Author Archives: deltadnews

Texts can wait

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By Savannah Strickland
Special to the Delta Digital News Service

Lisa Strickland

JONESBORO – The Arkansas Legislature passed Paul’s Law to harshly punish those who text and drive because they are putting other drivers and passengers in danger.

Even though a year has passed, Lisa Strickland still reflects on a near-fatal accident back in November 2016. The 57-year-old Jonesboro native and employee at Joe’s Tire and Auto survived a head-on collision due to a woman typing out a text message to a friend.

Strickland traveled across the Windover overpass on a Sunday afternoon. She said she remembers seeing a woman coming towards her, clearly distracted. The car drove over the center line and hit Strickland head-on, knocking off her SUV’s rear tire, flipping and spinning her vehicle, and leaving her hanging upside down by her seat belt for 8 minutes.

The wreckage of Strickland’s SUV. She keeps pictures on her cellphone as a testament to not text-and-drive and to wear a seat belt. Photo courtesy of the Strickland family

Strickland purchased her vehicle just nine days before the accident. When police arrived on the scene, officers told Strickland the wreck would have killed her immediately had her vehicle been smaller.

Strickland said before the accident occurred, she used to text while driving. But now she keeps her phone zipped inside of her purse in her back seat. She stays more aware of her surroundings, and makes sure those driving around her are paying attention to the road and not their phone.

Hannah Aldridge, a 21-year-old Arkansas State University senior, drives for Uber. Her job affected her views on texting while driving.

“Before I was an Uber driver, I would text and drive,” Aldridge said, although noting she wouldn’t do it while baby-sitting. “I am very grateful to be driving with Uber because it taught me that texting and driving is not safe, and that getting a text sent to one of my friends can wait until I have arrived safely at my destination.”

Hailey Wright, a 19-year-old freshman from Paragould, has not been a a victim of a texting-and-driving accident. But she has heard horror stories from family members and friends who knew people who had been injured as a result from another driver texting while driving.

“I think texting and driving is extremely ridiculous,” she said. “There is no text worth endangering and possibly killing yourself and other people. Choosing to text and drive is choosing to put yourself and others at risk.”

Retired Arkansas State Police Lt. Robert Speer saw many driving accidents caused by a driver texting while driving.

“Once I was called to the scene of an accident because I was the closest officer,” he recalled. “Upon arrival, I learned that the car had crashed because the passenger had received a funny picture through text and was showing it to the driver of the vehicle, which caused the car to veer off the road and run head-on into a telephone pole.

“Neither passenger sustained injuries, but it taught them a lesson on the distractions that cellphones can cause when inside of a vehicle.”

Rockabilly Legend Dies

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Albert Austin “Sonny” Burgess, a 2002 Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee, died Aug. 18. He lived 88 years.

Born May 28, 1929 to Albert and Esta Burgess in Anderson, Arkansas, Sonny learned to play guitar at an early age and started playing rhythm guitar with his uncles. A lifelong Newport resident, he graduated from Newport High School in 1948. Following a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Army, Burgess joined Johnny Ray Hubbard, Gerald Jackson and Kern Kennedy and formed the Moonlighters. The band opened for Elvis Presley during an October 1955 show at Newport’s Silver Moon Club.

Presley recommended the band record with Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis. The band added Joe Lewis and Jack Nance, then changed its name to Sonny Burgess and the Pacers. Their hits included the Burgess-penned classics “We Wanna Boogie” and “Red Headed Woman,” which sold more than 90,000 copies. Razorback Records released his 1965 hit, “The Short Squashed Texan.” AVI Records released “Hitting That Jug: The Best of Sonny Burgess” in 1995.

Although contemporaries of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, the band never received the same recognition. Yet a “frantic” stage act led to a degree of notoriety. The group disbanded in 1971, but gained a European following. He later toured with the Sun Rhythm Section before reforming his final band, Sonny Burgess & the Legendary Pacers.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of Europe inducted Sonny in 1999. A year later, the Legendary Pacers released “Still Rockin’ and Rollin’,” voted as the best new album in the country and roots field in Europe. A 2016 documentary short entitled, “The Arkansas Wild Man,” chronicled Burgess’ trip to England to play for his fanbase.

The Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame inducted the band in 2007. Memphis’ Rock and Soul Museum devotes an entire wall to the Pacers. Arkansas State University bestowed an honorary doctorate of music on Burgess in 2011. Burgess co-hosted the weekly radio program “We Wanna Boogie” with June Taylor on KASU, 91.9FM in Jonesboro until his death.

Preceded in death by his son, Peyton, survivors include a son, John, and former spouse, Joann Adams.

For more information, see the Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry, the MusicianGuide biography and articles posted to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Sun Records promotional photograph courtesy of Sonny Burgess.

*****

(Editor’s note: Burgess was born in 1929, not 1931; this made him 88 years old.)

Confronting Arkansas’ Opioid Crisis

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Opioid Crisis

The Multimedia Reporting course (Spring 2017) investigated the Opioid Crisis in the Delta:

  • Destini Lattimore examines how regional rehabilitation centers help those with dependency.
  • Meagen Matuszyk details the Jonesboro Police Department’s response to the issue.
  • Madison Gomez examines three high schools’ efforts to confront the issue.
  • Seth Cleveland examines how pharmacists are approaching the issue.
  • Jama Domerese discusses the politics behind the issue.

Banner made by adapting frankieleon’s “pop life” [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Law Enforcement Addresses Opioid Crisis

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by Meagen Matuszyk
Delta Digital News Service

Opioid Crisis

Click the picture to view special topic index.

JONESBORO — A national crisis makes its way to Jonesboro as an influx in opioid addiction moves through the Delta region.

Most commonly found in painkillers, opioids act as pain relievers, and are most commonly found in heroin and prescription drugs such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. Jonesboro Police Department’s Sgt. Cassie Brandon said the rate of controlled substance charges for the area is steadily increasing.

“It is against the law to possess a controlled prescription medication if you don’t have a prescription for it,” Brandon said.

In 2015 more than a million Americans were arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

“We have officers within the department that are specifically trained to do some evaluations or assessments with people to determine what it is that they are under the influence of,” Brandon said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses killed more than 50,000 Americans during 2015. Dr. Mark Sifford of the St. Bernard’s Medical Center said introducing unfamiliar drugs to your body can slow down your breathing, lower your blood pressure and alter your level of consciousness.

“They will neglect their own health just to pursue what they have to do to get the medicine they’re addicted to now,” Sifford said.

Sifford said it’s no surprise that the use of heroin is growing in popularity since it is a cheaper alternative to morphine and pain relievers.

“That’ll develop a physical dependence on it where they’re hooked and essentially have to take the medicine or they’ll have problems coming off of it,” Sifford said.

Some prescription pain relievers such as hydrocodone can develop dependencies in as early as three weeks.

“It may be to the point where they’re no longer needing pain relief, they’re just getting the euphoria from it and your brain can’t separate that out,” Sifford said.

The use of narcotics and opioids in the presence of children can be especially dangerous, often requiring involvement from the Department of Human Services. Brandon said if abuse of a prescribed or an unprescribed drug is detected, DHS should be contacted immediately.

“You just don’t need to expose children to that,” Brandon said.

The Jonesboro Police Department is actively working to help diminish the abuse of opioids in the area and asks others to do their part in assisting the fight to end the national epidemic.

Skate Through the New Year

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by Austin Hayslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — “Downtown is a very happening place to be in during the holidays,” Downtown Jonesboro Association Executive Director Hailey Knight said.

The holidays in downtown Jonesboro have always been full of activities. This year, Knight said they’re adding more to the holiday experience in downtown.

“This year in addition to our Winter Wonderland, we also have this wonderful new ice skating rink that was donated by First Community Bank,” she said.

Winter Wonderland is a building full of Christmas spirit. There are booths that are set up full of Christmas décor that the community can walk through and experience. Knight said the location is what makes it so great.

Residents skate

Residents skate at the Wonderland Rink sponsored by First Community Bank. The Downtown Jonesboro Association hopes the rink will become an annual tradition.

“There’s been a lot of people down here. It’s really neat because they can visit Winter Wonderland, which is right across the street, and see the different holiday-themed booths inside Winter Wonderland, and then come right across the street after that with their friends or family and ice skate.”

All you need is $5; that will buy you 45 minutes of skate time. Knight said the community response has been overwhelming.

“It’s really cool to see all the people coming downtown. Normally about 5 p.m. when we come out of the office, we’ll see all kinds of kids over here because they’re out of school and they’re ready to ice skate,” she said.

