering self-compassion and promoting a balance in online and offline activities,” Powell said.
In line with Powell’s emphasis on compressive approaches to addressing social media’s effects, Jessica Richardson, licensed clinical social worker and therapist for The Best Of You, discussed the importance of maintaining open communication and setting boundaries with youth to ensure their safety and well-being in the social media world.
“As a therapist and parent of a teen, I understand it’s difficult to navigate that area between respecting privacy while also trying to protect them. I think that modeling appropriate behavior and interactions could be a good start,” Richardson said. “So many people behave in ways that startle me a bit on social media. I’m not sure why we would expect kids to avoid things like bullying when many adults do it.”
Richardson said it’s important to provide education related to safety and moderation rather than rely on government regulations on certain social media platforms. Additionally, she said social media may not be the singular cause of mental health concerns and banning a specific platform isn’t going to resolve the issue.
“For some, the concerns might be directly related to mental health, and for others, there could just be benefits to limiting the use of screens/technology in general,” Richardson said. “I think we can acknowledge the positive aspects of being connected through social media and the creative options that it provides while also being responsible with it and its use.”
As Richardson highlights the nuanced perspectives on social media usage, the pending decision on the national TikTok ban emphasizes the ongoing battle of balancing social media’s benefits and potential risks, like TikTok, in modern society.
The platform’s future remains unclear until the Senate votes for the national TikTok ban, but President Joe Biden announced he would sign the bill once it is sent to him. For now, the bill resides with the Senate Commerce Committee until the six-month deadline for TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to either sell the company from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be banned nationwide.
Laila Casiano is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: laila.casiano@smail.astate.edu
Delta Digital News Service 