Connect with us

Arkansas

Pulaski County officials reject resolution to support ceasefire in the Middle East • Arkansas Advocate

Published

on

Pulaski County officials reject resolution to support ceasefire in the Middle East • Arkansas Advocate


The Pulaski County Quorum Court in Central Arkansas on Tuesday rejected a resolution to “support permanent ceasefire and prevent further loss of human life in the Middle East.”

The Justices of the Peace also voted to table the matter indefinitely upon a motion from Justice Phil Stowers.

The resolution stated a desire to save lives regardless of faith or ethnicity, urged national leaders to end the crisis and noted that “harassment, discrimination and violence towards the Muslim and Jewish communities are contradictory to the values that define Pulaski County.”

Several legislative bodies across the country have considered resolutions that call for a ceasefire in the Middle East. Activists brought such a proposal to a Little Rock Board of Directors meeting in April, though officials haven’t acted on it. The Fayetteville city council shut down its own ceasefire resolution in May.

Advertisement
Phil Stowers, Justice of the Peace for District 13 in Pulaski County, motions to table a resolution concerning a ceasefire in the Middle East indefinitely on July 9, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Stowers’ motion to table the matter indefinitely prohibited justices from voting on the resolution directly. When given the opportunity to discuss the motion of tabling, only Justice Lillie McMullen spoke, and she questioned why Stowers or others would want to do so. 

“Why on earth would we want to table it?” McMullen asked. “Why would we not go forward with it at this point? What is it that we are afraid of or want to avoid?”

Stowers quickly called for immediate consideration, which passed unanimously. Four justices then voted against tabling the resolution indefinitely: McMullen, Diane Curry, Curtis Keith and resolution sponsor Donna Massey.

“Honestly speaking, [the resolution] is not picking sides,” Massey told the Arkansas Advocate ahead of the vote last week. “Of course we could, but it’s just asking for a ceasefire to save lives on all sides. Me, personally, I don’t see how that could be that political. It’s just asking them to stop for the sake of humanity.”

Stowers was escorted out of the meeting room quickly upon adjournment. During a phone interview afterward, Stowers said he was proud of his motion and his colleagues who voted with him.

Advertisement

“The people who elected us to serve Pulaski County elected us to take care of their business as it relates to Pulaski County,” Stowers said. “I feel that we have congressional representation on the national level that I certainly personally believe in and rely on.”

Stowers also said he believes Hamas was the aggressor and Israel has the right to protect itself. He said he “believes in peace.”

Four Justices of the Peace on July 9, 2024, voted against a motion to table a resolution supporting a ceasefire in the Middle East indefinitely. From left to right: Lillie McMullen, Donna Massey, Dianne Curry, Curtis Keith. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Three community members spoke in favor of the ceasefire during the quorum court meeting, and staff read one written comment in opposition to the resolution. 

Supporters shared statistics of the ongoing violence and referenced residents in Pulaski County who have family that are directly affected. The resident in opposition wrote that the resolution was not appropriate for county-level involvement and the language was not equitable.

After the vote, about two dozen supporters in attendance stood and chanted “Shame” and “Justices, where is the peace?” toward the quorum court. Massey extended her apologies to the supporters as she left.

Among those community members was Anika Whitfield, who told the Arkansas Advocate that she has people in her life who have been directly affected by the violence in the Middle East. Whitfield said the quorum court tabling the resolution indefinitely was an “obvious work of not allowing direct democracy to happen.”

Advertisement

Whitfield said it seemed like the justices’ decision was already finalized before the meeting started.

Anika Whitfield, a Pulaski County resident who spoke in support of a resolution to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East, stands outside the quorum court’s meeting place in Little Rock on July 9, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

When Massey talked with the Advocate last week, her confidence that the resolution would pass was wavering based on secondhand communications about what her colleagues might do. Following Tuesday’s vote, Massey noted that there was “no validity” to her colleagues’ reasons to vote against the resolution.

