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Vol. 157, No. 24©2011 The Daily Citizen

“ ”Let us live for the

beauty of our own reality.

Charles lambEnglish critic, 1775-1834

Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277

CitizenDailyThe

ConferenCe foes to square off

www.thedailycitizen.com Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854

Friday, January 28, 2011 50¢

Riverview will host Bald Knob tonight in the second meeting of the teams this season. — Page 1B

snowstorm walloPs northeast againA long-predicted storm caught much of the East Coast off guard, affecting nearly 300,000. — Page 2a

NATION & STATE, 2A OPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5ACALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6A SPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B

I N D E X

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y?Who will earn the...

Meet the contestants of today’s 2011 White County Spelling Bee inside this edition. — Page 7a

by annette Whiteheadawhitehead@thedailycitizen.com

Construction projects for Searcy schools are going smoothly, according to Assistant Superintendent Calvin Estes.

At the school board meet-ing on Wednesday, it was reported that the practice gym construction has been complet-ed and was able to be utilized at the beginning of the second semester.

“I think everyone is pleased with the facility,” Estes said.

The construction at Southwest Middle School is proceeding well, according to Estes. He said the project is proceeding will and the new building is still scheduled to be ready by July 1.

The board also discussed several other issues during the meeting.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sheena Williamson discussed the beginning of textbook selections. The Elementary and Secondary Textbook Selection Committee will begin visiting caravans next month, mainly in Conway and Jacksonville.

According to Williamson,

by Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.com

The Beebe School Board is set to decide March 14 on put-ting artificial turf in their high school football stadium. Officials are gathering information on the decision and have received a promise of local help from the county road department.

Vilonia, Greenbrier and Conway schools are among a number of districts that have installed artificial turf for rea-sons for effectiveness and effi-ciency, according to Hal Crisco, assistant superintendent for support services at the Beebe School District, who described the advantages.

“It could be used all day every day, 365 days a year, with-out any worry about destroy-ing the field, where now if it’s wet they have to worry about harming the field,” Crisco said. “Artificial turf would allow a massive amount of additional use for everything from the band to cheerleading and possibly, for us, a soccer program. These are all things we are obviously not equipped to do right now.”

The cost of the change is also under consideration, Crisco said.

“The booster club would help

Practice gym structure completed

searCy sChool Board meetingWhen: Wednesday, 5:15 p.m.Where: Administration buildingNext meeting: February 23, 5:15 p.m.

School projects still on

schedule

Beebe school considering artificial turf for stadium

Durability, support are key issues

artifiCial turfAdvantages: More durable than grassCost: Shared by district and donors

Ark. Senate passes bill limiting abortion coverageby andrew DemilloThe Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Senate voted Thursday to prohibit insurers in new markets set up under the federal health care law from offering coverage for abor-tions except in cases where the mother's life is at stake — a move that opponents say will make it vir-tually impossible for women to get abor-tion coverage.

The Senate voted 27-8 to approve strict limits on when abortion would be covered in the new insurance markets that will be set up starting in 2014 under the federal health care overhaul. The legislation would prohibit abortion coverage by insur-

ers in those markets even in cases of rape and incest.

Coverage for abortions could be obtained through separate supple-mental policies.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Cecile Bledsoe, R-Rogers, said it was aimed at preventing publicly funded abor-tions in Arkansas in the new system. Under the reform law, some people participating in the new networks will receive tax credits to subsidize their health insurance coverage.

"This is about tax dollars and Arkansans have said overwhelm-ingly we don't want to spend tax dollars on abortions," Bledsoe told the Senate.

Opponents called the measure too harsh because it didn't include exemptions for rape and incest. Medicaid recipients can receive abortions in cases of rape or incest.

Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, said the restriction was unreasonable because women don't know if they will need a supplemental policy.

"Nobody plans to have an abor-tion," Elliott said. "Nobody plans to be a victim of rape or incest."

Bledsoe said she didn't exempt rape or incest because an amend-ment in the state Constitution bars public funding for abortions, except to save the life of the mother. That amendment, however, is trumped by federal law.

Bledsoe's bill now heads to the House. A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe said he was still studying the language of the bill and did not have a position on it yet.

The bill is the second attempt this week to reject or alter parts of the health care overhaul that President Barack Obama signed into law.

BledsOe

Gates faults Congress for

Canadianmoney crisisby robert burnsThe Associated Press

OTTAWA, Canada — Defense Secretary Robert Gates is accusing Congress of dumping a "crisis on my door-step" by holding the Pentagon to last year's spending levels and creating a potential $23 billion gap that could weaken a wartime military.

"That's how you hollow out a military," Gates said Thursday.

Gates said it looks increas-ingly likely that Congress will not act on the Pentagon's 2011 budget request even as lawmakers argue over Gates' proposal to slow the rate of increase in defense spending next year and freeze it by 2015.

