Author Archives: deltadnews

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)

Sexual Predators Often Avoid Prosecution

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

Out of every 1,000 rapes, very few ever lead to a conviction. That is partly because less than 350 are reported, leading to an average of 63 arrests, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Of those, only 20 percent of cases are referred to a prosecutor. ASU TV’s Kirsten May spoke with a prosecuting attorney to find out why those numbers are so low.

JONESBORO, Ark. — When a victim of sexual assault comes forward, they face many questions. If an arrest is made, the victim must decide with law enforcement if they want to press charges.

The prosecuting attorney for the second judicial district of Arkansas, Scott Ellington said that is not always a straightforward process.

“When it is a forcible rape where there is an unknown perpetrator, those are easier to prosecute. Because it’s a foreign situation,” he said.

Ellington said things can get more complicated when it is assault by a friend or acquaintance.

“Where is the level of consent? That is the primary issue is where is the level of consent. And those issues are looked at closely,” the prosecuting attorney said.

He said victims can decide not to press charges for various reasons, including the fear of going public with such a private violation.

“We do have cases where victims decide they would prefer not to prosecute, and understandably so, because generally they make a report and they maintain pretty much anonymity,” Ellington said.

A licensed professional counselor in administration at Mid-South Health Systems, Matthew Knight said some victims just cannot stand to keep retelling their story to lawyers, judges and jurors because they are just trying to move forward in their life.

“‘And I don’t think I want to go through the public part of this again, I will just heal with myself,'” he said victims tell themselves.

But Knight said, in his experience, those victims often get stronger and decide they do want to tell somebody.

“They don’t want that person who has been the perpetrator to continue to do that with other people,” he said.

Whether or not a person decides to follow through with charges, Ellington said there is one important thing to do as soon as you discover the assault.

“Collect the evidence, collect anything that might have DNA on it,” he said.

Ellington said time is very important because if a victim changes their mind a few days later, that evidence might already be gone.

***

Ellington also said he understand victims are often scared or nervous while going through the prosecution process, so his office does have a designated victim-witness coordinator who visits with victims and helps them through the process.

Learn more about how the system helps sexual assault victims in this previous installment.

System Helps Sexual Assault Victims

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

A person is sexually assaulted every two minutes in the United States, which means an average of 288,820 victims face rape or sexual assault. A sexual assault occurred on Arkansas State’s main campus earlier this month. ASU TV News’s Kirsten May investigates how a sexual assault affects mental health.

JONESBORO, Ark. — Many sexual assault victims first end up in an emergency room where Dr. Brandon Lane works.

“First, as a physician, we will assess the patient from a physical standpoint to make sure they have no injuries,” Lane said.

Then, as long as the patient consents, St. Bernards Regional Medical Center Emergency Room doctors will begin the process of collecting evidence that could be used in a later criminal case.

“And then we will go ahead and take that evidence to the appropriate law enforcement agency,” Lane said. “If the patient wants us to, not by law. If the patient is agreeable to that. That’s the sticky point sometimes that we see here in the emergency room.”

Although doctors cannot always give evidence to police though Lane said they often want to, physicians can ensure the patient gets any other help he or she might need, like a referral to a therapist.

“Especially if the patient is by him or herself, so that we can get them to be supported early on in their care,” he said. “I think the main thing is to know that they are supported.”

Matthew Knight is a licensed professional counselor who is now in administration at Midsouth Health Systems. He said conveying “someone is there” is the most important thing to do for any trauma victim.

“That someone believes their story. That someone is in a sense in their corner or at least is listening to what they have to say,” he said.

Knight said for many victims, there are thoughts of guilt and self-doubt about what they could have done differently. He wants them to know this assault is not their fault and they don’t have to try and heal by themselves.

“There are probably a lot of woman who deal with this alone, who never told anybody else and just went home,” Knight said. “So I think that there are probably woman who this becomes their secret and secrets have so much power, particularly secrets that are kept about trauma.”

Knight said another difficult thing for victims to do is decide whether or not they want to press charges against the perpetrator.

