Two people died in two crashes on Arkansas roads Wednesday, according to preliminary reports from the Arkansas State Police.
Mary Ann Frederick, 84, of Paris, died about 11:52 a.m. while attempting to cross Arkansas 22 west of Subiaco from north to south, according to a report. A 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 traveling east struck and killed Frederick when she walked into the eastbound traffic lane, the report says.
The trooper investigating the death reported that the weather was cloudy and the road was dry at the time.
An unidentified male driver died in a crash at 1:59 a.m. on Main Street in Grady, according to a report, which lists the driver only as John Doe.
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The driver was headed north in a 2015 BMW 320 when he failed to navigate a left turn, leaving the roadway to the right, the report says.
The driver overcorrected, causing the vehicle to reenter and exit the roadway to the left, the report says. After leaving the roadway, the car struck a utility pole and continued traveling until it struck a building.
The trooper investigating the crash reported that the weather was clear and the road was dry.
Editor’s note: The original version of this column was published Feb. 11, 2001.
The distinguished-looking man with wiry hair and a beard to match seemed near retirement age. He carried himself with a rumpled air of relaxed authority, the type who might sport gray woolen socks with sandals. It would soon become obvious that he also was an educator with a powerful curiosity.
During the spring of 2000, an area bookstore manager in Fayetteville had asked me to lead an evening book discussion group about the convergence of science and religion. It seems I had written one too many weekend columns about books in that emerging field.
This gentle, older fellow appeared regularly amid the varied group of 40 or so who gathered each Thursday evening over five weeks. He usually arrived early to claim a padded chair near the podium. Then he would listen attentively, taking occasional notes as the evenings unfolded.
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After the second week he lingered to introduce himself.
It turns out he was a student of Eastern thought, quantum physics, poetry and mysticism. The soft-spoken man believed that the theologians and philosophers from that region of the world were on to something when they spoke of a universal mind and the underlying oneness to everything.
He also seemed to place a lot of credence in theories of renewal and cycles of rebirth.
As weeks passed, our group shared many thoughts about the latest discoveries in the magical realm of quantum physics and how the many “illogics” being discovered in that field today point to the need for a creator, as well as a distinct beginning to our universe.
This man seated near to my right sometimes offered ideas that always edged the participants forward in their insights. There were many revelations over which to marvel. For instance, together we discussed that, while matter is energy created of atoms, the atoms themselves are composed of over 99 percent space, meaning that our physical bodies, despite appearances to the contrary, also are virtually nothingness.
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We discovered that quantum research shows that a single particle of light (a photon) actually seemed to exhibit the ability to choose its opening when shot toward a double slit to land against a background screen, and how oddly fields of light will react to the presence of human DNA.
We read that some prominent researchers now theorize that the myriad energy fields and frequencies, which comprise and pervade our lives and the electromagnetic spectrum of the universe, may carry intelligence that regularly influences our behavior and our choices.
All agreed that in the last half of the 20th century, through the advances in quantum physics, cosmology and science, humans are being allowed to peer more deeply than ever into the mysteries of existence.
After one session, this friendly man and I also shared the conclusion that this conscious physical state we call existence is comparable to an iceberg floating in a vast ocean. For a short while, every iceberg assumes what appears to be its own unique form. It seems distinctive and separate from the water surrounding it, as well as from other icebergs.
But every ice chunk is only the same ocean water that briefly assumes a different shape. And it soon melts back into the ocean from whence it formed.
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The man and I looked into each other’s eyes and shook hands after the final night of the bookstore session. I left Fayetteville soon afterward and unfortunately lost touch with him and the other fellow searchers.
I opened the newspaper a few months afterward to a photograph of my newfound philosopher friend smiling back from the front page. English Professor John R. Locke had been shot to death by a disgruntled graduate student in his office on the University of Arkansas campus.
He was described as a devoted educator and poet with abiding philosophical interests who cared deeply about others. I stared at the headline, remembering the intriguing thoughts we had shared. Then I imagined how he would have viewed such a terrible event had the tables been turned and I had been the victim.
John Locke would likely have thought something like: “Well, ol’ Mike’s melted back into the ocean again. I’ll miss recognizing his familiar peaks and edges. He and I had some fine chats together when he was a fellow iceberg. Oh well, I’m sure we’ll visit again in the ocean once I re-melt for the 10th time.
“No things. Just ings. I am writing. You are reading. We are ing.”
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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master’s journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.
Public school districts across Arkansas are expected to be able to lock up students’ cell phones during school hours, with the state Department of Education distributing $7 million to pay for pouches or lockers.
The Arkansas Legislative Council will take up the restricted reserve fund request Friday after the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review subcommittee approved it Monday on a voice vote with some dissent.
