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W E A T H E RToday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. Northeast winds 5 mph.Tonight: Partly cloudy. A slight chance of showers. Lows in the lower 70s. East winds 5 mph.Vol. 156, No. 197

©2010 The Daily Citizen

“ ”There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

Saint thomaS aquinaSTheologian, 1225-1274

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

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Wednesday, august 18, 2010 50¢

The Searcy High School football team focused on special teams during Tuesday’s practice. — page 1B

cuBa traveL restrictions discussedPresident Obama’s administration discussed easing travel restrictions to Cuba on Tuesday. — page 2a

Fire Chief Bill Baldridge presented the program at Searcy Rotary Club Tuesday. He discussed the recent converted ISO rating of No. 1. Searcy is the only city in Arkansas with this rating. The fire depart-ment is now rated the best in the state under the certification ratings. There are only eight other cities in the U.S. that have both of these ratings. Herb Bacon/Special to The Daily Citizen

Rotary speaker

$4.50 A&P tax refund requested

Public tutoring

proposed

McDaniel speaks at Searcy High School

AttoRney GeneRAl lAuds ARkAnsAs educAtion

tutoring proposaLFormat: Classes, snack, physical activitySpace used: 2 classrooms, gymnasium at Carmichael CenterProposed time: Between Labor Day and Thanksgiving

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

I N D E X

By Luke [email protected]

Todd Gentry of Harding University and College Church of Christ’s campus ministries proposed a new tutoring program Tuesday.

Gentry brought his ideas before the Searcy Parks and Recreation board. He said he had the idea after teach-ing aborigine children in Australia, then traveling back to Searcy and seeing the need the town had for such a pro-gram.

He said he already con-ducted some tutoring with residents of Meadowlake and The Ridge apartments.

His program would uti-lize several classrooms and the gymnasium at the Carmichael Community Center. After tutoring, stu-dents would receive a snack and then would take part in a physical activity in the gym.

Gentry said his staff would be composed of him-self, his wife and a number of retired teachers and admin-istrators, many of who have already volunteered. The classes would begin after Labor Day and continue until Thanksgiving.

“I think it’s a very feasible time to do it in,” he said. If the first season worked out, Gentry would begin the next when college students arrived back from Christmas break and continue on until Spring break.

Gentry also hopes the tutoring program might evolve into a Boys and Girls Club for the town. He noted that Boys and Girls Clubs are so beloved that during some notable riots, the clubs were left untouched.

Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith said he approves of the proposal,

By Warren [email protected]

Searcy Clerk/Treasurer Margaret “Peggy” Meads is pro-cessing all the requests for refunds from the Searcy Advertising and Tourism Promotions (A&P) tax: All one of them.

And if approved as submitted, the request will result in a refund

of $4.50. Refunds began July 23 after a months-long debate over the technicalities of the refund process. An ordinance allowing the refunds passed its third and final reading at the Searcy City Council during a special council meeting called for that purpose June 22.

The lone applicant — whose

name is not public information, according to Meads — submitted 53 receipts, but Meads was not able to give a quick refund because she is charged with verifying each receipt.

“The reason I am studying it

completely is in case his receipts do not comply with our ordinance,” Meads said, noting some receipts do not list the tax separately. “In my estimate, rules are rules and the council gave me rules to follow and I’m going to follow them. I’ll give refunds to those that comply and not give refunds those who don’t.”

The council voted that refunds will be given to taxpayers who fill out official forms and bring original

MeAds

only 1 application filed, according to treasurer a&p refunds

Began: July 23Ends: JanuaryTotal requested so far: $4.50

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, left, addresses the Searcy district-wide teacher inservice Tuesday while superintendent Diane Barrett, right, listens. McDaniel spoke of some of his experiences and goals as attorney general, and praised Arkansas for its improving levels of education. Luke Jones/[email protected]

By Luke [email protected]

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel praised the state of education

in Arkansas while speaking at Searcy High School for a dis-trict-wide teacher inservice meet-ing Tuesday.

In his address, McDaniel spoke of how pleased he was

that Arkansas is now 10th in the nation in overall education.

“All of my life it was, ‘Thank God for Mississippi,’” McDaniel

said, referring to the improve-ments the state has made since. “It’s all — all — because of the new pre-K system. Our teachers are no longer dead last.”

“Arkansas is going up,” he said. “All the surrounding states are swimming in debt. We’re not.”

He noted that the state spends $60 million a year on the

Pulaski school district.“I am the first attorney

general to admit it,” he said. “We did of course discriminate against African Americans, but after 25 years of litigation, bil-lions of dollars of state money and micro-management, we have done our part. It is time to let patronage control those dis-tricts.”

classes would use carmichael center

dustin mcdanieL55th Ark. Attorney generalAssumed office: Jan. 9, 2007Preceded by: Mike BeebeParty: Democratic

U.S. News ranks Harding among south’s best schools for 17th year

Harding University has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best universi-ties in the South for the 17th con-secutive year.

The rank-ings are in the m a g a z i n e ’ s 2011 America’s Best Colleges issue, which hits newsstands Aug. 31.

The University ranked

20th this year, up six spots from the 2010 ranking.

Harding was the only Arkansas institu-

tion included among the top 40 regional uni-versities in the South behind such notable

schools as Rollins College, Stetson

University and James Madison University.