***

How difficult is it to prosecute sexual assault cases? Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington speaks with Kirsten May next week on ASU TV News.

N. Jonesboro Residents Disagree with Critics

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy A-State Department of Media

Habitat For Humanity Reaches Jonesboro

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By Jobari Williams
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark- Jonesboro community collaborates, as Habitat For Humanity reaches Jonesboro. Jonesboro High School, Arkansas State University and the communit…

Source: Habitat For Humanity Reaches Jonesboro

Paragould Man Keeps Blacksmithing Tradition Alive

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By Kirsten May
Delta Digital News Service

“Blacksmiths have been the foundation of society since the beginning of time.”

Lloyd Clayton works to keep a centuries-old tradition alive, despite the modern conveniences available to us today.

“Every trade revolved around the blacksmith. The blacksmith made all their tools. If it wasn’t for the blacksmith, the local communities would not thrive,” he said.

Clayton has been a farrier for 13 years. He spends his days working around Northeast Arkansas to trim and shoe horses’ hooves. He also travels across the country to compete in horseshoeing competitions.

“It’s opened my world up a lot. I’m close friends with people throughout the country and even worldwide,” he said.

After graduating from Oklahoma State horseshoeing school, Clayton worked with his mentor — Lonnie Lindsey — for four years. He’s now passing on what he knows to younger generations that come to work with him.

“A person is only able to do this for so long. So after so many years, your body’s not going to allow you to keep doing it. So you’ve got to bring new people up,” he said.

That includes his 9-year-old son Jasper, who loves to be in the shop with his dad.

“I get to work with him. I learn how to make horseshoes, knives and other things,” Jasper said.

“He says right now that he wants to continue it, but he’s really not old enough right now to do a lot by himself. So hopefully, he will continue that,” his mom said.

Clayton’s wife, Tera, said she thinks blacksmithing is good for him and she enjoys that he gets to travel and meet people who are as passionate as he is. Clayton is also part of a local blacksmith organization that teaches classes and informs people about the trade. They want people to understand how important it is to our history … and our future.

“They made everything. Everything that we needed was made by a blacksmith if it had metal in it. They were very, very important and they are still important today. We have new technology that allows us to do things easier to where you don’t have to do everything in the forge like they used to, but the blacksmith is still a very important part of society. And without the blacksmith, society wouldn’t make it,” Clayton said.

Cotton Acreage Experiencing All-Time Low in Arkansas

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by Melissa Martin
Delta Digital News Service
JONESBORO, Ark. — Arkansas cotton acreage is experiencing an all-time low in Arkansas’ history of growing cotton. It’s estimated the latest planted acrea…

Source: Cotton Acreage Experiencing All-Time Low in Arkansas

The Price of Cotton Drops

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gabrieltait's avatarPhotojournalism @ stAte

ArkansasStateUniversity_Holder_Emily_news1 With cotton production at a 38 year low, Logan Dewitt and his father Allen (not pictured) experience technical difficulties with their picking machine in the cotton field on Nov. 5, 2015. The cotton picking machine fails to wrap the cotton, causing it to fall out unpackaged. This creates an unwanted delay for the farmers, as they were hoping to continue picking one of their last fields at a steady pace. The malfunction forces the farmers to stop picking and manually push the cotton out of the machine into a pile on the ground before they could continue working in the field. The farmers experience a setback like this once every season with their picking machines, hindering their work time in the field.  Photo by: Emily Holder

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One Hand Grab

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gabrieltait's avatarPhotojournalism @ stAte

Arkansas State wide receiver Tres Houston, #15, catches a pass at the game against a Missouri player in the second quarter of their game, September 12, 2015 at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. Missouri defeated Arkansas State University 27-20. | Photo By: Kayla Macomber Arkansas State wide receiver Tres Houston, #15, catches a pass at the game against a Missouri player in the second quarter of their game, September 12, 2015 at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. Missouri defeated Arkansas State University 27-20. | Photo By: Kayla Macomber

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