Every June 12th is the anniversary of national ‘Loving Day’. The day recognizes the interracial relationship of Mildred, a woman of black and Native American ancestry and Richard Loving, a white man who were arrested due to violating the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. However, in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to ban interracial marriages.
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Rangsiya Faihin
Rangsiya Faihin is an engineering senior at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: rangsiya.faihin@smail.astate.edu
A-State Women’s Soccer vs Northwest Mississippi Community College
Delta Digital News Service
August 11, 2023
By Atsuki Ohbuchi 純暉 | Staff Photographer
JONESBORO, Ark. – Head Coach Brian Dooley and the Red Wolves defeated Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers 4-0 during an exhibition match at A-State Soccer Park in Jonesboro, Ark., Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The team will head to Fayetteville next Thursday for their regular season opener against the Razorbacks.
A-State forward Emma Riley (6) battles Raegan Tucker (20) of Northwest Mississippi Community College during an exhibition match at A-State Soccer Park in Jonesboro, Ark., Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The Red Wolves defeated the Rangers 4-0. Head Coach Brian Dooley and the team will head to Fayetteville next Thursday for their regular season opener against the Razorbacks. Photos by Atsuki Ohbuchi
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Atsuki Ohbuchi | 純暉
Atsuki Ohbuchi | 純暉 is a junior in the Neil Griffin College of Business at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at: atsuki.ohbuchi@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – Michelle Hill of Michelle Hill Dog Training Academy is a local certified professional dog trainer that has been volunteering for a program called Paws in Prison since 2021. Arkansas Paws in Prison is a nonprofit program started by the Arkansas Department of Corrections to rehabilitate inmates while also training dogs for adoption.
The program partners with dog shelters to bring in untrained dogs for the inmates to train with the mentorship of a professional trainer. The inmates get work experience, and the dogs have a better chance of getting adopted after they’re trained.
“We have a large overpopulation problem in Arkansas for unwanted dogs…what better to do than pair them up with people that have nothing but time?” said Victoria Schilden, the director of the program. “It saves the dogs’ lives, it gives the inmates a skill that they can walk out the door with and get a job right off the bat where typically it doesn’t matter if you check that box, ‘convicted felon.’”
Schilden also explained that the program provides them with a sense of normalcy, teaches compassion and unconditional love, helps them to maintain good behavior and gives them an incentive to be a different person than they had been.
Hill has been a dog trainer for 16 years. The director reached out to her personally and asked Hill if she would been interested in volunteering. Hill had done some research on the program and was eager to be involved.
“Not only are the dogs getting a second chance, but the inmate trainers are getting a second chance, too,” Hill said.
She works for the program 2 days per week. She’s at the McPherson Women’s Prison in Newport on Tuesdays and Tucker Unit for men and Maximum Security Unit on Thursdays.
The trainers pilot an apprenticeship program through the Department of Labor. Hill teaches the inmates different ways to train dogs and what they would need to know to pass a dog training certification exam in the outside world.
Hill creates a lesson plan for each class. She sometimes brings her dog to demonstrate what she wants the inmates to do with the dogs and after they watch her, they copy the action. The dogs are typically in the units for 8 weeks of training; this can vary depending on the needs of the adopter or the shelter.
The dogs learn basic obedience like sitting, leash and crate training, as well as tricks such as rolling over, spinning and even flipping light switches and retrieving TV remotes.
At the end of the training, the dogs complete a final exam to show that they’re trained. The trainers use the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Ready program which terminates in a test that evaluates whether the dog has learned all the skills the program teaches.
The trainers teach all the skills the dog would need to pass the test and then do a mock test. After the dog is adopted, the owners can contact the trainer to have the dog officially certified.
Not only does being trained increase the dogs’ chances of getting adopted, but it also helps them to stay in their homes. According to Schilden, untrained dogs are often returned to the shelter by their owners because of their behavior. Some dogs from this program even go on to be service dogs.
“They’re far less likely to be returned for behavioral issues because they’ve got that socialization and the basic obedience training,” Schilden said. “Sometimes the dogs end up right back where they came from after the family gets them home and they start chewing things up or they’re not potty-trained, so we try to mitigate that and make sure that it’s a successful adoption and that the dogs stay with the person who adopts them.”
According to Hill, almost every single dog has been adopted by graduation because of this program. Schilden said that more than 2,200 dogs have been adopted in this program’s duration. Additionally, many inmates have gone on to become dog trainers; one former inmate now works for the program as well.
Hill is a “positive reinforcement” trainer, which means she doesn’t believe in using pain or fear as a training method. She’s certified under the Certification Counsel of Professional Dog Trainers, so she has to take continuing education classes and build up to a certain amount of credits every three years.
However, not every dog trainer is certified, and nobody has to be certified to become a dog trainer, so the field isn’t regulated. As a result, it’s very common for dogs to be mistreated during training, according to Hill.
“Everything that I do is focused on building the physical, mental, social, and emotional aspect of the dog, so being able to impart those skills and that knowledge onto someone else that can later on build that same mindset and mentality in the dog training industry is a very important thing for me,” Hill said.
The Paws in Prison program was originally started by a group of women, some from the DOC and some interested in inmate rehabilitation. They were inspired by a similar program in Missouri called Puppies for Parole. They appealed to the governor and the director of the DOC to initiate it.
Schilden has been with the program for 7 years. She originally started as a volunteer for a capstone project while she was getting her master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service. She now works full-time as the director of the program and the program coordinator for the DOC.
The program currently operates in seven correctional facilities: McPherson Women’s Unit in Newport, Hawkins Women’s Unit in Wrightsville, Randall L. Williams in Pine Bluff, Ouachita River Unit in Malvern, North central Unit in Calico Rock, Tucker Unit and Maximum Security Unit.
They currently partner with five dog shelters: Care for Animals in Little Rock, Last Chance Arkansas in Little Rock, Adopt-A-Stray Rescue in Alexander, Stone County Humane Society in Mountain View, and Humane Society of Independence County in Batesville.
They also work with two other dog trainers besides Michelle Hill. Tracy Owen is a former inmate who went on to become a successful dog trainer due to the program and now works alongside them. Sandy Olivera is another volunteer who has been training dogs for over 20 years.
“It’s such a privilege to…see not only what it does for these animals and our rescue partners, but what it does for these inmates,” Schilden said. “I’ve seen this program truly change lives and change somebody from a hardened criminal into somebody who gets down on the floor and makes baby-talk with little puppies.”
Avery Jonesis a sophomore in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – Monica Potts was recently hosted at The Parsonage restaurant in downtown Jonesboro for a discussion and signing of her new book, “The Forgotten Girls”. The event was put together by Verb Bookstore on Saturday, July 1 at 6:30-8 p.m.
Potts is a senior political reporter for the website FiveThirtyEight and has also been published in The New York Times and The Atlantic among others. The book was published in April of this year and is Potts’s first novel.
It’s a memoir about her childhood in Clinton, Arkansas that discusses the obstacles that women in rural communities face. Potts addresses poverty, religion, drug addiction, early motherhood, abuse, mental health, and lack of education.
Potts’s interest in the subject started when she heard of these studies that showed middle-aged white women in rural communities were starting to die earlier due to “deaths of despair”–deaths caused by drug addiction and suicide.
Potts explores how these deaths are linked to the obstacles these women face in their communities, including the fact that many of these women only had high school degrees or less. It was shown in these studies that highly educated women generally live longer.
She saw these obstacles in her own community. Potts mainly writes about the life of her former best friend Darci, who unlike Potts, chose to stay in Clinton for all of her life and ended up struggling with drug addiction, early motherhood, poverty, and abuse.
When Sari Harlow, the owner of Verb and host of the event, asked the room who had cried while reading the book and how much of the issues in the book they had seen in their own lives and community, several hands went up.
“Those first couple chapters were painful,” Harlow said. “I told Monica before I had to put it down and just process for a while and then come back to it because it really hits close to home.”
Potts herself had a similar experience writing the book. She said that she would often take a break to drive around in the mountains for a while to gather her thoughts. However, she also felt like it was a necessary process to endure.
She moved back to Clinton in 2018. She was working on her book by that point, and she stated that this was part of her reason for moving back, but she also had a lot of unresolved feelings about her hometown.
Despite the issues that are explored in her book, Clinton will always be home for Potts. However, it also sometimes feels like living in a fishbowl to her because everyone knows everyone. She misses city life sometimes.
“I actually felt in some ways more isolated than in the city,” Potts said.
When she moved away from Clinton to go to college, however, she sometimes felt guilty that she didn’t stay in touch with people from home, including Darci. She also felt like she had opportunities that many others couldn’t take advantage of.
Potts attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and chose anthropology as her major even though she knew she didn’t want to be an anthropologist. However, she wanted the flexibility that comes with a liberal arts degree.
Additionally, as a first-generation college student, she believes that a liberal arts style education is more supportive than that of a state school, where it’s easier to get lost and feel adrift when one is trying to figure out the unfamiliar system.
Going into college, Potts didn’t realize the vast amount of career options that existed. For her, the importance of college was discovering what she was able to do and learning skills that would translate to several careers.
“I just can’t imagine a life without having had that,” Potts said. “It was just about having a different kind of life experience for myself…”
It’s difficult to name an ultimate solution for the kind of systemic and cyclical issues that people in rural communities face, but Potts believes that more opportunities for young people is vital to their growth.
“Figuring out who you are and who you’re going to be is a really hard job. It’s just an incredibly time-consuming endeavor, and I think teenagers have a really hard time…” Potts said. “…I think that the more grace and the more opportunities we can give young people to figure that out with as much support and kindness as we can, the better off they’re going to be.”
Potts said that the benefit of writing her book as a memoir was to connect Darci back to herself and encapsulate the whole life of someone. As for solutions to the issues that Darci and people like her face, Potts thinks that any solution couldn’t be finite or discrete; it’s a never-ending problem that can’t just be “fixed,” but instead must be addressed at a systemic level.
When asked about advice for adults that want to “escape” their small towns, Potts said that one probably has a bigger network than one believes. That person should reach out to anyone they’ve connected to in the past that might have resources or know about resources to help.
After the discussion, Potts signed books for those who had brought their own or those who were buying. Verb Bookstore had set up a table displaying copies of Potts’s book available for purchase, as well as books by other Arkansas authors and some currently popular picks.
“When we heard about her book and that she was an Arkansas author, we felt like we really needed to bring her viewpoint here to Jonesboro,” Harlow said. “It was definitely one that resonated with me personally…so I felt it was important to make those connections.”
Avery Jones is a sophomore in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – On Saturday, June 3, Hope Found NEA, a nonprofit organization located in Jonesboro fighting human trafficking, hosted the 3rd annual Ride Against Trafficking. Participants arrived at 9 a.m. to register at Central Baptist Church and rode out at around 10 a.m.
The event is a fundraiser in which cyclists complete a dice run and enjoy a free meal afterwards. For the run, each individual or group roll dice at each stop and adding up the results at the end to see who has the highest total. The group with the highest wins $100, while the lowest wins $50.
According to the organizer of the event and the founder of Hope Found, Megan Brown, the money will go toward programs to raise awareness in the community about human trafficking and services for victims. She thought a motorcycle ride would also be a good way to raise awareness.
“There wasn’t a lot of bike rides that I knew of in this area, but especially those that were focusing on this issue,” she said. “With bikers being on the road constantly, it was a good way to be able to get them educated on what signs and red flags of a trafficking situation may look like.”
Brown stated that she chose the church as a meeting place because it has a pavilion for shade, and it’s a central location that’s easy to get onto and off the route from. They have chosen a different place each year for the event so far.
There was a large crowd at the event. Along with several bikers, there were many volunteers and workers at the registration stand, selling t-shirts, and providing drinks. Brown stated that she expected a bigger crowd than last year’s event.
