Ten from 2010

1. The investigation into the sinking of the Mary Woods No. 2 by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department led to two men being wrongly arrested and charged in connection with the boat’s watery demise.
Richard Rife and Paul Morrison would spend 134 days in the local jail at a cost of more than $12,000 to county taxpayers before their names were cleared by a report from River Diving and Salvage. The pair was later released after pleading guilty to misdemeanor trespassing.
A rusted out 3-inch pipe, non-water-tight hatches and holes in the bulkhead were the actual cause of the vessel’s sinking, according to the report. Water from rain, snow and ice seeped through the leaky deck hatches and accumulated in the hull pulling the rusted pipe below the water line allowing even more water into the belly of the boat.
Pumping the water from the hull was part of regular maintenance for the boat, but Jacksonport State Park Superintendent Mark Ballard could not recall the last time water was siphoned out of the floating museum’s lower compartments. Ballard also refused to allow park personnel from discussing the Mary Woods with the media.
Investigators obtained a false confession from Morrison during questioning, but Rife adamantly denied ever setting foot on the deck of the boat. Morrison’s admission of guilt was proved untrue when both valves were found to be closed during the salvage operation.
Rife would later assert he was mistreated while he was detained in the Jackson County Jail and that there was a conspiracy to coerce a confession from him.
“They told the other guys that they would give them cigarettes and trustee jobs, if they could get me to confess to sinking the boat,” Rife said.

2. A millage increase passed by voters funded the construction of a new elementary school for the Newport Special School District, and students entered the building for the for the first time last fall.
The increase passed by a vote of 694 in support of the referendum and 626 against.
The approximately 100,000 square foot facility was built at its present location because the state required it to be placed on at least 37 acres. The board chose to purchase approximately 102 acres of land at a cost of roughly $822,000.

3. Local officials hope the completion of Commerce Boulevard will help generate economic development along the newly-created route.
Commerce Boulevard, also known as Arkansas State Hwy. 17, was officially opened during a ceremony on October 4. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, Highway Commissioner Cliff Hoofman, Executive Director of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Dan Flowers joined local citizens and officials for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The 2.1 mile stretch of highway allows access to more than 2,000 acres of commercial property.
Building the new road required a joint effort from Moving Jackson County Forward, the Newport Economic Development Commission, the city of Newport, Jackson County and three existing land owners.

4. History was made earlier this year when the state’s first legal moonshine distillery opened on Beech Street in downtown Newport.
The distillery was the vision of Batesville native Ed Ward, who developed an interest in making moonshine when he read a story about a man producing the backwoods bourbon in another state.
“I read an article about moonshine, and the only legal moonshine maker was a guy in the state of Virginia,” Ward said. “I called him, and now we talk everyday.”
Ward died in a Batesville hospital not much more than a month after seeing his product being placed on liquor store shelves.
The 83-year-old entrepreneur said the folklore surrounding the illegally-produced alcohol should help with marketing his liquor.
“It’s not like this is something people have never heard of before,” Ward said. “Everybody in the world has heard of moonshine before. They haven’t all tried it before, but they have certainly heard about it.”
Uncle Ed’s Arkansas Moonshine is available for purchase at numerous liquor stores throughout the state.

5. Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Ivey was charged with third degree battery by a special prosecutor for allegedly assaulting his 61-year-old neighbor Linda Reeves on August 25.
The altercation arose from an argument over a pile of wood left from building a fence between their respective residences.
Reeves said Ivey strangled her and flung her to the ground during the dispute, and documents obtained from a local hospital support her accusations.
Tuckerman Officer Rick Green observed noticeable cuts and abrasions on Reeves’s arms when he responded to Ivey’s call for police assistance.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Division investigated the incident, and Special Prosecutor Scott Ellington was requested for the case by Third Judicial District Prosecutor Henry Boyce to avoid the appearance of impropriety due to a conflict of interest.
A warrant for Ivey’s arrest was issued on November 15, and his bond was set at $220.
The former deputy faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine for the crime of third degree battery.
Ivey and Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas have also been named as a defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. The trial will be held on June 21, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom #252 of the U.S. District Courthouse in Batesville.