The ice skating rink is something that Knight hopes will be a staple in the holiday traditions downtown. It will be open through Jan. 1 Monday-Friday from 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturdays from 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 p.m.-6 p.m. To schedule a group event, call 870-933-4604.

More information can be found online or on the Downtown Jonesboro Association Facebook page.

Bus Drivers Keep Students Safe

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by Austin Hayslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — “It’s a challenge. It’s a big challenge driving a school bus,” school bus driver Barney Totten said.

The most precious cargo you could ever transport. Fifty anxious kids sitting on the bus with their friends, waiting for their stop; the bus driver with one mission on his mind — getting them home safely. But before any driver is allowed behind the wheel, they go through pretty extensive training.

“You hit two cones, you fail,” Jonesboro Public Schools’ Transportation Director Mickey Long said.

After applying for the job, you immediately take a test.

“They have to take a written test, which is four parts. They have to take a general knowledge, air brakes, passenger and school bus, that’s the four sections,” Long said.

Then if you pass the test, you begin training for the district to ensure you can actually handle the bus. But before you’re allowed to drive on your own, you ride with the trainer. Then the trainer rides with you — this all before kids are even on the bus.

“Until those people feel good and the new person feels good, they’re not turned loose on their own,” Long said.

Totten said you’re doing more than just driving the bus.

“As a bus driver, you probably spend the biggest majority of your time looking at the student mirror up here in the front to see what the kids are doing in the back,” he said.

While there is a lot of attention on school bus drivers right now, Long is confident students are safe on his busses.

Digital Screens Cause Visual Consequences

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by Austin Hayslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — “I think that we do use it in every single class, except for P.E.,” Samuel Creekmore said.

Instead of flipping the pages of a book, kids are scrolling to the next page on iPads. And that could be affecting their eyesight.

“More and more I’m seeing earlier and earlier detection of visual problems in children,” Dr. Megan Moll of Hilltop Eyecare & Optical said.

Moll said the increase in “screen time” for kids is causing some serious vision problems.

“A lot of times, it’s the increased near-point activities with the devices and increased screen time, holding things a little bit too close has shown to increase the amount of nearsightedness over time,” she said.

Mother of two Shaila Creekmore said her children had vision problems at an early age.

“Both of my boys do wear glasses. Samuel started wearing glasses in third grade; he’s now in seventh. Tyler started wearing glasses right at the beginning of third grade,” she said.

Creekmore’s children aren’t just using devices too often. Findings from VSP Vision Care suggest by the time the average American child reaches the age of 17, they’ve spent nearly six years looking at digital devices.

“Computers and devices aren’t going away; technology is excellent. It’s definitely helped a lot with schools, but some things they can do is make sure the child takes breaks — every 20 minutes do something else,” Moll said.

She also suggests using a blue-light filter for children already wearing glasses or using night mode, a setting available on the iPhone. Another excellent option: spending time outdoors.

Voters Give Officials More Time

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

Arkansas voters passed an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that will lengthen term limits for elected county officials from two years to four years. As Kirsten May explains, people in those positions think this will help them be more effective.

JONESBORO — Now even though the new term limits won’t go into effect until 2019, Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd said he is excited about what that means for the future of county officials.

“It’s going to be a great benefit to the operations of any department because you can set some long-term goals. Where in the past, just having a two-year office, it made it seem like you were always campaigning,” he said.

Boyd said he hopes the longer terms will let officials dig deeper to accomplish bigger goals, especially in a county that has a 2 percent annual growth rate. He said there are some things you just can’t get done in two years.

“Even though I know economically we can’t obtain maybe as many deputies as we want in the next 12 months, but I can look at the long-range plan and say in five years here is where we need to be,” Boyd said.

He said another benefit is being able to cut costs.

“Elections are expensive. I wish they weren’t, but in this day and time it takes a lot to run a successful campaign. Having to do that every two years, you get tired of the process and your supporters get tired of the process,” Boyd said.

There is also a better sense of job security for those in the department.

“It puts them in a better workplace knowing that they have at least four years to look at instead of two,” Boyd said.

Sheriff Boyd said there has been some concern about having an official in office that long. But he said as long as you research your candidates and know who you’re voting for before the election, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Issue 1 also states certain county officials cannot be appointed or elected to another civil office, and it allows unopposed candidates to be elected without their name appearing on the ballot.

