Category: Pine Bluff Commercial News
Woods elected Jefferson County sheriff
Pine Bluff Commercial News
By THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Posted May 23, 2018 at 1:55 AM
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr. is the winner in a three-way race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for sheriff as a result of voting in Tuesday’s Democratic Primary. There was no Republican candidate for the seat.
Woods will replace current Sheriff Gerald Robinson, who is stepping down at the end of the year. Robinson was also just elected Jefferson County judge.
Woods fought off challenges from former deputy Larry Gragg and retired State Police Investigator Roger McLemore to win without a runoff.
Complete but unofficial voting totals are:
Woods 4,639
Gragg 1,754
McLemore 1,769
“I’m humbled by the numbers,” Woods said Tuesday night. “I’ve been blessed by support from the entire community the entire way.”
Woods said that while he had been involved in other campaigns, particularly those of his father, who is the Jefferson County circuit clerk and of current Sheriff Gerald Robinson, “It’s different when you’re running your own campaign. There has been no stone that I’ve left unturned, be it social media, door to door, mailers, you name it I’ve done it.”
As the operations commander and public spokesman for the sheriff’s department, Woods was the hand-picked choice of Robinson to replace him at the top.
He has been on the job since 2004 and worked uniform patrol until being reassigned to the Tri-County Drug Task Force and loaned to the Drug Enforcement Administration where he worked undercover narcotics. He said he almost went to work for the DEA full time before Robinson talked him out of it and he has been with the department ever since.
“It’s been a bittersweet career,” Woods said. “I am following a higher power and the Lord put me in this place at this time. This is the next step in my career because there is nowhere else to go.”
Asked about the county’s budget and the lack of funds available, Woods said “we’ve got challenges in public safety and recruitment because there’s not a lot of money. We’re trying to recruit qualified people who want to make a career and not just have a job.”
To that end, Woods said he frequently attends career fairs and Southeast Arkansas College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the department also offers internships which will pay students and allow them to receive college credit at the same time.
He said that in 2015, the department’s budget was cut “but we were still expected to do the same job. We know the challenges because no matter what, we’re expected to provide the same level of services.”
Woods said that Jefferson County is one of the largest counties in the state and the demand for services is great “but we don’t control the price of gas.”
He said his first priority as sheriff will be to evaluate the command staff and ensure that “people are the most effective and most needed.”
“Second, I want to make sure the department has all the resources and tools we need to make the job easier. We do a good job but there’s always room for improvement.”
Another plan is to reactivate the junior deputy program, which, he said, “has gone downhill for the last couple of years. We want to try to reach kids in grade school and get them excited about a career in law enforcement. We already do a program for kids with the Sheriff’s Fun Day every year but we can reach out in other ways as well.”
With his number of years in drug investigations, Woods said he will “vigorously go after those that sell drugs,” including the unauthorized use of prescription drugs.
“We’ve got to learn to do more with less,” Woods said.
Read More...Posted on 23 May 2018, 24:50 - Category: Pine Bluff Commercial News
JCSO spreads Christmas cheer to kids
By SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL
Posted Dec 23, 2017 at 12:01 AMUpdated Dec 23, 2017 at 9:54 PM
Despite torrential rains, members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office made several stops on Friday to provide a little Christmas cheer to area children whose parents are incarcerated at the Arkansas Department of Correction. Deputies delivered gifts as part of a collaborative effort created by the Palarm Missionary Baptist Church of Mayflower, Arkansas, who this year are being assisted by Teach for America and the JCSO.
The three are working with the J. Aaron Hawkins Sr. Center-Wrightsville Women’s Prison to host an Angel Tree for 150 children who will be without one or both parents this holiday season as a result of incarceration. This initiative is being conducted in 30 counties across Arkansas.
According to a 2014 study by the National Resource Center on Children and Families, more than 2.7 million children in the United States have an incarcerated parent, which is 1 in 28 kids.
“The impact of those statistics are alarming, and makes it tough for some families during the holidays,” said JCSO Operations Commander Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr.
The National Resource Center on Children and Families suggests that while many of the risk factors children of incarcerated parents experience may be related to parental substance abuse, mental health, inadequate education, or other challenges, parental incarceration increases the risk of children living in poverty or experiencing household instability independent of these other problems.
“As a child, my siblings and I were very fortunate to have both parents during our upbringing and through our adult lives,” Woods said. “As children, we never experienced going without life’s necessities and a joyful Christmas by waking up to a room filled with the things we hoped that Santa (our parents) would bring us.”
The partnership between JCSO and Teach for America is an opportunity for the two to collaborate in order to spread a little holiday cheer by stepping up and supporting those families who do not have the traditional home setting.
“Although we understand that Christmas is a time to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, witnessing a child waking up on Christmas and making their way to the Christmas tree to unwrap a gift is blessing,” Woods said. “The look on their faces is priceless.”
