Heavy rain drenched parts of the 4-state area this morning on the first day of fall. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will remain in the forecast for the next couple of days followed by a slight chance of rain possible for the remainder of the week into the weekend.
De Queen Rotary Club will be hosting their annual Hurrah Days Breakfast Oct. 5 (7:30 am to 9:30 am). Meal will include eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuit, gravy and drink for $6. Children under 12 are $3. Meal will be served at Sevier County Senior Citizen Center. Proceeds will benefit Sevier County Museum. Enjoy a delicious breakfast before you start your day at the Hurrah Festival! For more info, contact Tammy Huddleston 584-2550.
In Arkansas, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men will be the victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime. In 2018, 44 Arkansans died as a result of domestic violence.
Domestic violence occurs among all types of families, regardless of income, profession, region, ethnicity, educational level or race.
This week, a rally was held inside the Capitol to raise awareness as we approach Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The Governor and legislators also recognized the work of the 32 domestic violence shelters across the state assisting 18,000 Arkansans last year.
Every year, we study ways to strengthen our domestic violence laws in an effort to reduce and eliminate this epidemic.
In the 2019 Regular Session we passed the following bills addressing domestic violence:
ACT 499 creates a privilege of communication between a victim of domestic violence and the personnel of a domestic violence shelter or center and makes confidential certain communications between a victim and a victim advocate.
Act 498 reconciles the differences between the offenses of domestic battering in the first degree and battery in the first degree and increases the penalties for battery offenses under certain circumstances.
Act 324 allows for an additional sentence of 1 to 10 years in prison if certain offenses are committed in the presence of a child. The offenses include murder, aggravated robbery, felony assault or battery, and rape. Domestic violence is the leading predictor of child abuse.
Act 113 helps ensure that the $25 fee added to domestic violence convictions is directed to fund domestic violence shelters.
Act 908 amends the Arkansas code concerning orders of protection to align with federal code.
Domestic violence not only affects victims and families, it harms entire communities.
Below are numbers to 24-hour crisis lines:
Women and Children First - (800) 332-4443
Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault - (800) 656-4673
Arkansas State Police Child Abuse - (800) 482-5964
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - (800) 799-SAFE (7233)
National Human Trafficking Resource Center - (888) 373-7888
Daniel Martinez and Callie Miller of the De Queen - Sevier County Chamber of Commerce were in our studios Friday to talk about the free movie at the UA Cossatot Amphitheater this Saturday night, as well as a number of other upcoming area events.
Lisa Taylor, Sevier County Economic Development Director, visited with us Friday about the "Ralph Lauren" misunderstanding on the Morning Show With Loren on Ed 88.
UA Cossatot has released the class schedule for available October flex courses. These eight-week classes will begin on October 7 and end on December 6. The last day to sign up for one or more of these classes is October 4, 2019.
Flex courses allow students to take classes in a faster amount of time rather than in a traditional sixteen-week semester. They also enable students to take more courses and graduate sooner.
The October flex classes include several welding courses at Lockesburg, Nashville, and De Queen. The college will also be offering online courses in Accounting II, Micro Computer Apps, and Databases. Other available courses include Intermediate Algebra in Ashdown and Anatomy and Physiology II in Nashville. To view the full class schedule, please visit www.cccua.edu. To sign up and enroll in an October flex course, please contact Student Services at 870-584-4471 or studentservices@cccua.edu
Cossatot Community College
The University of Arkansas - Fayetteville's Chancellor, Dr. Joe Steinmetz has announced that the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville will now charge associate degree graduates from UA Cossatot the same tuition rates those graduates were charged at UA Cossatot. Upcoming Events
Hale Real Estate open house at three beautiful homes near De Queen Lake Friday, September 20 from 2-4 pm.
Jennifer Lorenzo, Berenice Martinez, and Travis Yarbrough, members of the De Queen High School Fellowship of Christian Students invite everyone to next Wednesday's "Meet You at the Pole Ceremony" at DHS.
Special guest on the Wednesday Ed-ition of the Morning Show with Loren was Adriana Figeroa of the Lofton Family Clinic about this Thursday's 6th Annual Free Health Fair at the clinic.