“They don’t feel that we should get involved in international affairs, but we are involved,” Massey said during a previous interview. “We are involved whether we like it or not. Some just don’t want to get into anything too political during election season. I’m just keeping it real.”

The Pulaski County Quorum Court is made up of 15 Justices of the Peace, each of whom represents a designated district for two-year terms. Two are up for election this November, Kathy Lewison of District 3 and Julie Blackwood of District 4. Three seats were determined during the primary election, and those justices will take office in January.

In total, the legislative body serves approximately 380,000 residents. Massey was first elected in 1999. She currently represents District 6, which covers downtown Little Rock and a western portion of the city.

Advertisement

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Arkansas

Arkansas football expecting 15 4-stars among 50 prospects visiting for Hogwild Hangout | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

on

Arkansas football expecting 15 4-stars among 50 prospects visiting for Hogwild Hangout | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


Arkansas is expected to host more than 50 prospects, including at least 15 4-star recruits, for the Hogwild Hangout recruiting event Saturday. 

The event starts at 11 a.m. and will end around 4 p.m. It is expected to be the last big recruiting event held this summer with the dead period starting Aug. 1 and running until Aug. 31. 

Numerous commitments along with prospects from the 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 classes are expected to attend. 

Class of 2025 Arkansas commitments:

Advertisement

QB Grayson Wilson — 6-3, 205 pounds, of Conway

• Rated a 4-star prospect by Rivals and ESPN, is rated Rivals’ No. 6 dual-threat quarterback

WR Antonio Jordan — 6-6, 230 pounds, of Warren

• Chose Arkansas over Florida State, South Carolina, Ole Miss and others 

LB Tavion Wallace — 6-1, 215 pounds, of Jesup (Ga.) Wayne County

Advertisement

• Consensus 4-star prospect, ESPN’s No. 4 inside linebacker

S Taijh Overton — 6-2, 180 pounds, of Mobile (Ala.) Williamson

• Consensus 3-star recruit, had offers from Florida State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Central Florida and others 

ATH Quentin Murphy — 6-1, 205 pounds, of LR Parkview

• Consensus 3-star prospect, has other offers from Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon and Oklahoma

Advertisement

OL Blake Cherry — 6-6, 280 pounds, of Owasso, Okla.

• Consensus 3-star recruit who chose Arkansas over Texas A&M, TCU, Kansas State, Kansas and Nebraska

OL Kash Courtney — 6-5, 270 pounds, of Carthage, Texas

• Consensus 3-star prospect who chose Arkansas over Texas Tech, Houston, West Virginia, Duke and others

CB Nigel Pringle — 6-1, 180 pounds, of Houston North Shore 

Advertisement

• On3.com 3-star recruit who had offers from Oregon, Houston, Arizona, Kansas, Arizona State and others

DE Trent Sellers — 6-5, 240 pounds, of Moblie, (Ala.) Faith Academy

• On3.com 3-star prospect with offers from Ole Miss, Nebraska, Mississippi State and others 

OL Connor Howes — 6-6, 300 pounds, of Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola

• On3.com 4-star recruit, No. 14 offensive tackle and No. 150 overall prospect

Advertisement

LB JJ Shelton — 6-1, 205 pounds, of Dallas South Oak Cliff 

• Consensus 3-star recruit who had other offers from Ohio State, Auburn, Notre Dame, TCU and others 

P Gavin Rush — 6-3, 185 pounds, of Franklin (Tenn.) Page, 

• Pledged to Arkansas as a preferred walk-on over scholarship offers from Air Force, Western Kentucky and Army

Non-committed prospects:

Advertisement

’25 CB Aidan Anding — 6-0, 165 pounds, of Ruston, La.

• Consensus 3-star with Arkansas, Texas, LSU and Miami offers

’25 RB Cameron Settles — 6-0, 198 pounds, of LR Parkview 

• On3.com 3-star prospect who officially visited Arkansas in June 

’25 TE Dakotah Terrell — 6-7, 215 pounds, of Pocola, Okla. 

