Clay County Quorum Court met Monday, March 20, in regular session in the Piggott Courthouse. All members of the court were present. Motion was made by Justice Dennis Haines to suspend the reading of the previous month with a second by Justice Patrick Patterson, all voted in favor.
A busy but difficult week at the State Capitol ended with a huge victory for a coalition of Freedom of Information Act advocates in Arkansas amid “Sunshine Week” activities across the state and nation. In an all-day hearing before the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, House Bill 1610 by Rep. Mary Bentley, R-Perryville, and Sen. John. Payton, R-Wilburn, was rejected in a voice vote at the end of an allday hearing. That bill would have amended the Arkansas FOIA law’s definition of a public meeting by adding the words “of a quorum” into the statute. That bill was first brought before the House panel late Wednesday morning, but debate on the one-page proposal lasted until after 5 p.m. that evening following the lower chamber’s daily floor hearing. After testimony from eight FOIA advocates representing APA, the Arkansas FOIA Coalition, the legislature appointed FOIA Task Force and other groups and individuals, several lawmakers asked Bentley to pull the bill down and negotiate an agreement with the APA and other FOIA groups. She adamantly refused, and the House panel rejected the measure as several FOIA advocates cheered. “This has been a busy and exhausting week for us, and I’m glad we were able to defeat HB 1610, which would have really undermined the open meeting requirements of the Arkansas FOIA going all the way to 1967,” APA Executive Director Ashley Wimberley said after Wednesday’s marathon meeting. “We achieved a lot this week in making sure that we continue to have one of the best FOIA laws in the United States.” Earlier on Tuesday Senate Bills 380, 381 and 382 by Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale saw mixed results during more than two hours of debate before the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. All three bills, supported by the APA and the state FOIA Coalition and Task Force, would expand and improve the state’s highly regarded FOIA enacted into law in 1967. The first FOIA-related bill debated b
Emma Holmes and Ethan Simmons were two Clay County teen delegates that represented Arkansas 4-H at a National Conference in Washington D.C. from March 9th - 12th.
House also sends school bathroom restrictions to Gov. Sanders’ desk The Arkansas House approved a proposed law on Wednesday that would open the door to criminal liability for the distribution of “obscene” content by school and public libraries, despite bipartisan opposition.
On Tuesday, March 14, the Lady Bobcats were down 10-9 when they seized victory with a walkoff homerun by Kylie Zimmer in the bottom of the 7th inning on a 1-2 count that scored 2 runs. In the first inning, Manila got their offense started when an error scored 1 run and scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning.
The Jr. Bobcats defeated Piggott 11-0 on Saturday, March 11 as two pitchers, Brady Russom and Ty Price, combined to throw a shutout. Russom got the start for the Bobcats lasting two innings, allowing two hits and zero runs while striking out two and walking zero. Ty Price struck out #9 to finish off the game.
House of Representatives State of Arkansas District 56 House members will now be taking an extended recess. When the House reconvenes on March 27, members will be addressing public safety legislation, constitutional amendments, and the budget.
From LITTLE ROCK – The legislature has advanced a long list of bills to prevent voter fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Both the Senate and the House of Represen t a t ives have passed HB 1510 to schedule all special elections on the same date as traditional primary elections in May and general elections in November.
We live in a marvelous time. We have the knowledge of the universe at our finger tips. We have the means to send that knowledge flying to the stars at warp speed. We are an opinionated race of Homo sapiens that have risen from the dark ages and both created paradises and the depths of hell on this earth. And we never stop to see how that progression goes until it has spent its strength. Social media is a mecca for those like me that have lived their fourscore and more, and have now retired to our favorite, I would say armchair, but it is more likely office chair. And now we are ready to tell the world how the cow ate the cabbage, as my mom used to say. If the subject comes up about war, you will have a half dozen or more battle hardened, grey bearded, veterans in battle fatigues with weapons (keyboards and mouses - or is it mice? hmmm…) poised to recount the strategies of both battles past and yet to come. If it is peace, we will have a heavenly chorus of tie-dyed, maybe choristers, rending a sweet rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Give Peace a Chance’. If it is about politics… Dear Lord! Don’t get me started! That is all well and good, as I believe it is our First Amendment that gives us that right. Hmmm, or is it the Second? Well, anyway. But there are so many, so very many that attack that keyboard and push that poor little mouse around so inhumanely, without taking care to document anything other than their opinion. Well, we all know about body parts; like opinions we each have several, just like everyone else, unless we have had a terrible accident or mishap at birth. So we should not rely on them? The opinions, not the body parts. We owe it to our progeny that when we set pen to paper, or letters on your monitor, that they should be researched and full of truth. Think of that 2nd great-grandchild that, 75 years from now, reads a page that grandpa wrote and looks up and with a red face and says in a quiet voice, “Papa really said that?” and walks out
For your reading enjoyment, we continue to publish Rambling Vines by the late Marylea Vines as she recalls events and names of Corning folks from many years ago. We are currently in the year 1989 Time is running out for the city to accept the old railroad depot… if anyone has any good ideas about city usage of the building and about how to fiancé remodeling and upkeep, now is the time to step forward and say so.