Nearly 30 bikers participated last year; she expected about 50 to come this year. Twenty-two bikers pre-registered, with several more registering the day of the event. There were individuals, large groups, and even adults with kids.
A retired Pocahontas husband and wife duo that go by the road names Twisted and Hugs respectively were present representing their NEA chapter of Warriors Empowering Children, a nonprofit organization of bikers who support and protect children that have been through abuse.
If the child is old enough, the group teaches them to ride, while also boosting their confidence. Members of the organization guard the children to make them feel safer, and escort them to school if need be. If the child has to go to court to testify against their abuser, the bikers will escort them to court. Each child receives a vest that proclaims, “I Am A Warrior” on the back.
“We’re all about bringing kids out of the darkness,” Twisted said.
Adam Farmer, an instructor with the Jonesboro Grappling Association, was there with Rachel Thieme. Thieme is a photographer and also works at St. Bernards.
“Megan reached out to us a while back last year to see if we would be interested in sponsoring [the event], and we discussed women’s self-defense, women’s safety, and we believe in the cause, so we decided to sponsor it,” Farmer said.
Both Farmer and Thieme are Jonesboro natives. Farmer has been riding for seventeen years.
There were a few people for whom it was their first time at the event. Jeff McDonald is a software engineer. He’s been riding for ten to fifteen years.
He was there to “raise awareness,” and stated he’s also “learning more about [Hope Found] from the event.”
According to Brown, the ride was slated to last between 2 to 2 and half hours. Their first stop was Lorado Grocery and Grill. Afterwards, the bikers kept going north on Highway 141 into Lafe.
Their second stop was Jordan’s Quick Stop in Oak Grove before going to Paragould. Their third stop was another Jordan’s in Lake City before heading back to the church to finish the run.
Riders were provided with a free lunch, courtesy of Smokes Up BBQ.
Avery Jonesis a sophomore in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – Jonesboro Police Department Chief Rick Elliott requested the city increase the salaries for police officers due to inflation, salary changes across the state and recruitment problems.
Elliott spoke made the requests during the Public Safety Council Committee meeting to discuss the Police Pay and Retention Plan on Tuesday.
“We’re seeing the same problem here in Jonesboro, trying to recruit and retain quality officers. So, we just kind of laid out tonight, the makeup of the department, the number of losses over the past several years and what can be done to address that,” Elliott said.
“We’re seeing the same problem here in Jonesboro, trying to recruit and retain quality officers.”…
– Rick Elliott, JPD Police Chief
JPD Chief Rick Elliott
Elliott said over the past 18 months, 35 officers left the department. Some quit, others retired and a few were fired. He said he believes many officers left because of pay.
“I know several officers that have applied with the Arkansas State Police and again, their pay scale compared to any other state in the state is as off the chart. And you know, I can’t necessarily compete with that,” he said.
He said he wants to provide competitive salaries in order to keep officers, not only from leaving for other forces, but also for leaving to work other jobs that pay more than law enforcement.
Mayor Harold Copenhaver said police salaries have increased since his election.
“We have the largest police force in this part of the state of Arkansas with 175 officers, and I take pride in that. So, when I became mayor, then we have made substantial adjustments to police pay,” he said.
“We have the largest police force in this part of the state of Arkansas with 175 officers, and I take pride in that. So, when I became mayor, then we have made substantial adjustments to police pay.”
– Harold Copenhaver, Mayor of the City of Jonesboro
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver
Even with these adjustments, Elliott said salaries still need to be raised in order to compete with other Arkansas police departments that also are making adjustments to salaries.
“Not five months ago, we were in the top five when it came to starting pay in the state of Arkansas, and now we’re in the middle to lower area of that just in four months,” he said.
The police department is also dealing with issues regarding applicants. Out of the 130 applicants this year, only six have met the department standards.
“We see a lot of applicants. But at the end of the day, they don’t meet our standards to go to work here,” Elliot said.
Additionally, Elliot said some officers leave the force due to the traumatic nature of the job. “These officers go to work and the things that they see day in and day out, is very troubling to them. I mean, we’re seeing bad accidents, we’re seeing death cases. You know, and it’s hard for them to emotionally process,” he said.
Councilman Brian Emison, Ward 1, Position 2 seat, attended the Public Safety Council Committee meeting. He said he believes police salaries need to be adjusted.
“The world has dramatically changed, especially in regards to inflation and in pay, and these are the individuals that allow us to go to sleep at night and able to rest in our beds and not have to worry,” Emison said.
“The world has dramatically changed, especially in regards to inflation and in pay, and these are the individuals that allow us to go to sleep at night and able to rest in our beds and not have to worry.”
– Brian Emison, Public Safety Councilman
He said, as a councilman, he wants to do what he can to address issues and take care of the needs of law enforcement and first responders.
Councilman Brian Emison, Ward 1, Position 2 seat
“No matter how much money we ever pay them, it’ll never be enough for what they do and the sacrifices their family makes. So, just being able to show our appreciation to them and also being able to provide safety to the citizens of Jonesboro, I think should be the utmost priority, because what is a quality of life if you can’t preserve life at the end of the day,” he said.
Elliott said he feels hopeful his issues will be addressed.
“Now, I’m a realist about things and I think we can come to a compromise to have something that will suit the needs of our people,” Elliott said.
The Public Safety Committee Council plans to either begin the next meeting earlier or call a special session in order to have more time to address the department’s issues.
“I believe in our police officers and I believe in public safety,” Copenhaver said.
Caroline Cherry Averittis a junior at Arkansas State University from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Her major is multimedia journalism with a minor in writing studies concentrating in creative writing. She can be reached at: caroline.averitt@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – Although Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics, three northeast Arkansas educators will compete this week in the National Senior Games in Pittsburg, Pa.
The National Senior Games is an annual event pitting thousands of 50-year-olds and over against one another in over 20 different sporting events. Northeast Arkansans Jianfeng ‘Jay’ Xu, Ph.D., a research professor at Arkansas State University, Yanhua ‘Jennifer’ Xie, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Arkansas Biosciences Institute and The New York Institute of Technology on the campus of A-State, and Anthony Tsui, a Bay High School teacher, hope to bring in the gold for the table tennis, aka ping pong, category.
Xu, Xie and Tsui left Wednesday, July 12, to compete in the games. Before leaving the trio got in a few rounds of practice at the Red Wolf Center on the campus of A-State. In discussing their passion for the game at their age, Xu stated that even though he has been playing for years, his skills had started to improve just recently.
From left: Jennifer Xie, of Jonesboro left, Tony Tsui, of Bay and Jay Xu also of Jonesboro will compete in the National Senior Games in Pittsburg, Penn. this weekend. Submitted Photo
“I started playing ping pong in 2003,” Xu recalled. “My skills were poor, but I’ve made some pretty big progress over that time… I even have a ping pong machine at home to help me practice.”
Tsui, who started in 2016 also owns a ping pong machine but said that Xie really helped to get the group motivated to improve their skills.
“We actually improved during COVID,” he said. “Most of the time when Jennifer was practicing and practicing, she was just pushing us to improve. She was probably the last one to join us and she’s already passed us.”
Xie is team captain and displays a strong passion for the game. She said that her US Table Tennis rating is her inspiration for improving..
“Currently, I’m 1372,” she said. “The average rating for US Table Tennis is 1400 to 1500. I’m hoping to pass that by the end of this year.”
With the games bringing many athletes from all over the country, Xie often jokes with friends about their status in participating in the games.
“This is the first year for me to attend the [Senior] Olympics, as I wasn’t old enough” Xie said. “One of my friends was joking that we were the only Olympians that she knew.”
As the three look to grab gold, Tsui stated that it is much more than winning, at least to them.
“Everyone’s competing, but I don’t see the hostility side of things,” he said. “It’s also to keep us healthy. You see people at 100, or in their 80s and 90s are still competing because they want to stay healthy enough to keep going.”
Tsui believes that winning isn’t everything and that forming friendships is a part of the experience.
“A friendship is a friendship,” he said. “Winning is not the top thing for us. It’d be nice to win, but… we’re friendly and it’s so fun. What else could you ask for?”
The games began July 7th and will end on Tuesday, July 18th.
Jacob Wicinski is a 2021 graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor’s in communication and is currently seeking a masters of science in mass communication with a specialization in journalism at Arkansas State University.
NOTE: Featured photo – Jennifer Xie gets in some table tennis practice at the Red Wolf Center on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, July 18. Photo by Jacob Wicinski
JONESBORO, Ark. – On the weekend of May 19 through 20, the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Friends of the Library sponsored children’s author Thanhhà Lai for a talk, Q&A, and book signing from 5:30-7 PM. She also did a presentation earlier in the day for students.
Lai discussed her books and how they connect to her life as a child when she fled the Vietnamese War with her family. She signed copies of her newest book, When Clouds Touch Us, published this month. It’s the sequel to her highly successful first book, Inside Out & Back Again, published in 2011.
The library hosted the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Festival from 10 AM – 2 PM on the front lawn. Many crafts and food vendors came to celebrate, and the library gave away free copies of When Clouds Touch Us. International students from ASU-Jonesboro kicked off the festival with a drum performance, and later, there was karate lessons, a cosplay contest, and a tai chi demonstration.
A variety of arts and crafts vendors attended, including art, jewelry, cosmetics, and clothes designers. Almost all of the vendors were small businesses local to Arkansas.
Marissa Clark from True North Designs featured her artistic engravings. She does her work with laser engravers and has been doing engravings for three years. She has enjoyed drawing and working with wood since she was young, however.
She has her own shop and can engrave any design and customize anything of any material. A few of the items featured at her stand included home decor, wall hangings, and earrings.
A tai chi demonstration by the East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging during the AAPI Festival at the library. Photo by Avery Jones
Chenoa Summers of Anthropocenic Art was there to display her paintings. The name is in reference to how her artwork reflects the current period of the Earth whereas her earlier work mostly focused on prehistoric animal life.
Summers is a biologist who likes to paint the nature that she studies. She has three degrees in science and is currently working on a biology degree. She mostly does watercolor paintings but also crochets. She primarily sells her work online.
Britni from Rosemore Creative displayed her homemade cosmetic and hygienic products. She sells facial care, bath salts and bombs, wax melts, candles, hand and body soap, among other things.
She’s been coming to the library’s festivals for many years, but previously sold bags and other crochet crafts. She wanted to expand the kind of products she made, so she started teaching herself to make hygienic and cosmetic products last year. She primarily sells online.
Glitter Critter Studios was selling handmade clothes, earrings, stickers, and more. Their designs were very colorful and bright, almost cartoon-like.
Heather, one of the artists, said that her work is inspired by things from her childhood and also the exotic animals she rescues in her spare time. She has been a professional freelance artist for the past five years.
Glitter Critter Studios is an artist collective studio made up of three friends, including Heather, located in Memphis. This was their first time in Arkansas and first time at one of the library’s festivals.
Another designer, Alexandra of Xandra Page Co., displayed her handmade jewelry. She started making and selling her jewelry in 2020, looking for a creative outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she’s been crafty from a young age and is self-taught.
Right now, Xandra Page Co. has turned into a full-time job for her. She also has a graduate degree in English but is enjoying where she’s at for the moment. She primarily sells online and also at some festivals.
There were also some organizations there to represent themselves. The International Students Association from ASU-Jonesboro were there to talk about the kind of opportunities they offer for international students. This is the first time the association has been to the library’s festival, but they’ve been to lots of other events to represent and promote themselves.
They help to bring together international students on campus through various activities so that they can connect with others they have something in common with, get to know each other’s cultures, and become more comfortable in a culture that’s new to them.
The three international students from the association at the festival—Nihal, Mahita, and Pauline–showcased the diverse interests of the association, one being a computer science major, one a wildlife conservation major, and one having just graduated with a master’s in psychology, respectively.
A nonprofit organization called The Reform Alliance was also in attendance. Their focus is education equity for K-12 students in Arkansas.