The report also ranked

Harding at No. 5 — up from No. 9 last year — on its “Great Schools, Great Prices” list as a best value among schools in the South. In addition, Harding was named an “A-Plus School for B Students.”

Harding is included in the Best Regional Universities category, which compris-es schools that offer a full range of undergraduate- and

CoNTiNuED oN PAgE 3A



The Daily Citizen Wednesday, August 18, 2010 • Page 3A

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Students wait outside the Carmichael Community Center at 801 South Elm St., to take the practical portion of their driving test Tuesday. The written portion was administered earlier in the day. Annette Whitehead/[email protected]

Students hope to get driver’s licenses

Wal-Mart 2Q profit rises 3.6 percent on cost-cuttingBy Anne D’InnocenzioThe Associated Press

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported a 3.6 percent increase in second-quarter net income and raised its earnings guidance for the full year as it benefits from cost-cutting and robust global growth in China, Brazil and Mexico.

But a closely watched measure of revenue fell for the fifth consecutive quarter, dragged down by its U.S. Wal-Mart division, as its main customers have felt the biggest impact of the economy's woes.

Nevertheless, an upbeat profit pic-ture lifted Wal-Mart shares by almost 2 percent, or 86 cents, to $51.27.

The discounter said Tuesday it had net income of $3.59 billion, or 97 cents per share, for the period ended July 31. That compares with $3.47 billion, or 89 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenue rose almost 3 percent to $103.7 billion. Revenue at stores open at least a year fell 1.4 percent, worse than the 0.26 percent expected by Thomson Reuters. At Wal-Mart's name-

sake stores, that measure fell 1.8 percent while at Sam's Clubs, the measure was up 1 percent.

The measure is a key indicator of a retailer's health.

Shares rose 61 cents, or 1.2 percent, to close at $51.02 Tuesday.

Analysts had expected earnings per share of 96 cents on revenue of $105.3 billion.

"We continue to focus on our pri-orities of growth, leverage and return," said Mike Duke, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s

president and CEO, said in a statement. "The slow economic recovery will con-tinue to affect our customers, and we expect they will remain cautious about spending."

As a testament to customers' tepid spending, shoppers are buying back-to-school items closer to the school year's start, officials said during a prerecorded conference call.

Customers continue to have a hard time stretching their dollars to the next payday, and food-stamp use continues to rise, particularly in areas with the highest unemployment, the company said.

During a conference call with jour-nalists Tuesday, Tom Schoewe, chief financial officer, said that even the steep discounts on thousands of products — $1 ketchup bottles and sub-$4 cases of Coke — failed to lift sales as much as forecast because people remain fru-gal. In July, the discounter went back emphasizing "everyday low prices," rather than such loss leaders designed to get people in the store in hopes they'll buy other, profitable items.

receipts that separately show the A&P tax. The por-tion of the $454,102.06 left in the fund after the 180-day refund period will be

given to the Searcy Parks and Recreation Department for its use. Meads was charged with overseeing the refunds.

though no action was taken at the meeting.

“I think it’s an excellent idea, especially in the neigh-borhood,” he said.

The board discussed oth-er matters Tuesday.

New playground equip-ment will be installed soon at the sports complex. According to Smith, the equipment will measure 50 feet by 24 feet.

Two new prefabricated pavilions will be ordered, one for Berryhill Park and another for Yancey Park.

A new fence has been installed at Berryhill Park. The previous fence was 20 years old and rotting, Smith said.

He also noted the bike trails had been clean and interest in town is high.

“A lot of people are talk-ing about them,” he said. “They are always asking, ‘Can we get extensions?’”

Mayor Belinda LaForce noted that if a source of funding shows up, the trails may see those extensions one day.

master’s-level programs, but few, if any, doctoral pro-grams. Nearly 575 universi-ties were ranked in this cate-gory against their peer groups in one of four geographic regions — North, South, Midwest and West.

The 12 states included in the magazine’s southern region include colleges from West Virginia to Florida and from Arkansas to the East Coast. Harding is the high-est-ranked Arkansas school in this category.

“Harding is continually ranked among the South’s most prestigious colleges,” said Dr. David B. Burks, pres-ident of the University. “We are pleased that U.S. News & World Report has once again recognized the quality of the Harding experience for the 17th consecutive year.”

To determine the rank-ings, the magazine evalu-ated universities across the nation in areas such as grad-uation rate, peer assessment, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectiv-ity, financial resources and alumni giving rate.

For the first time, U.S. News also included the opinions of high school counselors who have first-hand knowledge of the aca-demic reputation of colleges nationwide.

Harding was first ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 1994 when enrollment stood at just over 4,000. Last year the University welcomed more than 6,600 students and expects another record enrollment for the 2010-11 academic year.

Harding: School honoredContinued from PAge 1A

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Board: Classes proposed Continued from PAge 1A

Tax: Refund requestedContinued from PAge 1A

2Q RESULTS The results: Wal-mart's net income was $3.59 billion, or 97 cents per share. that compares with $3.47 billion, or 89 cents per share, a year ago. revenue rose almost 3 percent to $103.7 billion.Behind the numbers: Cost-cutting and global sales helped push Wal-mart's profits, but it's facing weak business at u.S. Wal-mart stores amid a tough economy. merchandising problems have also hurt business.Outlook: the company raised its annual earnings forecast.

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