Advertisement

• On3.com 3-star recruit with Arkansas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Texas A&M offers 

’25 WR Josiah Warrior-Benson — 6-3, 210 pounds, of Maumelle

• Has an Arkansas State offer

’25 OL Bryson Weathers — 6-6, 285 pounds, of Cabot

• Has interest from Arkansas and Florida State

Advertisement

’26 RB Racine Guillory Jr. — 5-9, 170 pounds, of  Aldeo, Texas 

• Consensus 4-star prospect with Arkansas, Texas, Southern Cal and Oklahoma offers

’26 RB TJ Hodges — 6-1, 175 pounds, of Marked Tree 

• On3.com 4-star prospect with Arkansas, Oregon, Florida State and Ole Miss offers

’26 DE Jordan Harris — 6-6, 220 pounds, of Maumelle

Advertisement

• Has offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss and SMU

’26 OL Jahlon Harris — 6-6, 330 pounds, of Maumelle

• Has offers from Missouri and Arkansas State 

’26 Noah Best — 6-3, 290 pounds, of Midlothian, Texas

• ESPN 3-star prospect with Arkansas, Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma offers 

Advertisement

’26 DB Lebron Bauer — 5-11, 160 pounds, of Allen, Texas 

• Arkansas, Texas Tech and Arizona State offers 

’26 S Jordan Deck — 6-2, 185 pounds, of Frisco, (Texas) Lone Star 

• 247Sports 4-star prospect with Arkansas, Penn State, LSU and Oklahoma offers 

’26 QB Jayvon Gilmore — 6-6, 190 pounds, of Elgin, (S.C.) Gaffney 

Advertisement

• On3.com 3-star with top five of Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Texas A&M and N.C. State 

’26 TE Landon Pace — 6-3, 230 pounds, of St. Louis University HS

• Son of former Ohio State and NFL offensive lineman Orlando Pace

’26 DL Anthony Kennedy — 6-6, 280 pounds, of Maumelle 

• ESPN 4-star with Arkansas, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee and Texas A&M offers

Advertisement

’26 WR Caleb ‘The Jet’ Smith — 5-10, 160 pounds, of Allen, Texas

• On3.com 3-star recruit with Arkansas, Nebraska, Louisville and Baylor offers

’26 OL Cody Taylor — 6-3, 280 pounds, of Greenwood

• On3.com 3-star recruit with Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Virginia Tech offers

’26 DE Colton Yarbrough — 6-5, 240 pounds, of Durant, Okla.

Advertisement

• 247Sports 4-star prospect with Arkansas, Oklahoma St., Oregon and Georgia offers

’26 OL Desmond Green — 6-5, 350 pounds, of St. Stephen, (S.C.) Timberland

• Rivals 4-star recruit with South Carolina, Georgia, Clemson and Florida offers

’26 OL Blaise Thomassie — 6-5, 270 pounds, of Baton Rouge, (La.) Catholic

• Rivals 4-star recruit with Arkansas, Oregon and Florida State offers

Advertisement

’26 OL Bryce Gilmore — 6-4, 270 pounds, of Prosper, Texas

• Rated a 4-star by three of four recruiting services and has Arkansas, Nebraska and California offers

’26 OL Deminio Patterson — 6-4, 320 pounds, of Joe T. Robinson 

• Has an offer from Ole Miss

’26 OL Tucker Young — 6-5, 300 pounds, of Hot Springs Lakeside

Advertisement

• Has offers from Arkansas and Memphis

’26 DB Adam Auston — 6-2, 200 pounds, Lawton, (Okla.) MacArthur 

• On3.com 3-star recruit with Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Baylor offers

’26 WR Tre’von McGory — 6-0, 175 pounds, of Germantown, Tenn.

