Author Archives: deltadnews

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.

UPDATE: Turnout for Cannabis Issues Doubtful

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — Arkansas voters will see five issues on their ballot this year, including two different proposals about medical marijuana. ASU TV’s Kirsten May reports on differences in the proposals and how they might affect the state election.

Issue 6 is the Medical Marijuana Amendment. Issue 7 is the Medical Cannabis Act. They would both make marijuana legal for medicinal purposes, but political science professor William McClean said there are important differences between the two.

“Issue 6 I think probably has the better chance of passing than Issue 7. (Issue 6 is) a little more restrictive,” he said.

The Medical Marijuana Amendment allows about 20 medical conditions to be treated with cannabis, whereas Issue 7 covers nearly 60 conditions. It would also be easier to add more diagnoses to that list on Issue 7.

“You can amend an act without going back to the voters, so without amending the Constitution again,” McClean said.

There is also a provision in Issue 7 to let anyone living further than 20 miles from a dispensary to grow their own marijuana.

“People become kind of wary about the ‘Not In My Back Yard’ syndrome, I don’t want my next-door neighbor growing marijuana around my children,” he said.

This is not the first time medical marijuana has been on the ballot. Arkansans nearly passed a similar proposal four years ago.

“That was a surprising outcome as a political scientist given the conservative nature of the state, that it came as close to passing as it did,” McClean said.

Craighead County Clerk Kade Holliday thinks more people know about the cannabis proposals on the ballot this time around.

“There’s a lot of debate about, you know, the two different ones, all the differences between them. They’re definitely the most talked about,” he said.

But Holliday and McClean both agree the people most likely to vote for the proposals — young people and college students — aren’t as likely to go cast a ballot.

“We had right at 6,270 people registered in that (18-24) demographic. Now of that demographic, only about 38 percent of that demographic turn out to vote,” Holliday said.

“I think it has a low chance of passing,” McClean said. “Most of the polls show about 80 percent of Arkansans are in favor of some form of medical marijuana. However, it’s probably going to be a low turnout election. Young voters are not very excited about either presidential candidate.”

Both men say what’s important is letting your voice be heard, whichever way you vote for these issues.

McClean said if both pass, the Constitution states the issue with the most votes will take effect. (UPDATE: The Arkansas Supreme Court disqualified Issue 7 from the ballot on Oct. 27, three days after early voting started.)

Students’ Sweat Equity Benefits City, Habitat

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by Austin Hayslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

After a year working with Habitat for Humanity, Jonesboro High School students are getting their hands dirty. ASU TV’s Austin Hayslip reports.

“I loved it, I love the whole idea of working with your classmates to work for a common goal, and that being building a house for a Jonesboro citizen,” said high school student Mark Havdala.

High school students are building houses, not completely on their own, but with the help of Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat has been working with the Jonesboro School District for over a year now. It is a cause Jonesboro High School student Mark Havdala said is worth donating time to.

“You are working, it is a visible and legitimate donation of your time and you actually see what you doing be put to work and the best part is an actual Jonesboro citizen will actually get that house,” he said.

Jonesboro Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Michael Sullivan said it doesn’t begin or end with a house. The students play a vital role in the organization.

“They volunteer, they educate, they fundraise and they advocate on behalf of Habitat for Humanity,” he said.

Students who spent months putting together floor plans will begin putting up walls in the coming weeks.

The house being built now is the first that the Jonesboro School District has helped with.

Assistant Superintendent Sue Castleberry said the school district is including almost every campus, giving each student an opportunity to help.

“Our news crews from math and science will come do some video work, so almost every campus will take some of the things,” she said. “The woodwork things, we’ll take that back to the art teachers at the elementary to paint.”

Castleberry said the students are actually teaching her things as well.

“Last year the students taught me how to know how to measure and actually cut siding,” she said.

Habitat for Humanity and JPS have created a relationship that’s benefiting the entire community.

Bicyclist Voices Safety Concerns

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

There are a growing number of cyclists in Jonesboro, but there are still no roads with designated bike lanes in the city and some cyclists feel there are not many safe places to ride. ASU TV’s Kirsten May looked into what is being done in Jonesboro to make it more bike-friendly.

JONESBORO, Ark. — “We need to wrap our heads as a community around the concept of a bicycle being part of our transportation mix.”

Bill Smith is the marketing and communications director for Arkansas State University and he is a cyclist.

Many people in Jonesboro are students or work in town who are now using a bicycle as their main form of transportation, and he said he thinks the city needs to focus on helping them ride safer.

“Certainly I think that we could see a greater commitment to bicycle infrastructure in our town, a greater commitment to a plan for how that will be moved around town, and not just in a parks and (recreation) mode,” Smith said. “I think that’s the future and I think that’s what millennials want.”

Jonesboro Parks and Recreation director Wixon Huffstetler said bike safety is a priority for the city and they are working to improve it.

“You know, the new trail obviously at Craighead Forrest that we are building that’ll connect eventually to the greenway that’s in town and we’re definitely looking at bike lanes on the outskirts of Jonesboro and on the bigger roads that we can fit them on,” he said.