Program Combats Dyslexia

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — City Youth Ministries is a non-profit organization that helps children in the community improve their academic achievement through a number of programs and events. And they’ve recently added to those programs. Kirsten May explains how they plan to improve student literacy.

City Youth Ministries Executive Director Denise Snider said studies show one in five people struggle with hearing sounds because of dyslexia.

Snider, a former teacher, is introducing the Orton Gillingham program called “Connections” to students at City Youth who fail a dyslexia screener.

The connections curriculum moves away from paper and pencil, and helps children learn the phonetic rules using tactile or 3-D objects. Being able to finally comprehend those rules and learn to read can help children with self-esteem issues related to school.

That confidence boost has been big for 6-year-old twins Sophia and Isabella Topalian.

Kimberly Topalian said her girls thrived while in a pilot classroom where Snider taught connections to first grade students.

She said she thinks the style of teaching used in connections would be beneficial to any child.
And thanks to a grant from Nucor-Yomata Steel, City Youth Ministries will now be able to offer it, free of charge, to more kids in need.

Snider said they are still doing the screeners right now, but hope to start teaching the curriculum by the end of the year.

Topalian said Brookland Elementary does not use connections in the classroom anymore, which is something her family is fighting to bring back. Right now, her girls continue going to private therapy to improve their reading.

Maintaining a Hospital: Behind the Scenes at NEA Baptist

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by Austin Hyslip

Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

550,000 square feet, over 150 beds — all taken care of by 14 guys.

“Those folks who keep the building up and running are as important as the doctors and the nurses and the other staff who are there,” patient Richard Carvell said.

He said without the people who keep NEA Baptist up and running, there would be no hospital.

“Well, the most important people in an institution like a hospital, a school are the janitors and the maintenance people,” he said.

NEA Baptist

NEA Baptist

NEA Baptist and its six stories feature a crew of 14 who work around the clock to make sure every patient is comfortable. Mark Ward, director of plant operations, said there’s a lot of things going on.

“We’re the guys who have to watch heating, cooling, water, sewer … everything that has to do with that basic function,” he said. “But then we also we also have those intricate functions of medical gases, electrical systems, pretty much any electrical system that has to do with medical equipment as well as just your normal outlets in the rooms and things like that.”

Ward said the job is never the same.

“We do everything from hanging a picture for someone in an office, to going up and checking what’s called isolation power monitors in an (operating room) suite to make sure that it’s safe providing power to that room,” he said.

NEA Baptist is prepared to handle multiple different healthcare situations. One thing most wouldn’t think of is an earthquake.

“This building is built under zone 4 earthquake standards,” he said.

All of pipes under NEA are built with braided line and sitting on rollers that allow the pipes to move without breaking. There are also shocks under all of the large appliances to allow them to absorb some of the shaking.

“The whole operation is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation,” he said.

Ward and his team work every day to ensure the lights come on and the hospital is comfortable for every single guest.

Buy Asian Groceries Without the Trip

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Cashier Jay Chandler totals food costs for A-State International students. The Asian Food Market opened Nov. 1.

Cashier Jay Chandler totals food costs for A-State International students. The Asian Food Market opened at 2114 S. Caraway Road. (Photo by Myful Al Sarah)

by Myful Al Sarah
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – Traveling far to buy authentic Asian groceries ends, as new grocery stores in town are at your convenience.

Asian Food Market opened officially Nov. 1. Arkansas State college of business graduate Qiufang Lin started her own business to help citizens who like Asian foods. Now they don’t need to spend money on gas to travel to Memphis, Little Rock or St. Louis only to buy their favorite food items.

“Mainly I am targeting Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Philippines, Vietnamese who live in Jonesboro as my customers. Even local Americans can find their favorite Asian snacks, spices, vegetables in my store,” Lin said.

A number of AState international students can now buy their home-food ingredients. Lin said she is giving a 5 percent discount to all AState students. She is selling different kinds of rice, noodles, tofu, spice and snacks including dumplings, and also fresh vegetables like bok choy and cabbage.

“I am still working on my inventory. Initially, the prices may seem a little bit higher, but it will get lower as soon as I am able to order in a bigger amount. I am also thinking of having a few Indian grocery items,” Lin said.

