Stories from Wednesday, March 3, 2004

by David McNeal In the sports world, being first is all there is. No one cares who played hard but finished second. Getting through the door first is all that counts in the cold, cruel world. That's the way it was for me last Friday when I heard that Bob Wilson was back from Mexico and that Bubba's Barbecue in Eureka Springs was opening...

ALPENA ---- The senior Leopard basketball team and Leopard cheerleaders are traveling to state playoffs today to compete against Guy Perkins in the Class A state tournament. Alpena secured a birth in state action after garnering a second place trophy in regional playoffs at North Arkansas College in Harrison Saturday night...

The Eureka Springs Lady Highlander basketball team ended its season against the high octane Charleston Lady Tigers last Thursday night in the Class AA regional tournament at Elkins with a 66-38 loss. Charleston (19-9) moved on to the finals, where they fell to Magazine (27-6), who is ranked 9th in Class AA. Those two teams moved on to the Class AA State Tournament this week in Centerpoint...

Week of Feb. 23 February 23 10:12 a.m. -- Incident report taken after subject reported he was being attacked by his wife who had taken all the money out of their checking account. 2 p.m. -- Caller reported an injured deer near train depot. 2:35 p.m. -- Caller wanted legality of tree cut on Douglas checked. Permit had been issued by building inspector...

Week of Feb. 23 February 23 8:25 a.m. ---- Traffic accident report taken at College and School streets. 11:50 a.m. ---- Medical assist at St. John's Clinic. 12:28 p.m. ---- Motorist assist at Price Cutter. 4:30 p.m. ---- Attempt to locate homeless person at Glen Echo trailer park was unsuccessful...

Week of Feb. 24 February 24 6:43 p.m. ---- Police were asked to arrest a Locust Street resident on multiple warrants. The subject didn't live there anymore. 8:14 p.m. ---- Police were dispatched to a Locust Street location to investigate a reckless driver complaint. The suspect was gone when police arrived...

The Lavaca Golden Arrows ended the Eureka Springs Highlanders' basketball season last Thursday night at the Class AA Region 1 Tournament in Elkins when they made 11 of 13 free throws in the final 1:52 of the game to take a 56-49 win. The teams were tied 23-all at halftime, playing point-for-point all night, with Eureka up 46-45 with 2:47 to play. Lavaca's string of 11 free throws started with 1:52 left, while Eureka (22-13) got only a 3-pointer from senior Stephen Pendergraft...

LANITA LAVHON GONZALEZ, 18, of Farmington, died Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2004, in Little Rock. She was born July 17, 1985, in Fayetteville to Natividad "Speedy" and Gloria Lavhon (Ames) Gonzalez. She was a senior at Farmington High School, where she was a member of FCCLA and was a member of Eastside Baptist Church...

VELMA ATAMIAN, a resident of Shell Knob, Mo., was born Oct. 4, 1919, in Viola, Mo., a daughter of Charlie and Rissia (Medows) Brisco. She died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004, in Aurora, Mo., at the age of 84. Mrs. Atamian was employed for many years by Tyson Foods...

Funeral services for Wilma Lou Russell, 85, of Springfield, Mo., were held Saturday, Feb. 28, at Hale Cemetery Chapel near Oak Grove with Rev. Keith Butler officiating. Burial was in Hale Cemetery. Mrs. Russell died Wednesday at The Primrose Place in Springfield...

BURNIS TAYLOR, a resident of Green Forest, was born July 13, 1924, in Green Forest, a daughter of John and Alice (Scarborough) Guess. She died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004, in Kimberling City, Mo., at the age of 79. Mrs. Taylor was a homemaker. She was of the Pentecostal faith...

DAISY L. WORKMAN, a resident of Berryville, was born Sept. 9, 1914, a daughter of L.U. Frate and Florence Mary (Stroud) Scates. She died Friday, Feb. 27, 2004, in her home at the age of 89. Mrs. Workman was a homemaker. She was a Seventh Day Adventist...

An application for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a four-unit apartment house at 245 Spring St. was turned down by the Eureka Springs Planning Commission Thursday evening. Charles Ford and Chuck Schmidt bought the former Mary Jane Beggs Studio and home late last year. The 4,700 square foot house sits on four lots...

Eureka Springs School District will have to find more than $120,000 to pay state-mandated raises to teachers in the 2004-05 school year. Superintendent Reck Wallis told the school board last Tuesday the state's new minimum salary schedule for a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree will be $27,500, up from $21,860...

The Holiday Island Planning Commission (HIPC) approved two changes to permits Friday without charging fees. Builder Jim Duffy requested an expansion of his plan to build a home for Gary and Eileen Cox at 5 Mission Hills Lane. The Coxes want to add a 12-foot by 14-foot screened porch to the back of the house. The porch will not have heating and air...

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Arkansas Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller brought the Republican election campaign to Carroll County Saturday night as he told those attending the annual Lincoln Day Dinner "we have to find candidates we can elect." He began his speech asking for a moment to remember those American soldiers serving in Iraq...

A local woman was arrested Friday on drug charges and her husband is still at large after an ongoing investigation resulted in a warrant search at the couple's home on County Road 723. The search resulted in seizure of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia...

A jury of 10 women and two men returned with a life sentence for Jim Lawrence McDonald, 37, of Green Forest, Friday evening in an unusual jury proceeding in circuit court proceedings in Berryville. In what is best described as a sentencing trial, McDonald pleaded guilty to the rape of an underage female family member, taking exception only to the time frame of several years which the state alleged...

It isn't as though he hasn't said it all before. Dr. Alan Greenspan, our Federal Reserve Chairman, has served as an economic consultant to presidents all the way back to Gerald Ford. From 1981 to '83 he chaired the National Commission on Social Security Reform...

GLADYS ERRICKSON, a resident of Eureka Springs, was born May 29, 1926, in Philadelphia, Penn., a daughter of Harvey and Elma Marie (Black) Errickson. She died Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004, in Eureka Springs at the age of 77. Ms. Errickson owned a dog grooming business. She loved her horses and was an avid stamp collector. She moved from Hollywood, Calif. to Eureka Springs in May of 1995...

LINDLEY MILTON ALLRED, 95, of Kingston, Ark., died Feb. 20, 2004, at his home. He was born July 6, 1908, at Franklinville, N.C., the son of John Milton and Rebecca Jane Crocker Allred. He retired from the United States Army as a Master Sergeant and was a veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict...

Wooden light poles will be used for the lights at Lake Leatherwood soccer field and parking lot. Metal poles will be used for the baseball field, if funding outside the Parks and Recreation Commission budget can be found. In a three-hour special meeting last Wednesday evening, members of the commission also agreed to use city employees to operate the Lake Leatherwood Park boat dock, bait shop/concession, lodging rentals and to do maintenance work this summer...