Judge’s decision sets stage for $18 property tax increase
A ruling Friday by a Pulaski County Circuit Judge has set the stage for an $18 annual assessment against each residence and business parcel in Baxter County. The ruling impacts five other counties in North Central Arkansas, with the assessment to begin next year.
In addition to Baxter County, Marion, Searcy, Boone, Newton and Carroll counties are included in the ruling and make up the membership of the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District.
Friday’s decision was rendered by Judge Tim Fox. It approves the recommendation of a receiver appointed by his court to find a way to pay the debt incurred to purchase the NABORS waste hauling operation, including the local landfill.
Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass chairs the Solid Waste District board of directors and explains how the assessment process outlined in the ruling will work.
Listen:
Retirement of the debt includes payoff of over $12M, plus $18M that the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality will expend for closure of the local landfill.
The saga of the NABORS waste hauling operation and the future of the local landfill has had numerous twists and turns. The operation was purchased in 2005 by the Solid Waste Management District. At that time, the district took on the debt to make the purchase.
Judge Pendergrass notes that Friday’s ruling may not be the final twist.
Listen:
Pendergrass notes there is another aspect of Judge Fox’s ruling that needs clarification involving 500 acres of land awarded in Friday’s decree to the bond holders.
Listen:
Judge Fox’s ruling calling for the tax assessment is not the first time the fee has been proposed. The proposal was a topic when the Solid Waste District sought bankruptcy protection in early 2014. A federal bankruptcy court judge threw the case out later that year.
In his order dismissing the action, the federal bankruptcy court judge said that while the district had the authority to collect both a service fee and a tipping fee, the Solid Waste board chose not to collect the service fee mainly for fear that the decision would be unpopular with voters and might mean the elected county and city officials serving on the district’s board would be put out of office at the next election.
The judge also wrote that because the decision not to collect the service fee to improve the district’s financial health appeared to be based primarily on political concerns, he did not feel that the district filed for bankruptcy “in good faith.”
While the next chapter is being written, Judge Pendergrass says one piece of the saga is moving forward is the disposal of the rolling stock.
Listen:
The value of the rolling stock was set at $487,000. Those proceeds will be applied towards the $12M debt.
_____________________________________________________________
Church bus driver won’t face charges in girl’s fall
A church bus driver will not face charges after a four-year-old girl fell from the vehicle onto a Harrison roadway. According to Springfield television station KYTV, Harrison Police Chief Paul Woodruff says it was “just a tragic accident.”
The unidentified girl was seated in the back of the bus Wednesday evening as it was traveling on Main Street. Chief Woodruff says she opened the door and held on to the handle, and it dragged her from the bus. Local firefighter and medical technician Ryan Ciampoli was driving behind the bus and witnessed the girl falling to the pavement. He stopped his vehicle, rushed to the girl’s aid and moved her from the location.
The girl was transported to North Arkansas Regional Medical Center and later flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield. She suffered a broken jaw and will undergo surgery.
_____________________________________________________________
Boone County murder convict accused in Las Vegas cold case
A man serving a life sentence for a Boone County murder is facing a new charge from a Nevada cold case. Sixty-three-year-old Dale Bryant was arrested on a murder count from a Las Vegas stabbing death in late 1991.
According to the Harrison Daily Times, Bryant pleaded guilty in August 1992 to capital murder in the stabbing death of 40-year-old Margaret Cooper in January of that year and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bryant is accused of killing Cooper in Harrison to rob her of $200 and to cover up for attempting to rob and rape her.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported in late February Bryant was arrested on a murder charge in the stabbing death of 50-year-old Carol Bishop in Las Vegas in November 1991. The newspaper says the case was unsolved until cold case detectives working under a grant identified Bryant’s fingerprints found on a liquor bottle and a shot glass in the kitchen of Bishop’s residence. Bryant made a statement to the cold case detectives last May admitting he is
responsible for Bishop’s death.
Clark County court records indicate Bryant was arraigned for murder with use of a deadly weapon last Friday, and the case will be continued until Wednesday for a plea entry. He also has a previous conviction of stabbing a woman in Las Vegas for the intent of robbing her of her purse and a 1974 rape conviction in Boise, Idaho.
_____________________________________________________________
Governor Asa Hutchinson to visit MHHS
Governor Asa Hutchinson is planning a visit to Mountain Home High School on Tuesday, May 9th to speak to students about the impact computer science courses can have on their future and to tour the high schools computer science classroom.
During his hour-long visit, Hutchinson will spend about 20 minutes talking to high school students about computer science, and then he will tour Bradford Youngs computer science classroom. Young, who has taught various computer engineering and programming courses during his 12-year career at MHHS, is grateful to Hutchinson for his commitment to computer-science education. He says there’s been a growing population of students interested in computer science courses, and he appreciates Hutchinson’s computer science initiative and support from the administration at Mountain Home High School Career Academies.
Brody Jennings, a junior in Youngs Computer Engineering Technology 2 course, believes computer science courses have enhanced his learning experience. He says he’s interested in computers and enjoys the different options MHHS has to offer.
While on the campaign trail in 2014, Hutchinson made computer coding classes in Arkansas a high priority. After he was elected, in February of 2015, House Bill 1183 passed, requiring every high school to offer a computer science course.
After the bill passed, Hutchinson expressed his appreciation to the senators and representatives who made computer science education a priority by saying passage of the bill will ensure Arkansas becomes a national leader in computer-science education and is sure to attract businesses and jobs to the state.
High School Principal Brent Bogy says it an honor to have the Governor visit and a testament to the what the district has accomplished in the past and what’s in store for the future. He says computer science is growing and Mountain Home is in the forefront.
While visiting the high school, Hutchinson will also have the opportunity to learn about the coding projects going on in the districts EAST classrooms and at Guy Berry College and Career Academy.
For more information about the Governors visit, contact the districts Central Office at 425-1201.
_____________________________________________________________
Norfork Quiz Bowl Team wins title for second year in a row
The Norfork High School Quiz Bowl Team has won the class 1A championship for the Arkansas Governor’s Association’s Quiz Bowl for the second year in a row, an accomplishment which hasn’t occurred in the school’s history. The team faced a formidable opponent, Haas Hall Academy in Bentonville, but came out on top Saturday afternoon at the Arkansas Education Television Network (AETN) in Conway.
Norfork High School English teacher Stacy Havner and Health teacher Pam Braun are the team’s coaches. Havner says two of the students from last years team returned to help bring the them to victory. For three students it was their first time on the Senior High Quiz Bowl Team and although they were nervous Havner and Braun had faith they could pull off the victory.
Havner says their opponent, Haas Hall Academy, is tough to compete against because they are a private school and from a larger district and able to choose students to compete from a larger pool. They have won the 1A classification quiz bowl five times since 2008.
Listen:
She says although Norfork is a rural school, with 82 percent of the student population on free or reduced lunch, that didn’t factor into their ability to win.
Listen:
Principal of Norfork High School, Bobby Hulse says he is extremely proud of the win.
Listen:
Hulse attributes a part of the team’s success to the support of the community.
Listen:
Hulse says the group of students are dedicated and their hard work was recognized by one of AETN’s spokesperson’s when he mentioned Norfork having a good prograam several times.
Havner says the Quiz Bowl team will immediately begin prepping for next year’s competition.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI