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UA Cossatot Celebrates Hispanic Night

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The fifth annual UA Cossatot ceremony for Hispanic Night took place at UA Cossatot’s De Queen Campus on April 25, 2019. The event started at 6:00 PM and over sixty people were in attendance. Nominees and awards were announced and given to outstanding Hispanics, La Media Luna catered the event, and UA Cossatot staff presented information about academic opportunities at UA Cossatot. 

Sinai Trejo, Zulually Guerrero Mejia, Laura Salas, Arlene Padilla, Eruby Rodriguez, Beatriz Alvarez, Belen Gueverra Hernandez, Alejandro Hernandez, and Angelica Padilla were all picked as nominees for Hispanic Night. Four awards were given out at the event. Award winners include Outstanding High School Student: Belen Guevara Hernandez, Outstanding UA Cossatot Adult Education Student: Laura Salas, Outstanding UA Cossatot Student: Beatriz Alvarez, and Outstanding Community Member: Zullualy Guerrero Mejia. Doris Gutierez was the guest speaker at Hispanic Night. She spoke about her educational experience, and how she was able to overcome obstacles to pursue a career she enjoys. 

Hispanic Night is an event and a ceremony to encourage, honor, and recognize hardworking Hispanics who are reaching educational goals and making an impact in the community. This event is an annual occasion that gives people the chance to learn about UA Cossatot and the opportunities that it offers. UA Cossatot staff members were present at Hispanic Night to discuss financial aid and services the UA Cossatot Center for Student Success provides to its students. The college’s Student Services department provided information about the admissions process and how one can start their education at UA Cossatot. Student Ambassadors from UA Cossatot were also present to talk about the benefits of being an ambassador at the college. 

Student Diversity Association (SDA) is a UA Cossatot student organization that helps promote diversity, unity, and overall well-being. It is an organization that allows students to come together who may face more obstacles due to language barriers or cultural backgrounds. SDA sponsors promoted this organization at Hispanic Night to show that students of all cultures and races are encouraged and supported at UA Cossatot. 

To learn more about the Student Diversity Association or how one can get started at UA Cossatot, please call Student Services at 800-844-4471 or come by the De Queen, Nashville, or Ashdown campus to speak with an Admissions and Recruitment Specialist. UA Cossatot’s campus hours are open 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday

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Ashdown School District Employees Honored

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Nine employees of the Ashdown School District, were honored at a reception in the Ashdown Administration Building on Monday, May 6. The reception was sponsored by an Ashdown retired teachers group and the Local Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority. Ruby Lee Rosenbaum, Ann Hopkins, Sandra Camp, Roy Burton, Barbara Hunter, Carmen Sansom, David Wilson, Lynda Cunningham, and Lynda King were presented engraved plaques by Superintendent Casey Nichols and congratulated by dozens of attendees.

(l-r) front row: Ruby Lee Rosenbaum, Annie Hopkins, Sandra Camp, and Roy Burton

back row: Superintendent Casey Nichols, Barbara Hunter, Carmen Sansom, and David Wilson

Not Pictured: Lynda Cunningham and Lynda King

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De Queen Junior High FCCLA school-wide yard sale Saturday, May 18th

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De Queen Junior High FCCLA will be sponsoring a school-wide yard sale Saturday, May 18th, beginning at 7:00 am to help raise money for the FCCLA National STAR Events competition.

8th grader, Pedro Sanchez, and 9th graders, Mirella Hernandez and Isabel Hernandez, will advance to FCCLA National STAR Events competition this summer in Anaheim, California. 

Pedro is competing in the Focus on Children event where he is advocating for the promotion of creativity in today's youth. Mirella and Isabel are competing in the Entrepreneurship event where they are presenting a business plan to establish a company called "Books and Pie."

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De Queen Hospital Update

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De Queen Hospital Update

After last week’s press conference at the Sevier County Courthouse regarding the closure of the De Queen Medical Center, Sevier County Judge Greg Ray, De Queen Mayor Jeff Brown, and Dr. Steve Cole, Chairman of the Sevier County Rural Development Authority, announced Monday morning the effort to establish a new county owned hospital is gaining momentum each day.

Judge Ray said, “My office has received numerous calls of support. Many of those callers are relieved that this effort is being spear headed by local people who have one objective, and that is to make sure that we have a first class hospital in De Queen”. 

Mayor Brown said his office has been busy as well and that the common theme amongst the residents he has been in contact with is unity. “Everyone seems to be excited about a fresh new start. They like the fact that our effort’s leadership team is made up of local people who have no ties to the previous hospital mistakes. People whose only agenda is to do what’s right for the medical needs of our citizens.”


Dr. Cole echoed that sentiment. “The De Queen area deserves the very best emergency services available. We feel it is important that we have one voice in getting this project done. With the obstacles we face, the last thing our county needs is to have three or four different entities stumbling over one another. We need to get this done without regard to who gets the credit. Our effort’s leadership members were chosen because of their knowledge of the community’s needs and we feel confident that everyone on board is here for the right reasons. We have chosen the Little Rock law firm of Friday, Eldredge and Clark to help us through this process because they are without a doubt, the undisputed leaders in health care matters in this state. The Friday Firm will guide us through the entire process, from the issuance of hospital bonds to the architectural plans. As we stated at last week’s news conference, the ball is already rolling. Moving forward, we will keep the public informed and we welcome any outside input. Our pledge is to be as transparent as possible through this process. Comments and suggestions are encouraged. Interested parties may call Judge Ray at (870) 642-2425. And check out the Friday Firm’s website if you have any doubts about the quality of their work. www.fridayfirm.com. We truly believe if we all work together, we can make this happen.”

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REGIONAL BASEBALL & SOFTBALL

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REGIONAL BASEBALL & SOFTBALL

Changes in baseball & softball games continue: Horatio Lions game has been pushed back 4 hours because of weather. Lions will face Woodlawn at 4:00. Regional Tournament Update! 2A Softball games today have been postponed to Sunday. Baseball games are still on. The 2A South Regional Softball Championship game between Horatio Lady Lions and Parkers Chapel Lady Trojans will begin at 4:30 Sunday following the consolation game at 2:00 of Cossatot River and Murfreesboro! 
In 4A softball, De Queen Lady Leopards game with Magnolia has now been moved to Sunday in Magnolia. No games today for the class 4A Regionals in Magnolia. Lady Leopards now are scheduled to play at 3:30 on Sunday. Then finals and consolation games will be on Monday.

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STATE REPRESENTATIVE DEANN VAUGHT

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WEEKLY UPDATE FROM STATE REP DEANN VAUGHT:

The month of May is designated as Military Appreciation Month.

Not only do we pause on Memorial Day to remember the sacrifice and service of those who gave all, but the month also holds Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 10 and Armed Forces day on May 18.

We have more than 3,000 active military members residing in our state and another 252,000 veterans calling Arkansas home.

Every session, we introduce legislation to make Arkansas a better place for our military members and vets. In the most recent session we passed legislation to make it easier for military spouses to find employment quickly and legislation paving the way for an extensive study on veteran affairs in our state.

Act 551 directs the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, and Legislative and Military Affairs and the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs to meet jointly to conduct the Arkansas Legislative Study on Veterans Affairs. The purpose of the study is to examine veterans’ issues within the State of Arkansas, including without limitation the occurrence of suicide among the veteran population in this state. In carrying out the purpose of this act, the committees shall:

· Study risk factors for suicide in veterans

· Review and research options for preventing or reducing the occurrence of suicide among the veteran population in the state

· Examine mental health care available to veterans within the state

· Conduct at least one town-hall-style meeting to hear from veterans in the state and their concerns regarding mental health care and other issues affecting veterans in Arkansas.

This study will begin later this year.

We also passed Act 820. This legislation states an occupational licensing entity shall grant active military members and returning veterans, as well as spouses of active military and returning veterans, with automatic licensure to engage in an occupation or profession if they have an equivalent license in another state.

Other legislation passed addressing military and veteran affairs includes:

· Act 215 allows spouses of military service members who are not Arkansas residents to become a notary public.

· Act 171 exempts active military from the May 1 deadline to apply for school choice.

· Act 66 gives a veterans more options to prove their veteran status when they go to the DMV for a license. This designation on their license makes it easier on veterans to receive access to benefits.

· Act 167 authorizes the issuance of a Purple Heart recipient special license plate to a surviving spouse.

· Act 635 allows family members who lose a family member in the service of duty to apply for a Gold Star Family special license plate.

· Act 160 will allow a former prison facility to be transferred to a non-profit group helping our veterans released from incarceration.

The Arkansas Department of Community Correction owns the former site of the Southeast Arkansas Community Correction Center in Pine Bluff. The facility has been vacant since 2015, but costs the state to maintain.

According to testimony, there are currently 1,200 veterans house in the Department of Correction. This new facility could also assist homeless veterans and those returning from war zones.

We will update you on the work of the legislative study on veterans affairs during this interim period. We are beyond grateful to every Arkansan and their families who have served to protect our freedom. We hope to hear from you soon on how our state can best serve you.