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Posted on 24 Dec 2017, 12:19 - Category: Pine Bluff Commercial News
HAPPY THANKSGIVING: Area leaders count blessings
By David Hutter/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF/dhutter@pbcommercial.com
Posted Nov 22, 2017 at 12:01 AMUpdated Nov 22, 2017 at 11:55 PM
Pine Bluff and Jefferson County leaders are counting their Thanksgiving blessings this year, with many being thankful for family and health.
Watson Chapel School District Superintendent Connie Hathorn said he is thankful for doing work that matters and for his family and health.
“I am thankful for the things in my past, which helped bring me where I am today,” Hathorn said via email. “Lastly, and most importantly, I am thankful for grace. I constantly remind myself ‘If it wasn’t for the grace of God, there go I.’”
White Hall School District Interim Superintendent Doug Dorris said he is thankful for his family, wife, children, grandchildren, the White Hall School District and his community.
“I am thankful for our country and the men and women who have fought and continue to fight to keep us free,” Dorris said.
Dollarway School District Superintendent Barbara Warren is grateful for so much.
“I am most thankful for my relationship with The Lord, my dear husband and children, and the opportunity to serve others through my work and in other areas in my life,” Warren said via email.”
Pine Bluff Alderman Bill Brumett is thankful for his family.
“I recently lost my mother,” Brumett said. “It was nice having all my family gather around to support each other.”
Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington said she is always thankful for health, home, family, friends and good food.
“At this season as I look at where I sit in Pine Bluff, I am thankful that the citizens of Pine Bluff are coming together with a spirit of unity and positive gratitude for the changes that are on the horizon for our city: Pine Bluff, Arkansas,” Washington said.
Jefferson County Judge Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV said he is “most grateful for his faith in Jesus Christ, my family and the opportunity to serve the people of Jefferson County.”
He said that he plans more improvements in the coming months that will benefit not only county employees but also all county residents.
Pine Bluff Police Chief Ivan Whitfield is thankful that God has allowed life to be as well as it is in times like the present in Pine Bluff.
“When we look at the conditions of the world, we are blessed,” Whitfield said. “I am thankful for opportunities and I am thankful for our strength, health and right mind. I am thankful to God who has allowed me to be in a position to help people. I am thankful for family, friends and the entire community.”
White Hall Mayor Noel Foster said he is thankful for his health and his family’s health and the people of White Hall.
“We live in a small community,” Foster said. “People here care about each other in our community.”
Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services Chief Shauwn Howell said he is thankful for his health, family, and supporters of his endeavors on a personal and professional level.
“I receive overwhelming support on a daily basis,” Howell said. “I am thankful for the opportunity that was bestowed upon me to be the fire chief. It is a collective effort among all the members of the Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services Department. It is not a one-man show. I am thankful for our men and women who come to work each day and perform at a high level.”
Pine Bluff High School art teacher Shalisha Thomas said she is thankful for her support system.
“As a teacher, it’s not always easy,” Thomas said. “But I always have my family and my friends to back me up. And even my students are a great support to me.”
Former Alderman Glen Brown Sr., who remains active in the local political scene, said that he is “thankful every day for the breath of life and I pray the world will turn into a better place. On Thanksgiving, I usually work in the morning. On my way home, I pull to the side of the road and give thanks for family, friends and the breath of life. I do this every Thanksgiving. I make a special thanks for being alive. I wish everybody could be very peaceful. We eat special foods on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think we do a good job as a city and country. Every day we need to give thanks for the breath of life.”
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Major Lafayette Woods Jr. said he is thankful for life.
“There is so much going on in 2017 and in earlier years,” Woods said.
“We live in perilous times. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. I am thankful for the ability to have been able to do the things I wanted in life. During times like this, I have been close to several organizations and been able to give back to others who are less fortunate. I spent time with a nonprofit organization Koal to Diamond, a graduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, to collect money to buy a Thanksgiving meal for less fortunate people.
“I have learned that to live life with meaning means living life with gratitude. Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful we receive every day. I feel like we take it for granted when you do not wonder where your next meal will come from. I do not have that problem. I am pleased to be in a position to give back to someone who is less fortunate. All my family is here. My siblings who live out of town will be coming in.”
Pine Bluff Treasurer Greg Gustek is thankful for Pine Bluff voters approving Go Forward Pine Bluff, a five-eighths cent sales tax increase to spur economic revitalization. He is also thankful for Pine Bluff Rising and the nonprofit Lake Saracen Project Association, of which he is the treasurer. The Lake Saracen Project Association was one of the organizations that oversaw the construction of the Lake Saracen Trail.
“All these things that are happening are positive,” Gustek said. “We are turning the town around. We’re going in the right direction. Being a hometown boy, it’s very special for me.”
Go Forward Pine Bluff is a public-private partnership. Its supporters say it will improve Pine Bluff through quality of life, education, economic development and government infrastructure.
Joy Blankenship is the executive director of Pine Bluff Downtown Development and chairman of the Lake Saracen Project Association. She said she is thankful for the growth that is occurring in downtown Pine Bluff.
“I am very thankful for all the citizens who voted for Go Forward Pine Bluff, to help us do things for the city,” Blankenship said. “And I am very thankful for family.”
Pine Bluff Commercial reporter Ray King contributed to this report.
Read More...Posted on 23 Nov 2017, 11:33 - Category: Pine Bluff Commercial News
County employees, others commemorate Veterans Day
Pine Bluff Commercial/Ray King
By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF/rking@pbcommercial.com
Posted Nov 11, 2017 at 10:07 AMUpdated at 9:11 PM
Although the Jefferson County Courthouse was closed Friday, a group of county employees and military veterans gathered on the west side of the parking lot to raise a new American flag in honor of Veterans Day. The event was organized by County Judge Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV and his wife Phyllis, who said the ceremony was to say “thank you for your service.” She also offered veterans and their families a thanks for their sacrifices.
Phyllis Wilkins said several members of her family had served in the military, while Judge Wilkins said his father, the late Henry “Hank”Wilkins III, served in Korea; one of Wilkins’s sons also served. In addition, he said two of his brothers had served, one in the Army and the second in the Marines.
“It’s important to remember their commitment and their sacrifice,” he said. “We would not live in a free country without their service.”
The two also talked about the local Veteran’s Service office, which is located in the 100 block of Main Street and can provide information not only to veterans but to members of their families. Currently, that office is open only on a part-time basis, but Judge Wilkins said the county is actively seeking volunteers to assist the one person there in having the office open every day.
Wilkins’ Chief of Staff, Lloyd Franklin II, said after the ceremony that when the county’s new website goes online after the first of the year, there will be a link to the Veteran’s Service office. The county is also working with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to provide veterans with information about things like scholarships and financial aid, Franklin said. Also Friday, Sheriff Gerald Robinson, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, released a message calling for everyone to honor veterans on their special day.
“We as citizens sometimes seek for heroes who would save our day; however, as we seek, we often forget the existing heroes who fought for our freedom years ago and those who continue that fight today,” Robinson said.
“Every year when we celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11, we are reminded to thank our family, friends, community members, and especially our very own officers and staff, who have served or are serving in all branches of the military,” he said. “Our veterans and their families have made many sacrifices to keep our country safe. As an American citizen and retired Army veteran, I am ever so humbled by the bravery and courage of our veterans in our community and abroad.”
“I welcome all Americans to join my staff and I in remembering the reason for our freedom,” Robinson said. “We strongly encourage everyone to think of our veterans and thank them when you see them. We support and honor our veterans, not just on Veterans Day, but every day of the year.”
Read More...Posted on 11 Nov 2017, 24:26 - Category: Pine Bluff Commercial News
Candidate Development Institute hosts graduation
By Special to The Commercial
Posted Nov 7, 2017 at 9:59 AMUpdated Nov 7, 2017 at 12:38 PM
The Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce and Go Forward Pine Bluff announced that the following graduated from the 2017 Class of the Candidate Development Institute:
Joni Alexander, Pecola Anderson, Nathaniel Dee Baker, Glen Brown Jr., Bill Brumett, Tavante L. Calhoun Sr., Leigh Cockrum, Lloyd A. Franklin II, Vonysha Goodwin, Chandra Griffin, Wil Jenkins, Reginald Johnson, Caleb McMahon, Nancy Lee McNew, Leslie Mitchell, Mandy Owens, Mary Pringos, Sederick C. Rice, Janice L. Roberts, James Gavin Sanders, Tonya Y. Shaw, Shawndra Taggart, Lyslie Trammell, Gene A. White Jr., Lafayette Woods Jr. and Jessica Yarbrough.
CDI participants completed the course held Tuesdays, Sept. 19 through Oct. 24, at the the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County.
Those who met attendance requirements graduated from the Institute Oct. 24. Participants heard more than a dozen speakers discuss an array of subjects. CDI, coordinated by the Chamber and in association with Go Forward Pine Bluff, was designed to offer training in the basics of organizing and implementing a campaign for public office.
Topics included How to Get Elected, Information You Should Know when Running for Office and Filing with the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office; Lobbying and Campaign Finance and Ethics; Primary Sources of Information and How Do I Put This Information to Work for Me?; Grassroots Campaigning, Campaign Plans, Strategies and Tactics and Media Relations; Fund Raising, Enacting Legislation and Campaign Lessons Learned; and Economic Development Sales Tax and How an Elected Official Influences Economic Progress in Your Community.
Read More...Posted on 07 Nov 2017, 11:45 - Category: Pine Bluff Commercial News
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