• On3.com 3-star prospect with Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee and Missouri offers

Advertisement

’26 WR Blair Irvin III — 6-1, 170 pounds, of Bentonville

• Kansas State, Minnesota and UNLV offers

’26 WR Dequane Prevo — 5-9, 160 pounds, of  Texarkana, (Texas) Liberty-Eylau

• ESPN 4-star prospect with Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma offers

’26 QB Jackson Presley — 6-2, 190 pounds, of Kalispell, (MT.) Glacier

Advertisement

• On3.com 3-star recruit with Arkansas, Texas A&M, Florida State and Colorado offers 

’26 DB Caden Harris — 6-0, 165 pounds, of Brownsville, (Tenn.) Haywood

• On3.com 4-star with Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Alabama offers 

’26 LB Jakore Smith — 6-1, 190 pounds, of LR Parkview 

• 247Sports 4-star recruit with Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss offers 

Advertisement

’26 Tylen Mathews — 6-0, 170 pounds, of Lake Cormorant, Miss. 

• On3.com 3-star recruit with Arkansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Auburn offers 

’26 S Kyndrick Williams — 6-1,185 pounds, of Fayetteville 

• Has an offer from UNLV

’26 WR Blake McLane — 6-3, 190 pounds, of McKinney, (Texas) Frisco Emerson

Advertisement

• Attended an Arkansas camp in June

’27 LB/DE Ba’Roc Willis — 6-2, 220 pounds, of Moody, Ala.

• Has offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn and Florida State

’27 DB Jayden Anding — 6-0, 165 pounds, of Ruston, La. 

• Has offers from Arkansas and Miami and is the brother of Arkansas ’26 DB target Aidan Anding

Advertisement

’27 DE-TE Hayden Sublette — 6-4, 220 pounds, of Maumelle

• Earned an offer from Arkansas after attending camp in June 

’28 WR David Thomas — 5-11, 160 pounds, of Stillwater, Okla.

• Has offers from Arkansas and Oklahoma State



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Arkansas

McKissic, Foreman, Lee, & Rhone in 2024 class of Arkansas State Hall of Honor

Published

on

McKissic, Foreman, Lee, & Rhone in 2024 class of Arkansas State Hall of Honor


The Arkansas State Lettermen’s Club will induct four new members into A-State’s Hall of Honor during its 44th annual banquet, to be held Friday, October 25, at the Woodard McAlister Family Club inside the Johnny Allison Tower of Centennial Bank Stadium.

Women’s pole vaulter Stephanie Foreman Adams, baseball’s Jacob Lee, football’s J.D. McKissic and volleyball’s Cyndi Rhone will be inducted at the event. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. with a social gathering, followed by dinner and the program at 6:30 p.m. The quartet will also be recognized at the Red Wolves’ football game versus Troy on October 26.

The Hall of Honor induction ceremony and banquet is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased by contacting the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401 or online here. Those interested in purchasing tickets can also contact Brandon Cunningham at 870-973-3005 or by emailing redwolvesfoundation@astate.edu.

Tables seating eight people are available for $450, while single tickets cost $60. Access to the Woodard McAlister Family Club can be gained by entering the main gate (west side) of Centennial Bank Stadium and taking the elevators to level one.

Advertisement

Stephanie Foreman Adams (2008-13) captured eight Sun Belt Conference titles in pole vault – four indoor and four outdoor. She qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on three occasions (2010, 2011, 2013) and was a two-time Second Team All-American (2011, 2013). She owns school records in both indoor (4.28m/14-0.5) and outdoor pole vault (4.17m/13-9.25).

Jacob Lee (2009-12) was the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year and a Third Team Collegiate Baseball All-America selection. The Jonesboro native was a two-time Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team (2010, 2012) pick and earned First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2012. He is A-State’s all-time leader in strikeouts with 280 and finished with the most starts (54) and innings pitched (328.1) in program history. He owns the second-most wins (24) and holds the highest winning percentage in a single-season after finishing 9-1 (.900) in 2012. Lee was selected by Cleveland in the ninth round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.

