WOODLAWN – The Woodlawn School Board voted Monday night to hire Dudley Hume of Oklahoma as the district’s new superintendent effective July 1, 2013.

Hume will be replacing Billy Williams, who is leaving Woodlawn to become superintendent of the Drew Central School District at Monticello on July 1. Williams’ last official day as Woodlawn superintendent is June 28.

Ray Gavin, president of the Woodlawn School Board, said that Hume has agreed to the terms of the contract offer but he will still need to formally sign a contract for the hire to become official.

Hume has been in education for 30 years, serving the past 15 years as superintendent of the Webbers Falls (Okla.) School District. Webbers Falls is located in eastern Oklahoma along the Arkansas River, about 25 miles south/southeast of Muskogee, Okla.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education website, the Webbers Falls School District has a total enrollment of 281 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The site also said that the district has a certified staff of 26.

Hume was one of five finalists selected from a pool of 15 candidates for the Woodlawn job. He conducted an in-person interview and toured the campus about two weeks ago.

To read the full article, see the May 15, 2013 print or e-Herald edition of The Herald.

Improved Drainage Along Hill Harper Road

A construction crew digs the final opening Monday afternoon for a third railroad tank car culvert to be installed along Brushy Creek on Hill Harper Road north of Rison. County Judge Gary Spears said this is the first of three road projects where tank cars will used replace bridges or culverts in the county.  The second job was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning along Rye Cut-Off Road while another is set take place next month along Mark Rivers Road north of Kingsland. Spears said the Hill Harper and Mark Rivers Road projects are part of a federal mitigation grant the county received last year. He said the county will cover the costs of the Rye Cut-Off project. While each tank car costs in excess of $7,000, Spears said the nine-foot opening the tank cars provide is a cost-effective alternative to building a new bridge. Spears said these tank cars along Hill Harper are replacing a 30-foot bridge that was no longer considered safe by state officials.

Last year, a federal judge declared that the racial qualifier in the state’s previous School Choice Act was unconstitutional. Based upon that ruling, the legislature this year approved a new School Choice Act that eliminates any racial qualifications for a student to transfer into another school district.

Under the old law, students of a race that is in the minority in one school district could not transfer to a district to where their race was in the majority.

Superintendent Johnnie Johnson told the Cleveland County School Board during its regular monthly meeting last Thursday that the district has already had about 10 requests from students in neighboring districts wanting to transfer into the Cleveland County School District.

The deadline for students to file a School Choice transfer request is June 1. The district must let that student’s parents/guardians know if they will be accepted by Aug. 1.

While new students can bring additional revenue into the district, Johnson was quick to point out that additional students can sometimes cost the district money by forcing it to hire additional staff.

To read the full article, see the May 15, 2013 print or e-Herald edition of The Herald.

Pam Draper, director of the Cleveland County Head Start program, proposed two possible scenarios to the Cleveland County School Board last Thursday to make up for the loss of $34,239 in federal funding for the program next year.

Both scenarios involved the elimination of a Head Start classroom, though one of the two scenarios resulted in the loss of just one staff person while the other would have resulted in the loss of two. The board backed the plan that eliminated just one position.

Head Start is a federally-funded program administered through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Head Start is designed to provide pre-school education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to the children of families living at or below the poverty line.

The Cleveland County School District oversees the Head Start program throughout the county. There are head start program at all three  school campuses in the county: Kingsland, Rison and Woodlawn. Draper said the Kingsland and Woodlawn campuses both have two classrooms apiece while the Rison campus has three.

Draper explained to the board that Cleveland County received $664,625 in federal Head Start money last year. This year, that amount has been reduced to $630,386, a loss of $34,239 or about 5 percent.

To read the full article, see the May 15, 2013 print or e-Herald edition of The Herald.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Billy Williams announced construction on the new music room and art room/computer lab are expected to begin by the end of the month.

Most of the transfer requests were for students in the elementary grade levels, though there were some for high school as well.