Huffstetler understands cyclists want more done on the roads and said the city is looking at how to make that work.

“It’s just that Jonesboro is so grown together on the inside of the city, inner city, that it’s hard to figure out how to put bike lanes in without having to buy property or acquire ride away and stuff like that, which is a long process,” he said.

He said the city is constantly looking for grants to help improve infrastructure for bicyclists.

Both Huffstetler and Smith agree the best thing is for both riders and drivers to be aware of their surroundings and obey all traffic laws.

***

Smith said cyclists fare best when they act like drivers and are predictable.

Smith is teaching a vehicular riding course that teaches experienced cyclists how to be safer when riding in traffic. He said to message the Arkansas State University Facebook page or email him if you are interested in taking the class.

Community, Police Join Forces

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

Across the nation, tensions continue to rise between law enforcement and community members. Officers in Jonesboro hope to avoid those situations by strengthening relationships with citizens. ASUTV News’ Kirsten May attended an event to bring them together and has more details about what people thought of it.

JONESBORO, Ark. — The event at City Water and Light Park on Cherry Street was just one of four National Night Out events held Oct. 4 in Jonesboro.

Several West End community members attended with their children and families to enjoy some time with local police officers.

Patrolman David Stout has been with the Jonesboro Police Department for nine years and says social events help residents see the person behind the badge.

“It brings people out and we get to interact with the community and they get to see us as human beings and not necessarily just in the cars that, you know, pull them over and have to go on calls and stuff like that and deal with them,” he said.

Sometimes it is hard to break that barrier with residents, Stout said, but it’s something the department pushes officers and new recruits to do.

“That’s one thing I try to impress upon the new guys. Get to know the people in your communities, get to know the people you deal with on a daily basis. Once you do you’ll be accepted more in the community and they’ll tell you stuff if they need to,” Stout said.

In 2015, 16,752 crimes were reported in Jonesboro, which is a 2 percent decrease from 2014. Officers and community members, like Jonathan Adams, both expressed hope that outreach events can help the number continue to decrease.

“I think they really do need to have something like this everywhere because it just brings everybody together. I mean, with all the violence that’s going on in the world, I think something like this once or twice, once or twice a month. I think it would be a good thing for everybody,” Adams said.

***

Another outreach program the department offers is the citizen police academy, where community members can learn about procedures and different areas of law enforcement. They are currently in their fourth session of the program. Applications for the next session can be found at Jonesboropolice.com.

Crowd Enjoys BBQ Festival

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by Myful Al Sarah
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. – The sharp smell of barbecue, the clouds of charcoal smoke, a big crowd eating meat and cheering up with concert music  – the 8th annual Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival proved a success.

People from all over the region traveled to Northeast Arkansas to participate in the contest and enjoy what Jonesboro has to offer. The Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned the event. 

Alderman Tim McCall said 44 teams signed up to participate in the contest. He said the contest, which started early Saturday morning, included sections for pork ribs, pork shoulder/butt, beef brisket and chicken.

The contestants could not sell their foods from the grill, which would have been deemed a health code violation. Still, they could provide free samples of their food.

“Last year, we had nearly 18,000 people coming to the festival and this year we were expecting more. Though I didn’t have the chance to get on the street, I heard it was a record-breaking crowd. We even had visitors from Nashville,” McCall said. “I believe the festival is a great chance for the local vendors to earn a good amount of money and also make a good marketing of their business. I would say, with the limited electricity in downtown, we had a great response this year.”

Visitors line up to purchase barbecue. They could also get free samples from contestants.

Visitors line up to purchase barbecue. They could also get free samples from contestants. (Photo by Myful Al Sarah)

A number of food stalls sold pork ribs, barbecue pork sandwich, barbecue chicken sandwich, nachos, popcorn, funnel cakes. Arts and craft vendors also participated to showcase and sell their work. Hijinx sponsored a children’s play area. Festival organizers also arranged a car show and a wrestling event. People from all age groups found things to enjoy.

Michael Sullivan, owner at the Sully’s in downtown, sold his popular Chicago-style food on the street in front his restaurant. He said he participated in the festival for the second time after a good experience in 2015.

“The festival is a great opportunity for us to make some money. It’s difficult to do business in the downtown most of the year,” Sullivan said. “We have already had a good start from this morning. By the time of the evening, it’s going to be crazy busy here, you will see a huge crowd.”

Poison’s former lead singer Bret Michaels performed on the NEA Baptist stage, which contributed to the crowd. The audience also enjoyed Brothers Osborne, The Greasy Tri and Flatland Funk.

Neither the events nor the concert cost anything due to sponsors including St. Bernards Healthcare, The Sun, Bartel’s, Ritter and The Fox 104.9.

Fans get early seats for Brett Michaels.

Fans get early seats in front of the NEA Baptist stage. Brett Michaels, former lead singer of Poison, headlined the evening’s festivities. (Photo by Myful Al Sarah)

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