Three-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection J.D. McKissic (2012-15) is A-State’s career leader in receptions (289) and receiving yards (2,826). Named the league’s Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-America selection in 2012, McKissic is one of eight players in program history with four or more 100-yard receiving games in a single season and owns the third-longest kickoff return for a touchdown in school history with a 98-yard score against Idaho in 2013. He owns the single-game record for receptions (15), the single-season record for receptions (103) and ranks fourth in single-season yards receiving with 1,022. McKissic went on to play seven seasons (2016-22) in the National Football League with Seattle, Detroit and Washington.

Cyndi Rhone is one of eight players in A-State’s 1,000-1,000 club with 1,304 career kills and 1,081 digs. Named the 1991 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Rhone holds the school record for single-season kills (765) and service aces (104). She ranked fourth in single-season digs (667) and her 182 career service aces are the third-most in school history. She helped A-State to the American South title in 1990 and the Sun Belt title in 1991.

To report a typo or correction, please click here.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Arkansas

Arkansas city centers receive $100 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant

Published

on

Arkansas city centers receive 0 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant


Arkansas’ most populous city centers have received $100 million in grants to reduce climate pollution. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, or CPRGs, were announced Monday morning. It’s the largest environment-focused grant won by Arkansas.

The funding is distributed by the Environmental Protection Agency and will be split between Central Arkansas, the Fort Smith area, and Northwest Arkansas. Over $48 million of the total will go to Central Arkansas projects, just over $36 million will go to Northwest Arkansas, and over $18 million will go to the Fort Smith metro area.

Casey Covington is the Executive Director of Metroplan, which led the grant application effort and represents Central Arkansas’ stake in the funding. He says each area has different priorities, but share a common goal.

“What you see in all the regions is an emphasis in preserving our natural areas and conserving those areas,” Covington said, adding that land restoration and pedestrian-bicycle infrastructure improvements are also key focus areas.

Advertisement

Covington says Central Arkansas’ funding will go towards converting street lights into LEDs to save energy and updating areas without lighting. The money will also go toward helping public entities and small businesses transition and invest in energy efficient projects, and building more bike and pedestrian trails.

Tim Conklin is the executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. He said the grant will fund 18 projects across the region, but emphasizes that every step of the grant cycle–from writing the proposal to finishing the projects–has been a collaborative effort.

“It’s not one entity in Northwest Arkansas or any of the other metro areas that’s actually implementing the complete grant of a hundred million dollars, it is over 50 planning partners that supported the grant and numerous entities implementing the grant,” Conklin said. “It’ll be quite the accomplishment over the next five years here in the state of Arkansas.”

Climate Pollution Reduction Grants are designed to help local communities transition to clean energy and reduce pollution. The projects outlined in the grant proposal align with goals set out by the state Department of Energy and Environment Innovation Priority Action Plan, which was submitted to the EPA earlier this year. The EPA awarded similar grants to 24 other projects across the nation.

Fort Smith City Administrator Carl Geffken has watched temperatures and severe weather increase over the past two decades. For him, that’s a sign that something needs to change.

Advertisement

“This is a way that we can help slow that progression. And if we can do more of this and open opportunities economic and otherwise, for our residents, for our cities, our counties, and the state, then it’s a win-win,” Geffken said.

Cities and towns in the Fort Smith area will use their funding for projects such as re-designing unused alleyways, building electric vehicle charging stations, and adding solar panels to public buildings. Geffken called the grant “transformational.”

“It will also show that no one should consider Arkansas a flyover state, because that’s doing a huge disservice to us,” Geffken said.

Casey Covington from Metroplan agrees–he recognizes the benefits of having clean air and a state where people want to spend time outside.

“Being able to maintain that quality air and be able to provide our residents and visitors with high quality experience in our outdoors is what this program is gonna help us do,” Covington said. “And as part of that it’s gonna have long term benefits to our climate and our environment.”

Advertisement

And anything that helps preserve the beauty of the Natural State, Covington thinks, will likewise boost Arkansas’ economy, tourism, and development as a whole.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending