1 $1.00 Newton County Times Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Vol. 101 Number 36 Back to school, and the pandemic Staff Report School districts ended the 2019-2020 school year abruptly last spring when the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic made attending classes unsafe. A new school year began last week with schools taking appropriate mea- sures to protect students and sta . School boards adopted Ready for Learning Plans (RLP) that call for an instructional model imple- menting traditional, blended and Western Grove School Prin- digital curriculums. Traditional cipal Billy Carter welcomed learning is onsite with teach- students to school on Tuesday, ers, content, and assignments. the fi rst day of class. Blended learning is o -site learn- TIMES PHOTOS JEFF DEZORT ing with district teachers, content, Western Grove students wearing masks get their temperature taken See BACK TO SCHOOL, 11A before signing in for the day. Solid waste district board Board off ers chairman says $18 fee ‘is gone’ director By JAMES L. WHITE Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District attorney John [email protected] 2 hrs ago 0 Verkamp (standing) talks with (from left) Luke Feighert, Ozark Mountain Solid Waste contract fi nance director, and interim district director Bill Lord District Board of Directors chairman By JAMES L. WHITE following a meeting Tuesday morning in Harrison. Fed Woehl told the board Tuesday that [email protected] FACEBOOK Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox e Ozark Mountain Solid Waste Dis- ruled from the bench that the now- trict voted Tuesday to enter into a contract famed $18 fee is over. with a new director. e fee is part of the receivership A split board voted in early May to ter- which was granted to devise a plan for minate the district’s contract with Via Re- repaying bondholders who invested cyclables to operate the district. e move money in what became the NABORS came about two months before the end land ll asco. A fraction of proceeds of the contract that Via’s owner, Melinda from the fee would also go to the solid Caldwell, said she didn’t plan to renew. waste district to help defray costs of At the same time, the board voted to maintaining the land ll in northern contract with Bill Lord for three months to Baxter County. run the district, plus help the board nd a “ e $18 is gone,” Woehl said. “And new permanent director. Lord had man- Geo rey Treece (the court appointed aged the district’s a airs when he worked receiver) is gone.” for Northwest Arkansas Economic Devel- Woehl did point out that Fox has Circuit judges in Baxter, Carroll, appointment of the receiver, ordered opment District (EDD) until the solid waste not yet issued a written order in the Marion, Newton and Searcy county last month that Treece must stop district cut ties with the EDD in 2009. He case abolishing the $18 fee. lawsuits challenging the fee have ruled actively pursuing the appeals. was director when the board voted to buy Solid waste district attorney John the fee to be an illegal exaction or tax, Verkamp said Tuesday morning the old RLH land ll in northern Baxter Verkamp also said that Judge Fox did thus unconstitutional. that all those appeals have either been County that became NABORS land ll. severely limit Treece’s involvement in Treece had been appointed to the dismissed or will be soon. One excep- In July, the board voted to extend Lord’s the matter, but the court could also collect money from taxpayers in the tion could be in the Searcy County contract a er it decided to extend the time modify that ruling as it sees t. six counties that at the time com- case where state legislation that al- period in which people could apply for the Still, Woehl did say that the feel- prised the solid waste district to repay lowed the Arkansas Department of director’s position. Board members weren’t ing he got at a court hearing earlier bondholders. Treece had led notice of Environmental Quality to close the ready to accept any of the applicants for the this month was that both the fee and appeal to the state Supreme Court. land ll using money from the Post job. Treece were removed. However, Judge Fox, who oversaw See WASTE BOARD, 2A Board member and Bull Shoals Mayor DEATHS David Nixon chaired a personnel commit- ‘Lon’ Bryant, 74 tee that reviewed applications. Nixon said Tuesday that they did get Linda Martin, 71 Buffalo National River named more resumés and interviewed Stephen Misty Stuart, 44 Kershaw of Harrison and Stephen Elam of Leave No Trace Gold Standard Site Yellville. Nixon said the committee agreed to rec- National Park Service Trace Gold Standard Site, in Arkansas. ommend to the full board that it enter into Buffalo National River