Williams passed out copies of Woodlawn’s new transfer request form that the parents/guardians have to complete to be considered for transfer under the new School Choice Act.

Woodlawn has had to reject several transfer requests under the state’s previous School Choice Act due to the racial qualifier that was part of that law. Under the old law, a student who was from the minority race in one school district could not transfer to a district where that student’s race would be in the majority.

Last year, a federal court ruled that the state’s previous act was unconstitutional based on the racial qualifier. The state legislature passed a new school choice earlier this year that essentially takes the racial factor out of the equation.

To read the full article, see the May 15, 2013 print or e-Herald edition of The Herald.

Woodlawn shutout Conway St. Joseph’s, 11-0, in the first round on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals against Magnet Cove Friday.

Pankey was on her game as she held the Lady Bears to just two hits and struck out 13.

“We got beat by a team that will be playing in the championship game this weekend,” Woodlawn Coach Chad Hutson said.
The game was hampered by rain throughout as it started at about 2 p.m. and at about 6:30 p.m.

While both teams had to endure the undesireable conditions, the rain really seemed to hurt the Lady Bears in the bottom of the second when the Lady Panthers scored two of their three runs.

With neither team on the scoreboard and the rain starting to come down, the wet conditions put a premium on ball handling skills for Woodlawn freshman pitcher Lily Henderson and the Lady Bear defense.

Facing the bottom of the Magnet Cove batting order, Henderson walked a batter and hit two others as the Lady Panthers scored on a passed ball before game officials stopped the game with runners at second and third. After a lengthy delay, the next batter singled to drive in another run to make it 2-0.

To read the full article, see the May 15, 2013 print or e-Herald edition of The Herald.

After a standout career for the Wildcats, Johnson played football for Arkansas State University, where he was an All-Sun Belt Conference first team selection and an All-American safety. He is currently playing for the Detroit Lions.

The free camp will provide youth ages 12 to 18 (7th-12th grade) with an opportunity to work on their fundamentals, sportsmanship and the importance of competing while learning to work as a team.

Johnson will discuss such topics as leadership, confidence, importance of ACT scores, hard work, decisions, patience and making the right choices on and off the field.

Each participant will receive a t-shirt, goody bag and chances to win prizes.

Camp guidelines are:
• Youth must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and be available to pick up their child after the clinic ends at 2 p.m.
• All clinic participants must pre-register. No walk-ups will be accepted.
• Space is limited so early registration is encouraged. Register online at www.tyrelljohnson.com. Print and sign the release form. Must bring original form signed by parent/guardian to the camp.
• Workout attire, tennis shoes, cleats and water bottle are recommended for clinic.

Joining Johnson at the clinic will be Rison Coach Clay Totty, Shermar Bracey (Rison graduate, Green Bay Packers, Saskatchewant Roughriders of the CFL), Marcus Brown (Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins), Kevin Williams (All-Pro with Minnesator Vikings), Fred Evans (Minnesato Vikings), Kevin Payne (Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers), Corey Williams (Detriot Lions), Kobe McKinnon (Arkansas State), Eddie Walker (Arkansas State), Deverette Wade (Arkansas State, FAST Sports Performance), Terrence Chavis (Arkansas State) and Ed Hapton (Arkansas State).

After advancing to at least the state semifinals in each of the last seven seasons, Woodlawn fell to the Conway St. Joseph Bulldogs, 4-2, in the first round of the Class 2A State Baseball Tournament at Parkers Chapel last Thursday.

The loss ended the Bears hopes of defending their 2012 state championship while St. Joseph’s went on to earn a spot in the title game this Friday against Dierks. St. Joseph’s beat Hazen, 6-1, in the quarterfinals and knocked off Parkers Chapel, 7-5, in the semifinals.

Woodlawn led much of the game before St. Joe rallied with three runs in the fourth to go ahead for good.

The Bears, the no. 4 seed from the South Region, grabbed the early lead when Bret Boyd and Trey Chapman both reached on errors to start the game. Jacob Richardson then singled to score Boyd to make it 1-0.