6. A Jackson County native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer was honored by a ceremony dedicating the Swifton Post Office as the George Kell Post Office Building on August 26.
Carolyn Kell, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, U.S. Representative Marion Berry, and a host of others attended the ceremony at the Swifton Community Center.
Outside of the post office hangs a plaque with Kell’s name and inside hang several memorabilia containing displays featuring some of Kell’s numerous achievements.
“George Kell was a leader both on the baseball field and in the Swifton community, and I am pleased to be honoring his legacy at this dedication ceremony,” Pryor said.
George Kell had a long career in Major League Baseball playing for teams such as the Athletics, Tigers, Red Sox, White Sox, and the Orioles. During his 15-year playing career, Kell made the All-Star team 10 times and established himself as one of the greatest third basemen in the history of the American League. For his accomplishments, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
"George Kell’s enduring popularity is evidenced by the fan mail he continued to receive long after his retirement,” Berry said. “It is a fitting tribute that we name the Swifton post office, where he went regularly to correspond with his fans across the country, after this great citizen. It’s the least we can do for a friend and a native son of Arkansas.”.
The George Kell Post Office Building is located at 106 Main Street in Swifton.

7. A more than three year long probation for the Jackson County Jail was lifted during a June inspection.
Sheriff David Lucas informed the Jackson County Quorum Court of the jail’s status during their monthly meeting.
"We had our re-inspection of the jail last week and I have to admit, Steven McCullar has done a good job for us as the jail administrator and they were very pleased with what they saw," Lucas said. "They were very pleased with the work that Steven and the rest of the jail staff have been doing in the jail to keep the jail up and to keep the numbers down the best we can. They were so pleased with it that after we got done talking they took us off probation."
Lucas also warned county officials that other issues with the facility must still be addressed.
"They did stress that we do still need to try to fix the overcrowding and the staffing problem but they were very pleased with what the staff has been doing and felt that it warranted taking us off probation," Lucas said.
The jail first opened in 1980 with a capacity of 26 inmates. Construction a of a new detention center and expansion of the current facility have both been discussed by the court, but a solution has yet to be found mostly because of a lack of funding.

8. Jackson County lost another famous, historic landmark when Bob King’s club unexpectedly burnt to the ground on December 13.
Countless pieces of memorabilia from the various artists who performed there during the nearly 60 years of the bar’s existence were also destroyed in the blaze. Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash are some of the more noteworthy acts to have performed at the nightclub, which was the last original landmark left on Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway 67.
The roadhouse was a frequent place to perform for many of the pioneers of rock and roll music in the 1950’s. Many of these musicians would travel along Hwy. 67 between Little Rock and St. Louis, Mo. stopping to perform at the various nightclubs along the way.

9. The Newport High School football team will have a different head coach next season due to a decision by the school board earlier this month.
Greg Brannon, the former head Hound, was reassigned to the position of Special Assistant to the Superintendent by a unanimous vote of the board.
Dr. Larry Bennett, Newport School Superintendent said, "Brannon will continue to teach the classes he already currently teaches, at his current pay, while assisting me (the superintendent) in any special projects I might have for him."
Brannon coached the Hounds for six seasons with on overall record of 41-31. All six of his teams were eligible for postseason play, and one of Brannon’s squads was a single play away from the state championship game in 2008.

10. U.S. Army Major General James Simmons, Martha Johnston, Bill Keedy Jr., John Mullins and John Minor Sr. were inducted into the Newport Alumni Hall of Fame during a banquet in August at the Newport Country Club.
The Hall of Fame was formed to pay tribute to Newport alumni who have made extraordinary contributions in their selected fields while also serving their communities.
Previous inductees include: Doyle and Raye Rogers, Joe Miles, Governor Mike Beebe, Kaneaster Hodges, Jr. and Charles Balentine.

Keep reading the Newport Independent to find out what happens in 2011 and beyond.