They raise awareness for all types of education options, including public, private, homeschool, and microschool. They also offer scholarships.
There were also a few food vendors there, such as Spice Girls Thai Street Food which soft-opened just this May. The food truck is an offshoot of the Sai Thai restaurant which closed in April. Spice Girls’ official grand opening will be June 1.
According to Valerie Carroll from Friends of the Library, the Craighead County Library hosts two festivals per year, and they choose a different theme each time. This is the first time AAPI Month has been the theme.
“I think that some of the folks from the Multicultural Committee are probably here at the event, but they do have a new committee where they’ve been trying to do some different things to widen out the cultural net, bring in some more people, and teach people who are here about different cultures,” Carroll said.
Avery Jonesis a sophomore in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – Last week, the Valley View School Board responded to the new Arkansas legislation by revising its board policies at the final board meeting for the 2022-2023 school year.
The Arkansas LEARNS Act, legislation signed into law in March, made changes to many policies in Arkansas schools. This legislation, a priority for Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders since she took office, became controversial across the state.
Due to its impact on schools, Supt. Roland Popejoy introduced Arkansas LEARNS as, “the elephant in the room.”
Arkansas LEARNS raised the minimum salary for teachers to $50,000 and requires each certified teacher receive a raise of $2,000. The state provides some of the money needed to supply these pay increases.
Sara Osment, the assistant superintendent, said, “The school district did have to provide additional financial support to provide some differentiation between what we were provided by the state just to make it a competitive salary schedule.”
School board secretary Lee Lane said the biggest change the LEARNS Act will make for Valley View will be the pay raise for teachers.
“We’re not as funded as other schools within the region, and so we have to look at every penny,” Lane said.
“We’re not as funded as other schools within the region, and so we have to look at every penny,”
– Lee Lane, Valley View School Board Secretary
Since Arkansas LEARNS requires a minimum salary of $50,000, schools like Valley View must provide competitive salaries for veteran teachers from other parts of the budget, rather than the state provided money.
“That law, really kind of took 15-year teachers and bumped everybody up to possibly what they were making. So, it gave no incentive or increase for those teachers that had seniority. So, we had to sit down and really look at our budget. Because that’s got to come from somewhere,” Lane said.
“That law, really kind of took 15-year teachers and bumped everybody up to possibly what they were making. So, it gave no incentive or increase for those teachers that had seniority. So, we had to sit down and really look at our budget. Because that’s got to come from somewhere,”
– Lee Lane, Valley View School Board Secretary
He said he hopes in years to come, the board will be able to continue to give raises to experienced teachers.
In other business, the board voted to revise its policy due to Arkansas legislation concerning preferred names and pronouns of students, specifically with students identifying as transgender.
The new law requiresteachers to call students by the name and pronouns listed on their birth certificate. The legislation allows parents to approve a name or pronoun change for their children.
“We have had students that have wanted to or identified differently and wanted to change their names, but we have used a similar process to what is now going to be in law with regard to how (the legislation) addressed it,” Popejoy said.
“We have had students that have wanted to or identified differently and wanted to change their names, but we have used a similar process to what is now going to be in law with regard to how (the legislation) addressed it,”
– Valley View School Board Superintendent Roland Popejoy
He said the legislation required the board to approve a specific policy, but it will not cause a major change in the districts existing procedure.
“We always want to actively involve our parents in that process, and help to make sure our children feel apart and welcome, but it’s very important that the parents are involved in that process,” Popejoy said.
The Arkansas legislation included some optional policies the board could approve or deny at its discretion. The only optional policy the board rejected would change requirements for parental leave for teachers.
The legislation increased maternity leave, for new biological mothers and foster mothers of children younger than 12 months old, from four to 12 weeks.
The board decided against the approval of this optional policy due to budget concerns. The board will revisit the regulations when clearer rules and regulations become available.
“There may be items that have fiscal impact on the district that we are not privy to or aware of as an unintended consequence of the law. And so, we want to make sure that we are watching that and not obligate ourselves to funding that benefit whenever there is going to be a shortfall on what the state will provide,” Popejoy said.
He said the state would provide the wages for substitutes for teachers taking parental leave, but would not pay the teacher’s salary, which would need to be paid by the district.
“We want to provide benefits that meet the needs of our staff, but also focus on what everybody is eligible for. So, if we have staff members that have already had their children, then they would not be eligible for that necessarily,” Popejoy said. “If we have individual staff members that are not able to have children, you know, that would not really be equitable for them.”
Both Popejoy and Osment began their roles as superintendent and assistant superintendent this academic year.
“(There have been) lots of changes and learning a lot of things but overall, I thought it was very successful year and we’re glad to have one year and our belts,” Osment said.
Popejoy said he feels optimistic about next school year, despite the many changes.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to keep making good impact on our kiddos,” Popejoy said.
Caroline Cherry Averitt is a junior at Arkansas State University from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Her major is multimedia journalism with a minor in writing studies concentrating in creative writing. She can be reached at: caroline.averitt@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – A nearly two weeks after Hurricane Hilary brought torrential rain and gusty winds to Baja Mexico and Southern California, Floridians take shelter as they brace for Hurricane Idalia to hit the state. This year National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, predict near-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic. The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Although hurricanes form in the Oceans and primarily the Atlantic, thunderstorms and tornadoes are often spun into neighboring states. Earlier this year, two tornadoes, both EF3s, hit the Little Rock area and later the city of Wynne on March 31, causing extensive damage.
Although there wasn’t much severe damage from the storms in northeast Arkansas region, the area received plenty of weather alerts. However, a late season outbreak of tornadoes on December 10, 2021 caused extensive damage to the city of Monette. Along with the previous year’s EF3 tornado on March 28, 2020 which hit the city of Jonesboro and including the Mall at Turtle Creek in Jonesboro, severe weather preparation is more pertinent than ever.
There are multiple ways to prepare for severe weather, and finding the proper shelter as well as insurance in case of damage to personal property are among the most important.
Craighead County Judge, Marvin Day, stated that when the county is under a severe weather warning, especially for tornadoes, they activate the Emergency Operations Center. During severe weather, the center monitors weather conditions so they’ll be able to alert proper officials or departments that need to take action.
Officials regularly make sure that highway and road departments is prepared so that they can clear roadways of debris and fallen trees if needed. They also keep the general public informed of weather conditions and significant damage.
Another significant aspect of severe storm preparation is insurance. Depending on the individual policy, insurance could possibly help a person to get back on their feet if their personal property is damaged by a severe storm.
INSURANCE
According to local insurance agent Randy Smith, insurance rates and claims generally increase after a natural disaster. However, factors of rates and claims vary significantly across agencies and policies, and one important factor is based on losses and how much the company has to pay out.
Additionally, severe storms can cause claims to still come in years after the fact. For instance, Smith’s office is still seeing claims from a hailstorm on April 15, 2022. This is usually due to the recent high winds which can blow off roof shingles, and when roofers repair the damage, they may find additional hail damage that hadn’t been seen before.
“Make sure that your company but even more so that your agent that you have, that they are preparing you to make sure that you at least have the opportunity to have the coverages that you are going to need when this event occurs.” Smith said in order to prepare for a severe weather event.
“Make sure that your company but even more so that your agent that you have, that they are preparing you to make sure that you at least have the opportunity to have the coverages that you are going to need when this event occurs.” Smith said in order to prepare for a severe weather event.”
– Randy Smith, Insurance Agent
He explained that his office uses “the doctor’s approach.” They begin by asking a series of questions, the customer explains their situation, and the agent gives their professional opinion about what they believe the customer needs.
The price is never discussed as the agent is often focused on customer needs for a particular situation. It’s entirely up to the customer whether or not the price is worth what the agent offers them.
According to Smith, most customers are only concerned with getting the best product for the least money, but it’s also important for the person to consider what kind of situation they’ll be in with whatever they bought if they suffer a disaster. The agent’s intention should be to educate the customer about that situation and prepare them.
After a disaster, the customer can go through the claims process. If a house is uninhabitable due to severe weather, and if it’s offered in the policy, the person can be given some money to live in a hotel or apartment: this is called additional living expenses. Also, if a car is damaged and the person has rental car coverage, they can get a rental car for the amount that the specific policy offers.
In his office, Smith says that customers can call the agent to have them involved in the process by filing the claim for the customer and then the agent can continue to check up on the customer after the fact. However, the office doesn’t have the authority to make determinations on claims or pay out money. That happens from the company; the agent acts as a liaison between the company and the customer.
FOOD NEEDS
However, insurance isn’t the only way to recover after a disaster. There are many charity and nonprofit organizations that offer relief to victims of severe weather in the Northeast Arkansas area.
According to chief executive director Christie Jordan, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas makes sure that affected families have food after disasters. They reach out to the community to supply water and snacks to victims and volunteers helping clean up. During the recovery period, they provide families that are rebuilding their lives with food.
Their response changes based on what the community in question needs. They often work through their network of partner agencies and local churches to distribute food. They currently have a distribution center set up in Wynne to receive and donate food to victims of the recent tornado. They work with city officials to ensure that resources get to the right places.
The Food Bank of NEA works closely with other Feeding America food banks in Arkansas and other states and are part of a disaster preparation cohort to work together and plan in advance. They make sure that supplies are already staged in various locations so they can respond quickly as they did in Wynne.
Another organization that helps after disasters in the general area is the Arkansas Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief. They’re based in Little Rock, but they have units situated all over the state, including several in the Northeast Arkansas area.
According to Randy Garrett, the disaster relief director for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, their main job is to supply resources to the public after a disaster. Primarily, they do feeding as well as chainsaw work and flood recovery. They also have incident command to provide leadership and guidance after a disaster.
Randy Garrett
The organization is part of the North American Mission Board Send Relief. They can reach out to other organizations across the state or in other states for help if needed. There are several thousand of these organizations. The Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief has traveled to help other states as well, such as during Hurricane Sandy.
They also have chaplains, and they provide the training for the chaplains themselves. The chaplains talk to the public during a crisis to listen to the survivors and help them work through it.
They have a new program called the Box Ministry where they help victims sort through the wreckage of their home after a disaster to find keepsakes and other important belongings. They bring boxes to contain the findings. While they’re helping, they spread the message of Christ.
Sometimes this process can take several days. They help to put the box in a safe place until the victims can start to rebuild their lives.
Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief usually comes in right after the first responders. They stay in that community for as long as it takes to get people taken care of. Currently, they’re still sending teams into Central Arkansas and Wynne to help after the tornadoes.
Each worker has to get trained. Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief hosts training events across the state. They also provide all the necessary personal protective equipment. They currently have over 2,500 volunteers. They also work alongside other churches in the local area of the disaster that want to help.
“There’s other avenues to help people in times of crisis, but I think the main thing is faith is very important. I’ve seen it move mountains,” Garrett said.
“There’s other avenues to help people in times of crisis, but I think the main thing is faith is very important. I’ve seen it move mountains,” Garrett said.
– Randy Garrett, Director of Disaster Relief
“People of Arkansas are very resilient. You think…how will they ever recover? And you go back maybe six months later and you see the rebuild process…they really bounced back and they’ve got their lives back. It’s just a tribute to the guys and ladies of Arkansas…when something happens, we’re down, but we’re not out.”
The Salvation Army in Jonesboro is another organization that offers disaster relief. They serve eight surrounding counties with a staff of three, and usually about fifty to sixty volunteers during the holiday season and fifteen to twenty-five the rest of the year.
Captain Charles Smith and his wife Captain Teri Smith are the commanding officers. According to Charles Smith, his team goes on on-site as soon as a natural disaster happens. They offer food to both victims and first-responders. Their Disaster Mobile Canteens also provide things like water and coffee.
They also offer emotional and spiritual care. They go out and talk to people to encourage them and listen to them.
After an initial hit, they help do long-term recovery work. For instance, the divisional disaster director Laurie Fried and her team based in Oklahoma City have been traveling several times a year to visit those affected by the tornadoes in the Trumann area a couple of years ago.
“What they offer is solutions to help people get back on their feet,” Smith said. “Whether it’s through monetary donations or gift cards or other ways to help meet their needs. We work alongside…other agencies…to help get people back on their feet and get them established again, getting them into homes, getting them relief, whether it’s through food, financial assistance with rent or utilities, things of that nature.”
The agencies that Salvation Army works alongside include Samaritan’s Purse, Red Cross, and the Baptist Foundation.
Although natural disasters are undoubtedly devastating, there are many organizations willing to help those affected and also ways to help oneself be prepared before a storm.
Avery Jonesis a sophomore in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Arkansas State Red Wolves outlast the South Alabama Jaguars on senior day 18-11, completing a sweep of the Jaguars in the process.
The Jaguars would first add a pair of runs in the first inning. Second baseman Erik Orbeta (2) would start the game with a triple and was brought home thanks to an errand pickoff attempt from Red Wolves’ starting pitcher Tyler Jeans (14). Center fielder Will Turner (6) would reach home on a wild pitch, making it a 2-0 South Alabama lead.
Arkansas State would get a run from a wild pitcher from Jaguars’ starting pitcher Tyler Smith (23), letting second baseman Wil French (10) score. With the deficit now to 2-1, Red Wolves designated hitter John Hoskyn (19) would homer to right center, giving Arkansas State a 4-2 lead heading into the second.
Red Wolves Infielder Daedrick Cail (3)
South Alabama would tie it up in the top of the second inning with an Orbeta double and a Turner single, both driving in a single run each making it a 4-4 game.
A-State would take the lead right back as left fielder Brayden Caskey (15) sac flew, driving home French. A-State would head into the third with a 5-4 lead.
Three singles in the bottom of the third would drive home four more runs for A-State, expanding the lead to 9-4.
The Jaguars would cut the deficit down to two, as right fielder Austin Thrasher (19) walked in a run and left fielder Joesph Sullivan (7) singled driving home two runs. South Alabama would not only trail 9-7.
The Red Wolves would add two more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a French fielder’s choice that batted in a run and third baseman Daedrick Cail (3) driving in a run of his own being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. After four long innings, Arkansas State would lead 11-7.
Red Wolves Second Baseman Wil French (10)
After South Alabama trimmed the deficit by scoring three runs in the sixth, the Red Wolves would only add to their lead with first baseman Brandon Hager (11) homering to center, making the score 13-10.
The Jaguars would add a single run in the bottom of the sixth, though the Red Wolves would explode for five runs in the bottom of the seventh. After an inning and a half of scoreless baseball, the Red Wolves would win by a score of 18-11.
Following the win, Red Wolves fielder Blake Burris (9) pointed out his team’s quality at-bats, nearly setting a team record.
“We almost set a new record today, I think 38 quality at-bats,” Burris stated. “Even when we were making outs, we were hitting the ball hard. We didn’t strike out often, but when we did strike out it was eight to nine-pitch at-bats.”
On the series sweep, Red Wolves head coach Tommy Raffo emphasized the challenge that his team faced.
“It was a challenge for our guys this week. We felt like we were playing a lot better at the back end and scoring a lot of runs,” Raffo said. “The challenge for this core group was to finish the right way and finish in front of this home crowd with a three-game series, and win it.”
“It was a challenge for our guys this week. We felt like we were playing a lot better at the back end and scoring a lot of runs,”
Tommy Raffo, Red Wolves Head Coach
On how his seniors have impacted him, Burris stated that they truly made him a better person.
“The seniors do such a great job of leading this team,” Burris said. “I’m really proud and really glad that God has brought them into my life. On or off the field, they have made me a better person.”
On the topic of his seniors, Raffo could only praise them and the effect they have had on his team.
“It’s been fantastic. Those guys have been some of the leaders and vocal guys in the locker room,” Raffo stated. “We’re going to miss them, but they’re a part of our Arkansas State family now.”
The Red Wolves will look to play for postseason baseball in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, which begins Tuesday, May 23.
Jacob Wicinski is a 2021 graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor’s in communication and is currently seeking a masters of science in mass communication with a specialization in journalism at Arkansas State University.
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Arkansas State Red Wolves baseball team win their penultimate game against the South Alabama Jaguars, 13-6.
The Red Wolves would get the scoring started in the first inning. first baseman Brandon Hager (11) singled to right center, driving home center fielder Blake Burris (9) who was situated on second base, making it a 1-0 ballgame.
Red Wolves Pitcher Kyler Carmack (2)
Despite Red Wolves outfielder Nathan VerMaas’ (30) robbing a South Alabama home run, the Jaguars would tie the game 1-1 with South Alabama catcher Cole Kitzner (20) doubling and driving home third baseman Hunter Donaldson (4).
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Red Wolves would take back control of the lead. Second baseman Wil French (10) would walk in a run, while Hager would ground into a fielder’s choice, and third baseman Daedrick Cail (3) would walk in a run of his own. By the time the final out was made in the inning, the Red Wolves were up 4-1.
In the top of the fifth inning, Arkansas State pitcher Kyler Carmack (2) allowed a single and a walk but was able to get out of the inning unscathed. Carmack would leave the game with a 4-1 lead, allowing seven hits, one earned run, two walks, and two strikeouts on 92 pitches and five complete innings.
“Kyler was phenomenal. He just gutted it out,” said Red Wolves head coach Tommy Raffo after the game. “He had some moments to where he had runners on base, and he had to make pitches.”
Red Wolves Catcher & First Baseman Dylan DeButy (23)
A-State would only expand on their lead, with catcher Dylan DeButy (23) hitting a three-run home run giving the Red Wolves a 7-1 lead going into the sixth inning.
“I didn’t really feel the ball off the bat, so I knew something good was going to happen,” DeButy said after the game. “I just tried to put something in play there and it just got up and went.”
However, at the top of the sixth, the Jaguars would come back to score four runs , hitting a combined six hits in the top stretch alone. After a South Alabama sac fly, four singles, and a wild pitch, all driving home a run, South Alabama would now only be trailing 7-5.
Arkansas State would immediately answer in the bottom of the inning with Wil French singling to left field, driving home designated hitter John Hoskyn (19) and shortstop Kody Darcy (36), expanding the lead to 9-5.
Wil French would also add to his total RBI, producing a sacrifice fly with Kody Darcy scoring on the play, with the lead now being 10-5. First baseman Brandon Hager would add to his team-leading slugging percentage with a three-run homerun of his own, enlarging the lead to 13-5.
“I didn’t really feel the ball off the bat, so I knew something good was going to happen,”
Dylan Deputy (23), Red Wolves First Baseman & Catcher
Red Wolves Catcher John Hoskyn (19)
“As you pressure a team, you then get an opportunity for two guys that have some power,” Tommy Raffo said on DeButy and Hager’s homeruns. “They took advantage of some swings with some balls that were in the zone. When you see the ball fly out of the yard, it makes everyone happy in the dugout.”
South Alabama would add a run in the ninth, making Arkansas State’s lead now 13-6, with that being the final score.
With the Red Wolves scoring a combined 20 runs in their last two games, DeButy stated that he and his offense were striving for quality at-bats.
“We’ve been getting a lot of jobs done,” DeButy said. “We’re going for quality at-bats, or as we call them ‘QABs.’ In the dugout, it’s very important that every guy gets in there and gets a QAB.”
DeButy would also highlight his pitchers, speaking on how they handle adversity.
Red Wolves Short Stop Kody Darcy (36)
“The unsung heroes are our pitchers,” DeButy said. “Those guys face a lot of adversity. They just get in there and get after it. Whether we put up three runs or however many, it doesn’t matter as those guys come in and shove it.”
Raffo was excited though about his team winning a series at home after the year that they have had.
“We’ve played some very close games throughout the year, and they didn’t come out in our favor,” Raffo stated. “At the same time, these guys have been getting after it all year long and just excited to see them win a series here.”
Arkansas State will look to sweep their final series of the season against the South Alabama Jaguars today at 1 p.m.
Jacob Wicinski is a 2021 graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor’s in communication and is currently seeking a masters of science in mass communication with a specialization in journalism at Arkansas State University.
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Arkansas State Red Wolves baseball team downed the South Alabama Jaguars 7-2 during the series opener at Tomlinson Stadium on Kell Field in Jonesboro, Ark. on Thursday, May 18, 2023.
After back-to-back batters hit-by-pitch and a successful bunt loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning, South Alabama Pitcher Leif Moore (46) would walk consecutive batters. Arkansas State would go into the second inning up 2-0.
The Jaguars would answer with a run of their own, as Micah Morgan (8) singled to right field driving home shortstop JG Bell (9), making it a 2-1 ballgame.
In the bottom of the second, Moore would hit another batter and give up a single, as he was taken out. The Red Wolves would extend their lead to 3-1 after center fielder Blake Burris (9) grounded into a double play, driving home a run in the process.
The Jaguars would add a run though in the top of the fourth inning as third baseman Hunter Donaldson (4) would drive home Bell, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Wolves would extend their lead by three runs, with a walk, single, and fielder’s choice, all with the bases loaded, each driving home a run. Arkansas State would enter the sixth with a 6-2 lead.
Red Wolves Head Coach Tommy Raffo
After giving up a single and a walk in the top of the sixth inning, Red Wolves starting pitcher Hunter Draper (18) was removed. He would exit with 5.2 innings, two runs allowed, and seven hits given up on 99 pitches.
The Red Wolves would get yet another run in the bottom of the seventh, with right fielder Brayden Caskey’s (15) single forcing two errors on the same play. Third baseman Daedrick Cail (3) would score on the play, extending Arkansas State’s lead to 7-2.
Red Wolves relief pitcher Arlon Butts (16) tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, giving Arkansas State a 7-2 win over South Alabama. The win would snap a three-game losing streak for the Red Wolves, while the Jaguars would extend their losing streak to eight games.
On his team’s win, head coach Tommy Raffo applauded his team’s cleanliness.
“Anytime you get a Friday night win at home in the Sun Belt, it’s a big deal,” Raffo stated. “I’m proud of our guys. I thought we played pretty clean baseball, we had a great quality start from Hunter Draper and Arlon Butts followed it up right after that.”
“I’m proud of our guys. I thought we played pretty clean baseball,“…
– Tommy Raffo, Red Wolves Head Coach
In terms of how his team performed behind him, Hunter Draper stated that they made some huge plays that helped him get through his 5.2 innings.
Red Wolves Pitcher Hunter Draper (18)
“I was able to throw the ball in the zone and made [my teammates] stay ready in the field,” Draper stated. “They definitely made some good plays that saved me.”
When asked about where he felt Draper performed best, Head Coach Tommy Raffo stated that there was one area that particularly stood out.
“The Strike Zone. We were able to get some early outs in some at-bats that helped him,” Raffo said. “His pitch count later in the game got a little elevated, but he just competes, has a big heart, and we love him on the mound.”
On Arlon Butts’ scoreless relief effort, Raffo would praise his effort and celebrate his attitude in terms of finishing games.
“All year long, he’s been our guy out of the bullpen, he’s our first guy up. We want him to have the ball to win a game,” Raffo said. “It’s fun to see him feel good about finishing a game.”
With many of his team’s runs coming from a Jaguars mistake, Raffo expressed how important quality at-bats are to his team.
“Quality at-bats are a big deal for us. We went deep in counts and we were able to win some of those,” Raffo stated. “Our guys just played good team ball.”
The Red Wolves will face off against the South Alabama Jaguars for the second game of this three-game series today at 3 p.m.
Jacob Wicinski is a 2021 graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor’s in communication and is currently seeking a masters of science in mass communication with a specialization in journalism at Arkansas State University.
Delta Digital News Service 