Woodlawn was sitting in great shape to add even more runs with runners at first and third with no outs, and one run already plated.

To read the full article, see the May 15, 2013 print or e-Herald edition of The Herald.

Mr. Thompson was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Lila Thompson; and his wife of 63 years, Betty Jo Spakes Thompson.

He was a member of Prosperity United Methodist Church at Pansy.

Joe Ralph had a diverse career. At a young age he was a cattleman.   He built custom homes, churches, and commercial buildings throughout Arkansas.  For those who were fortunate enough to have one of his homes they were known to say that Joe Ralph Thompson did not build houses – he built homes for families to pass on to the next generation.

Always a lover of fast cars, he took his standards of demands into the auto drag racing world where he raced three hemi-powered cars to numerous victories and national championships.

He took his passion for building and racing into the corporate board rooms of the C&L Electrical Cooperative having served on the board since 1969.  He has also served as a director of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation and Electric Research and Manufacturing Cooperative, Inc.

He helped created a strong financial Cooperative for the rural people of Arkansas. He was an outspoken supporter of Rural Electric Cooperatives whether it was in his county, on the hill in Little Rock or our nation’s Capitol. He spoke before sessions of Congress about the needs of Rural Electric Cooperative and was instrumental in getting grants and funding to accomplish growth for the future electrical needs of Arkansas. He worked for the needs of the people in his community.

Mr. Thompson was a tree farmer and established a wonderful natural area for his family to enjoy.

He had a passion to teach and help those who wanted to learn.  He helped numerous men who had taken wrong turns in life to learn a trade to support themselves and their families. He retired from Riverside Vocational Technical School as an instructor in 1969.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Morrison Thompson of Pansy; a sister, Janelle Thomason of Pine Bluff; a son, Ronnie Joe Thompson of Malvern; a daughter, Robbie McKinney and husband Sewell of Memphis, Tennessee; a grandson, Joe Shannon Thompson and wife April of Goodlettsville, Tennessee; a great-granddaughter, Juliette Elizabeth Thompson of Goodlettsville; a nephew, Rodney Allen Thomason of Little Rock; a special friend, Nancy Jo Smith of Little Rock and niece, Connie Lynn Toland and husband Ed of North Little Rock; a sister-in-law, Odell Spakes; nephews, Steve Spakes and wife Cindy, Randy Spakes and Greg Spakes and wife Joni of Hot Springs; a brother-in law, Gerald Wayne Spakes and wife Gladys of Colorado; nephews, Gary and wife Shannon, and Geoffrey  and wife Jill Spakes; extended family, Cindy and Terry Thompson, Becky and Chris Rawls, Dan and LaDonna Morrison, and Barbara Hague of Malvern.

The family would like to thank the many doctors and staff at UAMS and other caregivers for the excellent care and treatment received.

Funeral Services were Wednesday morning, May 15, 2013, at Prosperity United Methodist Church at Pansy. Interment was in Pansy Cemetery by Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors.

Memorials may be sent to Pansy Cemetery, c/o Roy Boyd, P.O. BOX 6669, Pine Bluff, AR 71611; or UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation, Joe Ralph Thompson Memorial, 4301 West Markham Street MS 623F Little Rock, AR 72205.

To sign an online register go to  www.ralphrobinsonandson.com

• LIQUIDATION SALE SATURDAY, May 18, 301 Main Rison. Everything must go!!! Sale starts at 10am. Prices have been cut and new items added. New items include a round pouf, $150, dining room tables; round and oblong, $50 each. Eight oak pressed back chairs, $35 each, other dining chairs $20, triple dresser, two oversized chairs, ottoman and many other items. Last week sale at the back of house. Come make an offer. 870-325-7571.

Auction

• ESTATE AUCTION MAY 18 at 505 S Jefferson, Star City AR. Full wood working shop, auto mech shop, motor home, bass boat, fishing gear, metal sheds, tools, cabinets, benches, scrap metal, remnant wood. Preview 8am. Starts 9am. See pics & details www.orrellauctions.com. Call 723-9116 AALB
• Reward
• Reward offered for  cattle last seen on Mt Elba East Road. One black cow and 1 white bull missing.  Contact 325-6685, Elwood Socia.

