Little River News

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Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

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Arkansas had one of the most productive, if not most productive, legislative sessions in the country with regard to addressing occupational regulations. Occupational regulations are licensures, certifications, or registrations required for workers in certain occupations. A few examples of licensed occupations include real estate agents, cosmetologists, and veterinarians.

The success during the legislative session is partly due to Arkansas participating in the 15-state learning consortium through the U.S. Department of Labor (supported by the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), National Governors Association for Best Practices (NGA), and The Council of State Governments (CSG)) and further addressing occupational licensure through the Governor’s Red Tape Reduction Working Group.

For the 2019 legislative session, 41 bills were passed into law that were related to occupational licensing, certification, and registration. One of the new laws (Act 250) ensures that an individual does not lose a license due to a defaulted or delinquent student loan. Another law (Act 820) provides automatic licensure for active duty members, veterans and spouses of military members if they were practicing in another state.

Those forty-one acts can be categorized into specific areas of concern that were discussed as part of the Red Tape Reduction Working Group and the related, Occupational Licensing Advisory Group, including:

(1) Removing Barriers to entry and having the least restrictive regulations in place.

(2) Addressing impacted populations; e.g., military spouses/ veterans/ military members, those with criminal records, and immigrants.

(3) Focusing on licensing board composition.

(4) Engaging in reciprocity agreements & multi-state compacts.

(5) Various administrative and organizational improvements.

One of the acts passed was Act 600 which creates annual legislative reviews of occupational authorizations and entities. This will help to ensure that we continue implementing the least restrictive form of authorization while protecting consumers.

In June, the Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee of Legislative Council met to draft rules and begin establishing a timeline of occupations to be reviewed this year. The occupational authorizations and the occupational entities will be divided into six groups. The committee will review one group each year. The subcommittee will meet again September 19. You can review the materials and watch the proceedings at www.arkleg.state.ar.us.

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Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

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Arkansas is home to more than 600,000 acres of lakes and more than 90,000 miles of rivers, streams, and creeks. As this is a popular time of the year for Arkansans to enjoy the waterways, we wanted to highlight boating safety in the state.

Last year, Arkansas saw a 9% decrease in boating accidents and a 36% decrease in the number of boaters who died from boating accidents. However, there were 60 reported boating accidents in 2018 which resulted in 29 injuries that required medical attention and seven fatalities. Of those seven fatalities, six drowned. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, three of those six were not wearing a life vest and the other three were either improperly wearing their life vest or their vest was in poor condition and not functioning properly.

In order to ensure your safety, we wanted to remind you of some of the laws passed over the years regarding boating safety so that we can continue to reduce the amount of property damage and to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities associated with boating. Make sure to keep in mind that:

• Anyone born on or after January 1, 1986 must have successfully completed an approved Arkansas Game and Fish Boating Education course and carry proof while operating a motorboat or sailboat on Arkansas water.

• Every boat must have at least one U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket per person on-board. Children 12 and under must be wearing their life jacket at all times. Also, no matter the age, every person aboard a personal watercraft must be wearing an approved life vest

•To operate a personal watercraft, a person must be 16 year or older. Children aged 12-15 must be under the direct supervision of a person of at least 18 years old. Children 12 and under must be under the direct supervision of a person of at least 21 years.

For more information on boating safety please visit the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at www.agfc.com

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18th Annual Mid-Summer Art Show for July 18-20

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The Little River Arts Council announces July 18-20 as the dates for the 18th Annual Mid-Summer Art Show. Registration for artwork in adult (18 or over) and youth (8 thru 17) divisions will be Monday, July 15 between 1-6 p.m. at CCCUA, Hwy 71 N. in Ashdown. The displays will be open free to the public beginning on Thursday, July 18 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and close on Saturday, July 20 at 4 p.m., with a reception beginning at 2:30 and presentation of awards at 3:30.

Adult art categories include Abstract/Contemporary, Animal, Floral, Genre, Still Life, Portrait, Landscape, and 3-Dimensional, with an entry fee of $10 per entry. Awards in the adult categories will be Best of Show =$200, First Place = $125, Second Place = $85, Third Place = $60, and Honorable Mention = $30.

Youth art will be categorized by age groups: 8-9 years, 10-11 years, 12-13 years, 14-15 years, and 16-17 years. Youth entry fee is $1 per entry and awards will be Best of Show = $100, First Place = $40, Second Place = $30, Third Place = $20, and Honorable Mention = $10.

All Adult Show entries must be original, not previously entered in this show, no more than two years old, not larger that 3'x3', securely framed and wired for hanging, and dry (no wet paint). Youth entries must be matted or framed if on paper and wired for hanging if on stretched canvas with no saw tooth hangers or wet paint. No pieces larger than 3'x3' will be accepted.

All artwork must remain hanging until the closing of the show at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 20.

Little River Arts Council is excited to present the free art show to the public audience for the 18th year and encourages artists in the four-states area to participate. For further information, you may call 870-898-5200.