Town Hall meeting in Gillham to discuss the proposed one cent sales tax to construct a new hospital in Sevier County.
On Friday, September 13, 2019, the UA Cossatot Foundation hosted its annual Scholarship Appreciation Luncheon at the Historic UA Cossatot Bank of Lockesburg Gymnasium. The event took place from noon to 1:00 P.M. and gave scholarship recipients, their family, donors, and friends of the college a chance to meet one another.
One hundred and twenty guests attended the event and UA Cossatot Foundation Director, Dustin Roberts opened up the ceremony. Food was provided by Mary Pops in De Queen.
Roberts said, “It was great to honor our scholarship recipients at the luncheon and have our donors and friends of the college join us in the celebration.”
To apply for a UA Cossatot Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year, students and potential students can complete a UA Cossatot Scholarship Application online at www.cccua.edu/pay-for-college/scholarships.
The Sevier County Coalition hosted a Lunch N Learn program Tuesday entitled "Taking The Madness Out Of Monitoring Your Blood Sugars". The program was during the lunch hour in the Skilled Trades Building on the UA Cossatot De Queen campus.
The UA Cossatot Foundation has received a donation of $1,500 from AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company.
AEP SWEPCO has provided funding for UA Cossatot scholarships since 2010. The company chose to donate again this year to help local college students receive financial aid and support the work of the UA Cossatot Foundation.
AEP SWEPCO External Manager, Jennifer Harland presented UA Cossatot Foundation Director, Dustin Roberts with the donation.
Harland said, “Being able to give this donation gives us the opportunity to contribute to the students at the college and allows us to help them achieve academic success.”
This donation will be administered to students who apply through the UA Cossatot scholarship application. The application is available at www.cccua.edu/pay-for-college/scholarships from October 1 to April 1 of each year.
Cossatot Community College
Scholarships are a type of financial aid that does not need to be repaid. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor of the award. Scholarships can be based on merit, need, demographics, or career focus.
With the Sevier County burn ban announcement by County Judge Greg Ray Tuesday morning on Ed 88, the number of counties in Arkansas now affected by a burn ban is now at 19.
Special guests on the Tuesday Ed-ition of the Morning Show were De Queen Fire Chief Dennis Pruitt, Sevier County Judge Greg Ray, and Office of Emergency Services Director Walter Smith. Today's topics included a burn ban in Sevier County, drive - through flu shot clinic, and tonight's town hall meeting in Gillham concerning the proposed 1 per cent sales tax to build a new hospital in Sevier County.
Click on pic above to continue to next… (Pics Include: Mary Collom, Sunni Davis, Beverly Foreman, Katy Garcia, Wendy Garcia, Sonya Robinson, Crystal Sims)
The University of Arkansas Cossatot honored staff and faculty members for 5, 15, 20, and 25 years of distinguished service during the colleges August and September faculty/staff meetings. Recipients are Sonya Robinson, Sunni Davis, Bruce Franklin, Crystal Sims, Beverly Foreman, Mary Collom, Katy Garcia, and Wendy Garcia.
Robinson, a resident of Mineral Springs, Arkansas, has been with the college for 25 years. In 1994, she was hired to work at UA Cossatot as an English instructor. A few years later she became a full-time psychology instructor, which she says is not a job, but something that she loves to do. Outside of the classroom, Robinson also serves as an advisor to all Associate of Psychology majors and works to provide them with the necessary skills to transfer and be successful at the bachelor level. She also lends a helping hand whenever anyone asks.
Davis, a resident of Horatio, Arkansas, began her time at UA Cossatot as a student. While working on her Bachelor and Master degrees at Texas A&M University in Texarkana, she began volunteering her time as a friend of the college and a tutor in the AIM center. Sunni started her career here as an adjunct instructor in 1998 and became full time in 2000. She received her doctorate in E-Learning and Teaching Online from Northcentral University in 2009. During her tenure, Sunni has worked with thousands of students, teaching them to become better readers, writers, and speakers. She volunteers her time to work with students in the ERC and always makes herself available for students both day and night.