Business Opportunity

• BEAUTY SHOP FOR SALE. 2nd and Pine Street Rison. Refurnished and equipped. Call 870-540-6671 or 325-6596.

House Cleaning

• DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO CLEAN YOUR house or business? Look no further! Experienced in Cleaning. Call Jessica at 870-692-0370.
• MATURE, SINGLE MOTHER LOOKING FOR HOMES TO CLEAN. Very experienced. I have worked for churches, hospitals, condos.,throughout the Hot Springs and Pine Bluff areas. I will clean your home, office, etc., as good as I clean my own. I am also trained under OSHA, HAZMAT, bloodborne and airborne pathogens. Reasonable rates. If interested, call Kimberly (870) 671-8571.

Animals

• FREE PUPPIES. Mixed breed. 9 weeks old. Shots and wormed. 870-313-2527.
• FOR SALE: Baby chicks, ducks, turkey and geese $2-$5. Eggs for sale. Call 357-2075 from 4:30pm to 9pm.
• Real Estate
• FOR SALE BY OWNER – 1997 double-wide on almost 8 acres (6 acres wooded), five bedrooms,  stainless steel appliances, 2 double carports (one less than 4 months old), rock skirting and roof are less than 6 mos. old;  located off Hwy. 133  on Cleveland/Jefferson County line, choice of Rison or Watson Chapel schools; asking $62,000 – sorry, no owner financing. (870) 370-5110 or (870) 692-3355
• FOR RENT: 3BR 2 ½ Ba Brick Home; CH/A, Security System, Woodlawn School District. $750 per month. Contact 870-692-1152.
• FOR SALE: 14×70, 2000 CLAYTON MOBILE HOME, 2 bdrm, 2 ba, electric w/stove & frig. $15,500. Will need to be moved. Located in Rye Community. Call 501-249-3877.
• FOR SALE BY OWNER: 4060 Rodgers Road West, 1740 sq. ft. 3 BR 2 Ba, $160,000.  Call 870-329-6329.
• FOR SALE BY OWNER: 4060 HWY 63, 2100 sq. ft. 4 Br, 2 Ba $143,000. Contact 870-329-6494.
• LAND FOR SALE- 11.7 Acres at Rison, Highway 35 North. Call 870-879-2158 or 870-788-7200.
• “Y” COMMUNITY: 2024 sq ft. home on 5 acres. New metal roof. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, kitchen, dining room, large living room, laundry room, 2 car carport with storage room. Upgrades throughout. Large front and back porches. 34’x60’ metal building with 720 sq. ft. Shop. Paved drive way. 870-325-7560 or 501-844-6936.
• HOME FOR SALE BY OWNER. White Hall, built in 2000 with 2052 sq.ft. On 2.11 acres, 3-4 BR, 2 full baths, hardwood floors, oak cabinets, 30×40 shop. 126 Edwards St. $199,000. 870-814-0221.
• FOR SALE: 3 BR, 1 Ba house to be moved. Located at 50 Brewer Rd. Y Community; call for information 325-7394.
• FOR SALE HOME  IN RISON: 3-4 bedroom, 3 bath, large den w/fireplace (wood or gas). Dining room, large kitchen w/dining area and large laundry room. Lots of built-in cabinets throughout home. Large walk-in closet in master bedroom. 2 car garage. In ground pool and pool house w/privacy fence. 30X60 shop w/sun room, heat, air, tv and phone. Home and shop sit on 4 lots.   Shown by appointment only.  (870) 692-1237 or (870) 325-6933.
• FOR SALE: GRAPEVINE, 2 acres, 1994 single wide mobile home, 2BD/2Ba, new 30×40 shop plus additional building. Serious calls only after 5:00pm 870-540-7198.
• LAND FOR SALE BY OWNER: 20 ACRES ON HWY 63 one mile north of Woodlawn School in Cleveland County. Call 501-351-2308 OR (479) 530-2215.
• SIX ACRE TRACTS FOR SALE Woodlawn School District; behind The Country Store; home sites; site built homes; water/electric available. $6,000 an acre. No owner financing. Call 870-692-1152.