A-State students from India purchase Indian groceries from Quick Trip. (photo by Myful Al Sarah)

A-State students from India purchase Indian groceries from QuikTrip. The store is located at 613 W. Nettleton. (photo by Myful Al Sarah)

A QuikTrip convenience store started selling authentic Indian groceries like various types of spices and lentils, rice, flour, pickles, ghee and desi snacks.
Raksha Harikrishnan, the owner, said she had the idea of selling Indian groceries in Jonesboro and her husband helped her to make it real.

“I told my husband to get a truck. We both drove to Chicago and bought a number of common items. Within a weekend, we put stuff on the shelves with price tags,” Harikrishnan said. “We are not targeting only Indians. We are targeting everybody who loves Indian foods and it’s been steady since we started.”

Harikrishnan said she planned to get frozen food items like naan, samosa and paratha, which are very popular among locals.

“I am working on getting a freezer for the frozen items. As soon as I can manage it, you will be able to buy delicious Indian snacks,” she said. “We kept the prices similar to other places, which makes it more convenient on the budget as you don’t have to drive to other cities. For some items, it may be even less.”

The growing international students’ community felt more excited, as the shopping shuttle provided by AState’s International Student Services provides rides to these two stores.

Mallory Yarbrough, coordinator of International Student Services, said, “We have over 600 Asian students at A-State, which is almost three-fourths of our total international population. Some of them came to me and said they really want to be dropped off at these new stores. Since we have such a high population of Asian students, we might as well be accommodating and help them as much as we can. I hope it makes them feel more home, being able to go places they recognize the food.”

Growth Brings Jobs, Citizens

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by Austin Hyslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

The town of Jonesboro is growing at an exponential rate. Big retail companies are moving in as well as new developments being built. Newk’s Eatery owner Wade Quinn said he has noticed the growth.

“Jonesboro is growing and they’re not a small town anymore, so with that comes opportunities,” he said.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the Jonesboro population has grown over 6,000 people in the last five years. Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce Cari White said it’s because people are able to find jobs in town.

“When you have people moving in to either go to school or work, whether it’s in the healthcare industry or our manufacturing industries, the housing market goes crazy as well as retail,” she said.

The market is booming and businesses are opening faster than ever. White said it’s all a domino effect.

White said another contributor is the town itself isn’t able to build large-scale buildings all on its own. The amount of workers that were needed to construct NEA Baptist caused quite the growth a couple of years ago.

“When your community gets the largest project in Arkansas being built in your community … when NEA was built, it was the No. 1 largest investment in Arkansas in one fell swoop. Now you’ve got to consider everybody who came in to work on that,” she said.

The future of Jonesboro is also on an upward trend. The Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce projects that the town will grow to around 75,000 people in 2017.

Sightings, Schools Slow Costume Sales

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — Halloween is just around the corner, but one scary figure has been getting a lot of attention for months: creepy clowns. ASU TV’s Kirsten May looked at how sightings reported across the nation might be impacting sales at a local costume shop.

“A few of them said, ‘No, I wouldn’t be a clown if my life depended on it, because I don’t want to get shot or arrested,'” Golden Grotto manager Anthony Eveland said.

Eveland said the increased attention to creepy clowns over the past few months has not been good for costume sales.

“Last year we sold all of them. This year we’ve sold a few. I don’t know if it’s because the ban of all the schools,” he said.

And it’s that ban on certain costumes — including clowns — that is frustrating to some parents. Amber Sales said buying costumes for her two sons who love scary movies is a little bit harder this year.

“He was kind of upset because he doesn’t get to do the clown. Because he can’t wear it to school, and there’s been messages put out all over Facebook and social media saying that if you’re dressed up like a clown, you’ll get arrested. So, we don’t know which parts are real and which ones aren’t, so we just aren’t going to test it,” she said.

Sales’ sons are in elementary and junior high in the Jonesboro School District.

She said a note sent home said masks and fake weapons were not allowed, which she understands. But Sales does not like the school restricting the type of costume a child can wear.

“It’s like a parent has to spend $100 per kid just to get them what they want for school and after school,” she said.

Sales also said she believes most of the reported clown sightings aren’t real, just something to get attention on social media.

In the end, Eveland said the store will do fine this Halloween regardless of how many clown costumes stay on the shelf.

“No, no, no. We don’t depend on just clowns,” he said.

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