News

Shelley Smith is a columnist for the Stone County Leader and writes occasional OpEd guest columns for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The following column is her response to a Letter to the Editor appearing in the Leader, challenging the next person to complain about the Arkansas LEARNS to tell what we should be doing.

Emily Selig, a junior at Corning High School, has been selected as one of nine students in the state of Arkansas to serve on the Circle K Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) Student Advisory Council (SAC). The selection process is extremely competitive as the AAA receives numerous applications from each activity district of highly qualified students.

Offering opportunity for local citizens to sign a petition sponsored by Citizens and Parents for Education and Students (CAPES), Ryan Carter of Corning, Shelia Dale, Dianna Brewer along with Karen Nutt of Rector welcomed drive-in signees at the Rector Community Center from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Monday. The petition requests not an overturn of the LEARNS Act 237-2023, but a position of a Referendum to approve or reject the LEARNS Act on the November 2024 ballot. “This referendum enables the people to vote for or against the LEARNS Act,” is printed on the petition available at signing locations. Carter leads the signature gathering which continues through July 31 in Arkansas. Clay County with its small population has already reached its minimum number of mandated signatures, having begun the work in June. Signatures collected on the petition now add to the overall Arkansas totals. Fifty counties must meet requirements of the initiative to bring the referendum to the ballot.

Small towns are little different from other towns. They are communities of people that reflect different lifestyles, different goals, different personalities and different backgrounds. They should not be used to weaponize politics or beliefs. We have way too much of it in our country now without any more of it. In a time far away, when I was young, people had different beliefs and goals as well. Yeah, imagine that, all those old codgers and ladies once had lives as well. Many of us, when we were young, had egos that were a bit over-inflated as well as some of you do. You know who you are, I don’t intend to point fingers. Yeah, I know, another old fogey talking. But go study a bit of history of this country. If you will look at growth, you will find the slowest times were when we were in conflict politically, morally, or strategically. And our fastest growth was when we became united. Now, if you look at our Congress, you will see a body that is not legislating. You will see a body that is full of contention that resembles a farmer in few districts of Clay County, Arkansas, that is standing up to his knees in black gumbo mud. His load is so wearisome and heavy, he can’t walk and carry the load. And when you have entertainers that seek to direct their followers with lyrics that incite messages of dissension, that is not helpful. Yes, I know, it has been done by both sides of society. But, it has never been productive in my mind. If you are an artist, and have a talent with words and music, to me it seems you should be using that talent to unite people into an effort to promote progress. We need progress, terribly.

Clay County was well represented at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Officers and Leaders Conference held Thursday, July 20 - Friday, July 21 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. This year’s theme was “Navigating the Future.”

The Clay County Courier won four awards among the state’s medium- sized weekly newspapers in the Arkansas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Editorial Contest. Winners were announced at the conclusion of the APA’s annual convention in Little Rock on Saturday, July 22.