Autos & More

• NOTICE OF IMPENDING SALE 2000 Cadillac VIN# 1G6KY5499YU332839. Contact J&J Body Works.
• NOTICE OF IMPENDING SALE 2003 GMC PICKUP VIN# 2GTEC19V931377808. Contact J&J Body Works.
• 1995 GEO TRACKER 4×4 FOR SALE. $2,200 OBO. CALL 870-325-7858.
• 1999 AVION SAVANNA 5th WHEEL. 3 slides, queen size bed, rear living w/ 2 recliners, ceiling fan, walk-in shower, hardwood and carpet flooring, flat screen TV. Shed kept – very good condition. $14,500. (870) 550-6067 or (870) 325-7586 after 5pm.
• 14’ DUAL AXLE HEAVY DUTY TRAILER. $425 OBO. 870-325-7571.
• 2007 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C Sportster 1200 Custom.  Call 870-866-7278.
• FOR SALE: 1957 JOHN DEERE TRACTOR 420U Yellow tractor wide front, factory 3 pt, good tires $2200 Cash. 870-325-6884 Rison.
• FOR SALE: 3pt HIGH LIFT HAY SPEAR. Will lift round bale about 5’ off ground. $250. 870-325-6884. Rison.
• METAL CULVERTS FOR SALE, up to 30’ long and up to 24” diameter; special orders within one week. Rawls Concrete (870) 325-6664.

Misc. Items

• 5 foot Fred Cain Finish Mower, 14 foot boat trailer. Clinton Rauls 325-325-7681.
• KENMORE REFRIGERATOR. Good condition $150. 870-723-0088.
• BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE BEDROOM SUITE. New mattresses. Call 325-6201.
• 5500 WATT GENERATOR. TROY BUILT. One year old, used very little. $650. 870-370-2405.
• DISH WASHER ULTRA WASH $100. Good working condition 870-692-7732.
• KENMORE REFRIGERATOR with ice maker. Almond Color $150. 870-692-7732.
• MATCHING TABLES: 1 sofa table, 2 end tables and 1 octagon table each with glass top and wicker style bottom. Very good shape. $125 for all. (870)-692-7732.
• FOR SALE: TWO 1957 SILVER CERTIFICATES. $45 each or $75 for both. Excellent shape. Call 325-6007 or 870-718-3398.
• SILVER DOLLAR COINS: 1921 MORGAN (90% silver); 1924 PEACE SILVER DOLLAR  (90% silver) Excellent Shape. $65 each or $100 for both. Call 325-6007 or 870-718-3398.

Services

• WILL PICK UP ANY TYPE OF appliances, junk vehicles, scrap metal, old lawnmowers, four wheelers, etc. Clean out old storage buildings, barns; also clean scrap metal out of dumping pits on your property all for FREE. Solid Waste will not pick up these items any more. Call Allen Wilson 870-357-2691 or Gary Powers 870-461-0042. We will return your call.
• APPLIANCE  &  ELECTRICAL REPAIR- Call 325-6989 or 870-543-9590.
• STEVE NOWLIN PLUMBING   870-250-2991. For all your plumbing needs.
• CONCEALED HANDGUN CLASSES. $80. Call 870-250-0727. www.arkansasschcl.com Nathan Petty ASP#11-6
• CALL FORDYCE MUFFLER.  870-352-5733. MON  thru FRI. 8AM-6PM. Mufflers, deer stands, brakes, carports.
• RANDY’S COMPUTER SERVICE 870-250-1753. Repair, Data Recovery, Virus Removal, etc.
• WINCH REPAIR FOR TRUCKS & ATV. Auto electrical repair available. 520 Jones Lane. 870-325-6520.