Franklin, a resident of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, recently completed his twentieth year as a full-time social science instructor at UA Cossatot. Before that he was an adjunct instructor for three years, starting in
1996. Bruce has taught many different social science courses, served on several different committees and has been named teacher of the year three times. He considers the community college atmosphere to be ideal for both teachers and students. He values each of the students he has had the pleasure of working with over his teaching experience. Franklin is willing to go the extra mile to help both students and his fellow employees, serving on various committees and teams. He also always has a smile for anyone who stops by his office.
Sims, a resident of De Queen, Arkansas, has been with the college for 15 years. She is a full-time instructor who teaches both biological sciences and chemistry courses. In 2015, along with teaching, she became the Division Chair of General Education. She completed the Arkansas Community College Leadership Institute in 2016 and was awarded both the Arkansas Community Colleges and Sevier County Teacher of the Year in 2008. Crystal serves as a member of the American Associate of Chemistry Teachers. Crystal continuously researches methods to improve the classroom experience in her courses to help students reach success. She empowers the faculty within her division to own their subject matter and be the best instructors they can be. Crystal displays comparison in all her tasks, especially in the classroom, to her students, and to those she supervises and UA Cossatot is fortunate to have a leader like Crystal.
Foreman, a resident of Horatio, Arkansas, has been with the college for five years. Beverly earned an Associate of Applied Science in Business degree from UA Cossatot in 2006. She started out working solely as a tutor for the former Learning Center in 2014. While being a tutor, it became evident that her combination of dedication and work ethic would be best utilized as an Educational Resource Technician. She earned an Associate of Science in Business Accounting degree at UA Cossatot in 2015 while working at the ERC. Beverly is an asset to UA Cossatot and a vital member of the ERC. She gets to know every student who visits the ERC personally, and students gravitate toward her.
Collom, a resident of Nash, Texas, has been with UA Cossatot for five years. Mary serves the college as a member of the English faculty. She was awarded the UA Cossatot Sevier County Teacher of the Year Award in 2018. During her time as an instructor, Collom has assisted students in accomplishing their academic and career goals. As a faculty member, she is committed to the worthwhile experience of serving her students, the
college, and the community. Since starting at UA Cossatot, Mary has diligently worked with students on both the De Queen and Ashdown campuses as well as helping with student advising.
Garcia, a resident of De Queen, Arkansas, has been with the college for five years. Katy graduated from UA Cossatot with her Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Assisting in 2014, while also working as a Financial Aid Work-Study at the college. In July of 2014, Garcia was hired to work as a part-time Financial Aid Receptionist. In 2016, Katy was hired full-time as a Financial Aid Specialist/Scholarship staff member. Katy’s duties include: awarding Foundation/Institutional scholarships; ADHE scholarships and grants; Arkansas Rehab, WIOA, and all outside grants and scholarships. Katy is also responsible for all UA Cossatot waivers. She is an excellent asset to UA Cossatot and works great with students and fellow employees.
Garcia, a resident of De Queen, Arkansas, has been with the college for five years. After working in a part-time position at the college, she quickly ascended to the role of Assistant to the Chancellor, where she makes a difference every day. Wendy is the consummate UA Cossatot employee. She juggles many different issues on a daily basis. UA Cossatot Chancellor, Dr. Steve Cole said, “I cannot imagine the Chancellor’s office or college without her talents.”
Master Bladesmith Logan Pearce was our guest Monday morning and discussed knife making in Southwest Arkansas and the upcoming Hoo Rah Festival. Logan Pearce is a third generation bladesmith. Logan is the first American knifemaker to do Russian Filigree on knives and is only 1 of 6 knifemakers in the world to do it. His Remnant knives are carried in over 30 countries, with dealers as many, that sell his work. Logan is also the creator of the 'Sharpest Man Contest', a bowie cutting competition, where makers show how well their knives perform. In 2017, Logan became the show promoter for the Arkansas Knife show.
Pearce Knives
Third Generation Bladesmith, Logan Pearce. Logan Pearce carries on the family tradition of creating knives out of everyday objects. Best know for creating the wrench knife, bolt knife, tiretool knife, horseshoe knife, and many others that have inspired thousands of makers to pursue knifemaking.