In conjunction with our print edition, we’ll be, from time to time, publishing drawings from area school children as part of the Newspapers in Education program.
The drawing seen here was made by Ali Bentley, 8. Bentley attends Junction City Schools.
Steven Ralph Teater, 46, of Camden, was convicted for the third time of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder for crimes he committed in 2003. He was sentenced Thursday in a Magnolia courtroom to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to the Magnolia Banner-News.
Teater admitted to killing his wife, Becky Teater, who was 41 when she died, and shooting Roderick McKinney. His defense was that he had a mental disease or defect at the time the crimes were committed.
Teater was convicted by a jury in Camden in 2003 and then in a retrial in Magnolia in 2005. Both times, the verdict was overturned by the Arkansas Court of Appeals, which ruled that Circuit Court Judge Edwin Keaton failed to instruct the jury to consider Teater’s mental state while deliberating.
Los Angeles seems like the perfect place for those crazy (ahem) eccentric enough to spend thousands of dollars on their dogs. Here’s a piece from the Los Angeles Times, complete with photos, of just how pampered canines are in Southern California. Pictured above is the doggie playpen. That grass you see is real and can be used as a potty — there’s a drainage bin underneath. Click here for more.
This has nothing to do with anything, really. I just found this video last night on YouTube and thought I would share it. This young man is an amazing talent. If you remember the old White Lion song “When the Children Cry.” He plays it flawlessly. Enjoy.
What does Leap Year mean? Click here to find out more.
Click here for more.
Harry had been scheduled last year to head to Iraq, but high publicity surrounding the event cancelled the tour.
I’m very pleased that the royals aren’t afraid to fight a battle. No doubt he learned many of his convictions from his mother, the late Princess Diana.
Do you think President Bush would allow his two daughters to fight? I won’t answer that one.
UPDATE — Representatives of the Royal family are now confirming that Prince Harry will be sent home after media leaked his presence in Afghanistan.
But, like anything that looks good on paper, reality is often quite a different thing, as the British magazine The Economist reports in a Feb. 7 article:
“…the goal of creating jobs remains distant. The programme may indeed attract new companies one day. But at present the weak job market may deter some families from making the move to Kalamazoo. The region’s energetic economic-development leader, Ron Kitchens, has a daunting mountain to climb.”
It seems as if El Dorado has its own mountain to climb. If you’ve been to district court lately and seen dozens of our local youths being brought before the judge in shackles, then you’ll know that drugs and crime are a serious problem in the city.
Many local youths are still falling through the cracks. There’s no doubt that the El Dorado Promise is indeed helping things somewhat, but there are other problems that must be addressed before it will work to its fullest potential.
El Dorado gets a brief mention in the piece. Click here for more.
By John Worthen
For Between Editions
Things are grinding at a snails pace so far today. Here are some of the main points that are floating around:
• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he will not be running for president. However, speculation abounds that he may be a possible veep candidate for Barack Obama.
• Ohio voters yesterday at a town hall-style meeting agreed that they want Obama and Hillary Clinton to stop bickering and work together. They also agreed that they’d love to see an Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama ticket in November. What do you think?
Personally, I doubt that Clinton and Obama can bury the proverbial hatchet and come together. But as crazy as things are in the political world, it just might happen. I would like to see it.
• Union County, much like the nation, is facing a financial crunch. I’ll be talking with county officials in the coming days to prepare a story on our county’s economic health. From what I heard in the quorum court meeting last week, it doesn’t look that rosy.
That isn’t to say we are in dire straights, but talk was definitely tinged with concerned tones. Rising fuel prices are one of the reasons for the sour economy across the nation. And as the prices edge closer to $4, expect hard times for everyone.
UALR spokeswoman Joan Duffy said shots were fired at 2:10 p.m. in a parking lot behind University Theatre and Stabler Hall.
“One person has been injured and is being treated by medical personnel,” she said.
A male believed by investigators to be a student was accosted by two other men and shot, Duffy said. The injured man made it on foot it across to the parking lot in front of the University Theater, where ambulance attendants reached him to administer emergency care and take him to a hospital.
Police were unsure of a motive in the attack, she said.
Duffy said two suspects fled in a gold Chevy Malibu and were last seen driving away on University Avenue. Authorities were interviewing people who may have seen or heard something.
Campus police declined to comment.
Duffy said students, faculty and staff were notified of the shooting by an automated emergency e-mail and phone system.
The university sent the e-mail and phone messages to students and faculty about 2:30 p.m. alerting them to the shooting. Duffy said they sent a second message shortly afterward telling students and faculty that the police believed the suspects had left campus and that the student had been taken to a local hospital.
Duffy said officials had just tested the system last week.
At the scene, police were interviewing tennis players on a nearby court. Yellow police tape was up in part of a parking lot by the theater and a nearby street.
UPDATE from UALR officials: At approximately 2:15 p.m. on Feb. 27, James Earl Matthews, 33, was shot near the UALR tennis courts on University Drive. Campus police responded, and the student was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Police are still searching for the two African American males identified as suspects in the shooting.
The man who held El Dorado Police and SWAT teams at bay for more than five hours on Feb. 22 is facing yet another charge: second degree murder.
Police arrested Robert Dujuan Loggins, 26, of El Dorado, on Wednesday for the murder of Tyrone A. Brown, 37. No bond was set. Brown was killed last November.
Look for more in tomorrow’s News-Times.
From the Camden News, Donna Collins reports:
Four Camden men are in jail after police found 115 pounds of marijuana during the execution of a search warrant Monday afternoon at a Spring Street residence. The bust was conducted in conjunction with the Arkansas State Police and Camden Police.
The large amount of marijuana is believed to be the most confiscated in Camden in several years, according to police.
Arrested were Vincent Moore, 34; Terry King, 34; Larry Lewis, 27; and Reginald Jakcson, 45.
All four men are being held in the Ouachita County Jail and are expected to have first court appearances today, according to the Camden News. They are charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, and maintaining a drug premise.
Buckley became famous for his intellectual political writings in his magazine, the National Review, and his frequent television appearances, including on his own long-running “Firing Line.” Click here for more.
Here’s a clip of Drowning Pool performing at Municipal Auditorium Friday night. Word is, the crowd wasn’t a sellout because some parents refused to let their kids see the show. About 1,000 folks attended. Some I spoke with said they talked to people from as far away as Tyler, Texas.
Hopefully this will be one of many top-caliber concerts for El Dorado. For more on the concert, see Rod Harrington’s weekend column this Friday in the News-Times.
Gas prices are heading up at a record-setting pace, and according to experts, the situation is reaching critical stage.
“We’ve gone from a worrying situation for gasoline to one that is quite alarming,” said Geoff Sundstrom, AAA’s spokesman.
Click here for more.
Some of the highest gas prices in the state, according
to Arkansasgasprices.com. Notice Magnolia in the loop.
In El Dorado, prices are still hovering around the $3.06 mark.
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