joining an elite group of 12 Leave No Trace is a set of HARRISON — e Leave a contract with Kershaw. parks nationwide to earn principles that teach people Nixon said Kershaw was well quali ed INDEX No Trace Center for Outdoor this honor. Bu alo National how to recreate responsibly Ethics recently announced with an engineering degree and experience Viewpoints .............4A River is the sixth National and with minimal negative in environmental management mitigation Obituaries ..............5A the designation of Bu alo Park Service site to receive impacts on the environ- (Nixon later explained that Kershaw had Correspondents ....6A National River as a Leave No this designation and the rst See BUFFALO RIVER, 2A Sports .................7-8A handled oil spills in Florida), so he will Classifi eds .........9-10A need to learn the solid waste management. News .................... 11A e advertisement for the position o ered a contract of between $40,000 and $60,000 a year, but the amount was something the board would have to decide. Nixon said the committee decided to rec- ommend a minimum of $50,000, possibly more. “He’s a quali ed candidate,” Nixon said. e board voted to o er Kershaw a con- tract, then took up discussion of salary. Harrison Mayor Jerry Jackson explained CONTRIBUTED PHOTO that the committee had recommended Bu alo National River recently was named a Leave No Trace Gold Standard Site, joining an that the contract amount be $50,000 with a review in six months to possibly bump the elite group of 12 parks nationwide to earn this honor. contract to $55,000 a year. “ is guy’s going to work really well or not at all,” Jackson said. “I think in six Oark goes independent months we will know for sure.” Marion County Judge John Massey sug- By JEFF DEZORT its basketball and other sports teams to com- gested they o er the contract at $50,000, Newton County times pete against schools several hours away, such but to do a review of his performance a er JASPER — Rather than join a new Arkan- as Wonderview, Nemo Vista, Mt. Vernon- three months to determine if the contract sas Activities Association mandated sports Enola and Sacred Heart. Only two schools should be continued. conference the Jasper Board of Education are relatively close, Scranton and Western “He might not be the man for the job gave its approval Monday night to allow the Yell County, said Jasper School District Ath- a er three months,” Massey said. He also Oark School sports teams to compete as an letic Director Brian Cossey. suggested that any discussion of the con- independent school. Cossey said families were surveyed and tract amount be taken up a er six months. Under new alignment, the small, rural almost all of them favored the school going e board voted unanimously to follow Johnson County school would have to send See OARK, 2A Massey’s recommendation. 2 2A Newton County Times NEWS Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Weather THUR FRI Showers and A 20% chance thunderstorms likely. of showers and Chance of thunderstorms. precipitation is 60%. Mostly Partly cloudy sunny with a with a high near high near 81º 78º and the SAT SUN A 20% chance of showers and pandemic thunderstorms. Meet Rita Greenhaw. She is the principal of the Mt. Judea School this year. TIMES PHOTOS JEFF DEZORT Sunny Sunny with a with a high near high near DeWitt earns Grant Transportation department 78º 81º Professional Certifi cation upgrading its website Cindy DeWitt recently earned Grant Professional LITTLE ROCK — e Transportation Once it is up and running, it will take OARK: Certi cation (GPC), making her one of only three in Department is upgrading its web site to personnel to keep information fresh and From 1A the state. She entered the process through the Grant make it easier for Arkansas drivers to fol- answer questions. e extent to which the independent. e Professional Association and has found her mem- low the progress of highway construction public can interact with sta is an issue negative side of bership there to be a very valuable resource. projects. for any public agency or private business. being independent Cindy has worked in Baxter, Boone, Marion, At a recent meeting, the Highway As one legislator pointed out during the is the teams don’t Newton, Searcy, Commission Review and Advisory discussion, some people who ask ques- get to compete in and Van Buren Subcommittee went over some changes tions also have all the time in the world. district, regional or Counties for several recommended by a private consultant, Legislators asked about how infor- state tournaments years. Partnering speci cally about the Transportation mation would be updated on the new for two years. at the city, county, Department’s communications with website.