Gates was in Canada for North American defense talks. In an interview as he traveled to the Canadian capital, the Pentagon chief said he under-stands that his proposal for $78 billion in cuts in future spending has run into opposi-tion among lawmakers.

by Jim abramsThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Senate leaders said Thursday they have agreed that minority Republicans would filibuster fewer bills and nominations in exchange for a promise by the Democratic majority to give them more chances to offer amendments.

The gentleman's agreement announced by Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican lead-er Mitch McConnell was part of a package of measures to make the Senate a more workable and less contentious place. It also included support of a resolution, to be voted on later in the day, to end the practice of one senator being able to secretly block votes and a rules change that would slash by a third the number of presidential appointments that need Senate approval.

The agreement came as the Senate prepared to vote against proposals by several Democrats that would put more formal restrictions on the right of the minority to hold up or block bills and nominations through filibusters.

Senate leaders now agree on

filibusters

CoNTiNuED oN PAgE 3A

CoNTiNuED oN PAgE 3A

The Daily Citizen

White County Spelling BeeFriday, January 28, 2011 • Page 7A

2011 spelling bee contestantsFiFth grade

Macey WalkerBald KnoB

katie cooperBald KnoB

sarah petersonBeeBe

Mary claire DurrBeeBe

kaira yatesBradford

nathan bunDyBradford

travis turleyHarding academy

ashton snoWHarding academy

colton WootenPangBurn

Mckenzie lanDisPangBurn

JayDen ghentriverview-Judsonia

aManDa ricksriverview-Judsonia

courtney raMseyriverview-Kensett

aMber looneyriverview-Kensett

kanDace Davisrose Bud

gaige galloWayrose Bud

kenDra neillsearcy

Margaret liMsearcy

Sixth grade

anna DavisBald KnoB

logan WesternBald KnoB

gabriela MenDezBeeBe

abby sMithBeeBe

Mekayla sextonBradford

JorDon WillhaiteBradford

caMille sloan Harding academy

kaley burksHarding academy

katy-beth broWnfielDPangBurn

caitlyn rattonPangBurn

brooklyn Davisriverview-Judsonia

brittney harbinriverview-Judsonia

kaitlynn MitchellwHite county central

leyton linDseywHite county central

ashley McDonielriverview-Kensett

linDsey leasureriverview-Kensett

braDley clarkrose Bud

kaylyn covingtonrose Bud

kyle battensearcy

ashley WorkMansearcy

FiFth grade alternates lesley Keene Beebesierra Bright Bradfordclayton Hoggard Harding academysummer rains rangburnda'esha lee riverview-Judsoniarickie Baker riverview-Kensettlauryn swaffer rose Budemily Housley searcytyler thorn white county central

Page 8A • Friday, January 28, 2011 The Daily Citizen

White County Spelling Bee

Seventh grade

Josh PoPeBald KnoB

Kyler BrooKsBald KnoB

Nicole heNryBeeBe

elizaBeth PriceBeeBe

William KiNgBradford

mary seigrestBradford

WhitNey leeHarding academy

aBBey giBoNeyHarding academy

tremaiNe leeriverview

DoNovaN BoyDriverview

ParKer sherWooDrose Bud

NiKKi hairerose Bud

JacKie WooDsearcy

JaroD smithsearcy

shayla rogerswHite county central

megaN halewHite county central

eighth grade

BrittaNy hearymaNBald KnoB

tyler ParKriDgeBald KnoB

victoria JoNesBeeBe

Kyler liNN BeeBe

Noah PollarDBradford

crystal myersBradford

J.D. WashiNgtoNHarding academy

caleB maNorHarding academy

NiNa valDes riverview

JareD casterariverview

DylaN roDgersrose Bud

sam mcgraNDrose Bud

crystal Neillsearcy

JosePh limsearcy

JorDyaN WatsoNwHite county central

Bailey FiNleywHite county central

eriKa hoPKiNswHite county central

cori loWerywHite county central

Sixth gradeSixth grade alternateS morgan carroll Bald Knobabby moore BeebeBrittany Barnes Bradfordmatt francis Harding academyJake webb Pangburnchristie Johnson riverview-Kensettcloie stark rose BudHaley Qualls searcy

Seventh grade alternateS andrew Browning Bald KnobJacob middleton Beebetreasure treece garner BradfordJamie montgomery Harding ac.Jade Johnson riverviewmadison Jones rose BudKamryn Burton searcymolly whitener wc central

eighth grade alternateS austin Horton Bald Knobcheyenne gibbs Beebeandrew clark Bradfordanne cuizon Harding academydaniel trimble riverviewnoah white rose Budsusannah stubbs searcyciara roberts white county central