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4-H Teens Recently Attend Teen Leader Conference

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The Arkansas 4-H Teen Leader Conference was held in Little Rock June 11 – 14. From all across the state, teens travel to attend this once a year opportunity. We had five teens representing our Sevier County 4-H clubs this year. Amber Morris, Aubrey Seymour, Kaydee Cowling, Ethan Wolcott, and Alec Frachiseur all attended.
While at the conference, teens learned different ways of becoming a better leader for their community. For instance, this year’s theme was “Be the Spark”. Youth learned how to empower other young potential leaders. One skill that each teen really was impressed with was the 5 C’s to giving a speech. The 5 C’s, Character, Competence, Culture, Chemistry, and Caring, is a skill they can use for the rest of their lives as they continue to grow with their leadership skills.

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Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

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From guided hikes to kayak outings, there are over 50,000 family friendly programs available at our Arkansas State Parks. If you are still looking for a summer getaway, consider the options in our own backyard.

In 1996, Arkansas voters passed a constitutionally dedicated conservation sales tax benefitting Arkansas State Parks and three sister conservation agencies. We now have 52 state parks on 54,400 acres with 1,800 campsites, 208 cabins, and 5 lodges serving 8 million visitors annually.

Arkansas has more than 9,700 miles of rivers and streams, and a good deal of it is perfect for floating—be it by canoe, raft or kayak.Experience a lake tour at DeGray Lake Resort, or view the sunset from your kayak on the Bull Shoals-White River. Park interpreters will guide you through the waters as they inform you about your surroundings.

Our state parks also offer lessons in how to cook in historic southern traditions. Learn about the flavors of various herbs at the Ozark Folk Center or how to prepare pizza in an earthen oven at Davidsonville.

Or get away from the harsh city lights and attend a star party. Arkansas’s state parks welcome visitors to look for constellations and learn about astronomy this spring and summer. Guided tours are offered at several parks including Village Creek and Pinnacle Mountain.

And speaking of stars, don’t forget about the opportunities at our national parks. The International Dark-Sky Association just recently designated the Buffalo National River Park as a Dark Sky Park. It is the first such designation for Arkansas and now becomes one of only 19 national parks to be officially recognized as a Dark Sky Park.

There will be a variety of ranger-led night sky programs offered at Buffalo Point this summer.

The Arkansas River flooding is impacting only a few park services. We encourage you to call the park ahead of time to ensure your planned activities are still on schedule.

Check out all Arkansas parks has to offer atwww.arkansasstateparks.com . You can find information on our national parks atwww.nps.gov.

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Ashdown High School Alumni Association Banquet on Saturday, September 14

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The thirteenth annual Ashdown High School Alumni Association Banquet will be on Saturday, September 14 and held in the Ashdown High School cafeteria.

The 1965 AHS Co-Valedictorian Dr. Tom Fomby will the honored guest. After graduating from AHS, Dr. Fomby received his B.A. in Mathematics from Hendrix College and his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is currently Professor of Economics at Southern Methodist University and has been since 1975.

At Ashdown High School, he was involved in the National Honor Society, an Arkansas High School All-Star basketball player, First Chair Trumpet in the All-State Band, and one of 25 Arkansas and Texas students selected for a National Science Foundation sponsored workshop on Mathematics at Southern State College during the summer of 1964.

While at Hendrix College he played varsity basketball and was a member of Blue Key Honor Society.

He is a Senior Co-editor of Advances in Econometrics. Advances in Econometrics is a research annual specializing in recent developments in econometric techniques as applied to problems in economics, finance, marketing, and forecasting. His area of specialization is in the application of statistical methods to economic and business problems. Of particular interest to Professor Fomby is the new field in Economics called Predictive Analytics which involves using statistical techniques to uncover business and economic insights as mined from the masses of data that business and governments are collecting digitally. He has won numerous research, teaching, and service awards at SMU. In addition, he holds Outstanding Alumni Awards at Hendrix College and the University of Missouri-Columbia where he received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1975. His research affiliations include the Research Department of the Federal Bank of Dallas and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He has consulted with the World Bank and the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, DC, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and various corporations including Mary Kay, Inc., Texas Instruments, KPMG, Zale Corporation, and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.

Alumni dinner tickets will be on sale from August 1 - September 1. For more information about the dinner call 903-277-9359. For ticket information call 903-826-7918.

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Hartley Family Bluegrass Gospel Group in Winthrop June 30th

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The Hartley Family Bluegrass Gospel Group will have the evening worship service on Sunday, June 30th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the First Southern Crossroads Baptist Church, just north of Crossroads at 1610 N Hwy 41 in Winthrop. Everyone is invited …

The Hartley Family Bluegrass Gospel Group will have the evening worship service on Sunday, June 30th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the First Southern Crossroads Baptist Church, just north of Crossroads at 1610 N Hwy 41 in Winthrop. Everyone is invited and asked to please bring finger foods for a fellowship following the service.