Urges Construction Of Treatment Facility

A large "A+" should be given to Circuit Judge Gary Arnold, Prosecutor Robert Herzfield and Judy Pridgen and all people who were involved in forming the Drug Court.

I personally can say Saline County has and has had a severe problem of drug and alcohol abuse for several years. I myself suffered from being an active alcoholic for most of 40 adult years.

Now that we are getting a new detention facility and a court system with officials who are addressing this disease, why not try and see if we can get a treatment facility that would be affordable to address a growing problem which is the largest problem we have as far as the crimes committed here?

Gary Smart,

Benton

[end]

Pinkston Middle School students celebrated Red Ribbon Week Wednesday morning with an assembly that included the Mountain Home Junior High Pep Band and drama skits from Mountain Home High School Drama Club students under Karen Richard.

D.A.R.E. Officer and Baxter County Sheriff's Sgt. Ralph Bird spoke on the history of Red Ribbon Week.

After a couple of pieces of music by the Pep Band, the drama students took the floor and performed several skits showing the dangers of tobacco, drinking and driving and on making bad choices.

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Thunder sounded through Bud Walton Arena on Thursday as more than 2,000 students from 17 middle schools in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties stomped and cheered in an effort to win the drug-free cheer competition for the ninth annual Red Ribbon Rally.

Red Ribbon Rally is held in commemoration of the National Red Ribbon Week. A prerally show featured the Lincoln Wolf Pack Kids, in which more than 200 elementary students demonstrated their gymnastics and tumbling skills.

The ROTC Honor Guard officially opened the Rally, followed by Allison Bolin, Maranda Tims and Hannah Ray of Holt Middle School singing the National Anthem. Midnight Soundworks, a light and sound company, featured Jeremy Austin and Chad Munroe, who served as the emcees of the rally. Both said they have been drug free their entire lives.

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Raid In Bald Knob Yields 100 Pounds

A drug raid in Bald Knob led to one of the largest police seizures of marijuana in White County history Wednesday with police confiscating nearly100 pounds of the illegal drug after it was delivered by a private courier to a residence in Bald Knob.

Three Hispanic males were arrested in the joint raid conducted by the Bald Knob Police and the White County Sheriff's Department.

The Bald Knob Police had been watching the suspects for a year in an attempt to build a case against several suspects they believed were running a drug trafficking operation, Bald Knob Chief of Police Larry Landis said.

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Medical Use Focus of Legalization Bid

Rex Petty says it's a shame that "a bunch of old hillbillies" are having to do what he believes the state Legislature should be doing: working to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

So, for anyone who thought the effort died when supporters failed to get enough signatures on petitions to put the proposal on the Arkansas ballot in November, Petty says, "The situation ain't going to go away."

Petty, a rock mason from Atkins, and other members of the Arkansas Marijuana Party are planning a rally on the banks of the Arkansas River at the Old Post Road Park in Russellville to raise awareness of the issue.

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The question of medical marijuana is an easy answer for most people, and it is either yes or no. Both sides have strong feelings for their beliefs.

According to Denele Campbell, executive director of Alliance for a Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas (ARDPARK), the most recent polls show that 66 percent of Arkansans are in favor of the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Polls were conducted by the University of Arkansas Political Science Department, and later an independent research firm from New York.

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Advocates of legalizing medical marijuana all but conceded defeat Thursday, saying it was unlikely they had gathered enough signatures to put a proposal before Arkansas voters.

Denele Campbell of West Fork, treasurer of the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana, said it would take "a miracle" for the secretary of state's office to verify enough signatures for the group's initiative to qualify for the ballot.

Tim Humphries, attorney for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels, said the signatures probably would be tallied by the end of today.

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30,000 Names Added to Put Plan on Ballot

Supporters of a proposed initiated act to legalize marijuana for medical use submitted about 30,000 more signatures to the secretary of state Wednesday in their attempt to get the measure on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Phyllis Thompson of Little Rock, a consultant for the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana, said she's "very confident" that the alliance now has the necessary 64,456 registered Arkansas voters' signatures.

On July 27, Secretary of State Charlie Daniels rejected the proposed Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act because its petition didn't contain enough signatures. That gave the group 30 days to submit more.

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The Crittenden County jail administrator was arrested Monday after accepting 61.5 grams of cocaine for delivery to an inmate, West Memphis police officials said.

Reginald Abram, 29, jail administrator for about 21/2 months, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and public service bribery, said West Memphis Asst. Police Chief Mike Allen.

"We received information that Reginald Abram was using his official capacity as chief administrator of Crittenden County Detention Center in an illegal capacity," Allen said.

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LITTLE ROCK - Supporters of a proposed ballot measure that would legalize marijuana for medical use said they were confident Tuesday that enough additional signatures had been gathered to get their proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The deadline to turn them in is 5 p.m. today.

"Given that there was only a month to collect the kind of signatures we needed ... I'm pleased with where we're at," said former state Sen. John Riggs, who has been helping in the campaign.

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Marijuana is a natural plant that has been on this Earth for years, and it's been used for many ailments, so why is it illegal?

Would the government rather force pills or shots on the ones who are in agonizing pain or have severe loss of appetite due to nausea from having chemo and radiation treatments ?

If the pills and shots don't work, what then? Are you going to sit back and watch them turn into skeletons because they're too sick to eat or put them in a rehab facility because they're addicted to prescription pain pills?

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Van Buren students who want to take part in any extracurricular activities this year will be required to participate in the school district's new drug-screening policy.

The Van Buren School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to implement a policy that requires random drug testing.

Activities Director Randy Loyd said the policy follows the lead of several other state schools, including Greenwood, Springdale and Rogers, that require drug testing of their students.

The policy will affect more than 80 percent of the students who attend Van Buren High School, Butterfield Junior High and Coleman Junior High.

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Organizers of Proposal to Ban Same-Sex Unions Report $7,180 Debt

The group behind a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions ended July $7,180.12 in debt, according to a financial report filed Monday with the Arkansas Ethics Commission.

The Arkansas Marriage Amendment Committee spent $31,560 in July, including $17,000 paid to six staff members, according to the report. The committee received donations of $22,748.

But Jerry Cox, the committee's president, said Monday that the group is not in debt. The negative balance is due to reporting requirements that record expenditures when they take place, even if bills aren't paid for another 30 days.

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the Option Is to Get Clean or Go to Jail, and Many Are Finding They Can Succeed

The man, let's just call him David, walks up to the microphone, puts his hands in his front pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels as he speaks to the judge.

The judge asks about the man's work, his wife and life in general. The men laugh at David's jokes and chit-chat about his daughter needing help with her vocabulary homework.

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Drug use in the NFL has been a hot topic lately, fueled by the retirement of Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams and the release of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter.

Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald says the public doesn't know the true story about drugs and pro football.

"Marijuana use is a lot more prevalent in football than anyone knows," LeBatard wrote. "The NFL's testing policy is a laughable scam meant to give the illusion of policing to a Puritanical public that wishes to believe what it's seeing on Sundays is pure. Nate Newton spent 14 years in the league without us hearing a word about possible marijuana use. You think his first dalliance with it was in retirement, when police found 213 pounds of it in his van?"

[end]

Dozens of people filled the university fine arts hall Friday night for the final concert of the summer jazz series.

They may have been familiar with the local rhythm section and guest musicians, but few, if any, knew about another person who helped put on the show.

Denele Campbell was in the concert hall that morning and the previous day, replacing a string and finetuning the 9-foot Steinway grand piano.

Tuning is a gig Campbell's had since having her second child in 1977. Throughout the years she has tuned pianos for the University of Arkansas, the public school system and several churches, large and small.

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LITTLE ROCK - Backers of a proposed initiative to legalize marijuana use for medical reasons in Arkansas fell more than 30,000 signatures short of placing the issue on the ballot.

The Secretary of State's office said Tuesday the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana and related organizations have 30 days to make up the shortfall, a race with the clock one leader said will be attempted.

Deputy Secretary of State Janet Miller said the petition included 29,947 signatures that were certified, but 64,456 were needed to get on the Nov. 2 ballot. The group turned in 66,282 signatures.

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The Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana is planning one last push in an effort to place a medical marijuana proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels announced Tuesday the organization collected 29,947 valid signatures. Proposed Act 1 must contain 64,456 valid signees to be certified for the ballot. The alliance has until Aug. 26 to reach that number. "We think if we've got enough perseverance and do enough hard work we can collect these signatures," said Denele Campbell, executive director of the alliance. "We're going to try. That's all we can do. I want to stand here and say we're confident we're going to pull this off, but we're not confident. It's a lot of hard work."

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Secretary of State Charlie Daniels rejected Tuesday a proposed initiated act to legalize marijuana for medical use because the proponents' petition didn' t contain enough Arkansas voters' signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Daniels' announcement doesn't necessarily signal defeat for the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana, however. The group has 30 days to submit more signatures to reach the 64,456 necessary to put the issue before voters Nov. 2.

Denele Campbell of West Fork, one of the group's leaders, said supporters expected the denial and have been collecting more signatures through volunteers and a paid contractor. "I don't want to say we're optimistic or feeling comfortable that we're going to accomplish this, but we've got until [the close of business on Aug. 25]," Campbell said.

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As a former prosecuting attorney and as a cancer victim, I strongly believe that the voters should be allowed to express their opinion as to the legalization of the use of marijuana by persons with debilitating medical conditions when recommended by a physician.

Accordingly, I support the petitions requesting that an initiated act authorizing such use be placed on the ballot. And if given an opportunity, I will sign one. Furthermore, if I were physically able, I would circulate one.

Little Rock

[end]