“This initiative seeks to foster a phone-free environment, enabling an evaluation of its impact on student learning, engagement, and overall student health,” Department of Education Chief Fiscal Officer Greg Rogers wrote to Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson requesting the funds.
The phone restriction initiative is part of a pilot program Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva announced in July. The program will also provide grant funding for telehealth mental health services and support for locating mental health providers and navigating insurance matters, according to a news release.
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Cell phone policies at Arkansas schools vary among districts and individual classrooms. While some teachers collect phones at the start of instructional time, others allow students to access their devices after completing assignments.
The $7 million allocation is an estimate of the cost of the locking devices based on the number of students in the roughly 180 school districts that have applied to participate in the pilot program, said Courtney Salas-Ford, the education department’s chief of staff.
School districts rather than the state would be responsible for replacing the devices, but metal lockers and magnetically-sealed cloth pouches “have a very long life expectancy,” Salas-Ford said.
The pouches from YONDR, a California-based company with the goal of creating “phone-free spaces,” can be locked and unlocked by separate unlocking devices kept under the supervision of adults while students keep the pouches with them at all times. In July, the De Queen School District approved the use of the pouches for middle school and junior high students as part of its participation in the pilot program.
Sanders has repeatedly advocated for reducing social media use among teenagers, citing concerns about depression and suicide rates.
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Arkansas school districts consider implementing new state cell phone, mental health program
“Our country has been experimenting with unregulated smartphone use for more than a decade, and unfortunately the results have been absolutely devastating for our young people,” Sanders said at an Aug. 8 press conference at Bentonville’s Ardis Ann Middle School.
Bentonville West High School piloted a program last year that required cell phones to be silenced and stored during class. Bentonville School District Director of Communications Leslee Wright said in July that the initiative was a “remarkable success,” with 86% of staff reporting a positive impact. Administrators also recorded a 57% reduction in verbal or physical aggression offenses and a 51% reduction in drug-related offenses, she said.
YONDR CEO Graham Dugoni attended the press conference, which marked the start of the pilot program a month after it was announced.
“One of the things he said that really stuck with me [is] this isn’t about taking anything away,” Sanders said. “This is about giving students the freedom to enjoy a phone-free education.”
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As part of the pilot program, the University of Arkansas’ Office for Education Policy will examine how students’ mental health may be impacted by reduced access to cell phones and social media. A smaller group of districts from the pilot program will participate in the UA study.
In May, Sanders sent a copy of Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, to all state and territorial governors in America, as well as Arkansas legislators. According to the July press release, she expressed support for four main goals: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more outdoor play and childhood independence.
Proposals to reduce smartphone use have been gaining traction across the country, including in California, Florida, Ohio and Indiana.
A 2023 law that Sanders championed would have been the first in the nation to require minors to receive parental permission before signing up for a social media account. A federal judge blocked the law last August, hours before it was set to take effect.
Arkansas lawmakers might introduce legislation in January requiring all districts to lock up students’ phones during the school day, House Speaker Pro Tempore Jon Eubanks, R-Paris, said during Monday’s PEER meeting.
Arkansas Tech University freshmen file onto the floor at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville for the beginning of fall 2024 orientation.
Arkansas Tech University freshmen began their orientation to their new campus with a greeting from ATU President Dr. Russell Jones on Sunday, Aug. 18.
“I know you probably have a lot of different feelings right now,” said Jones during an address to ATU freshmen at John E. Tucker Coliseum. “Some of you are excited. Some are nervous. Some are probably tired from moving into your residence hall. But let me tell you…you have all these people around you to support you. You have all of your faculty members to support you. One thing you will find about Arkansas Tech is that everyone wants you to succeed. We are a community where everybody cares about everybody else. Each of you are different and have different needs. We are here to help you find your journey.”
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Arkansas Tech launched its 2024-25 academic year on Saturday, Aug. 17, with residence hall move-in day and the beginning of ATU Welcome Week activities. Formal first-year student orientation began on Sunday, Aug. 18.
The first day of classes for the fall 2024 semester will be Wednesday, Aug. 21.
“You need to be active in everything we have to offer at Arkansas Tech,” said Jones. “We’re going to give you the full college experience. There’s a lot more to it beyond going to class and making good grades. This is the best time of your life. There is so much you can get involved in and be a part of. You will be glad if you choose to be active.”
Jones offered a special welcome to the first-generation college students who are freshmen at Arkansas Tech this fall.
“It has now been quite a few years, but I was also a first-generation college student,” said Jones. “I made the choice to go to college because I saw it as a way to rise above the circumstances around me. I knew that college could open new doors for me, allow me to go new places and set my horizons higher than I had previously expected.”