LITTLE ROCK -- A $3.4 million federal grant will fund an aviation technology program at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, the school announced Tuesday.
MSCC said it would develop a Federal Aviation Administration-certified airframe and power plant program with federal stimulus funds through the Department of Labor.
"Employment in the field is expected to grow from 122,000 to 135,000 by 2016, and many current workers are expected to retire in the next decade," said Gibson "Sunny" Morris, executive director of the school's Arkansas Delta Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (ADWIRED) initiative.
FedEx will provide internships and will donate an aircraft, tooling and test equipment, Morris said.
Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville would receive $851,136 of the grant to add an instructor, equipment and pay student tuition to expand its existing aviation technology program, Morris said.
]]>Your recent editorial, "The new Lincoln," unfairly impugned Sen. Blanche Lincoln's voting record on issues important to business. In fact, a careful examination of her votes over the past several years reveals a relatively consistent record in favor of business' views roughly 75 percent of the time-hardly a record that would indicate the degree of poll-watching you suggest.
I appreciate Lincoln's willingness to listen to all sides of the issues, and while I certainly don't expect her to side with anybody all the time, I do applaud her moderate, fact-based conclusions regarding matters of economic development, job creation and opportunity enhancement.
Randy Zook
Little Rock
The rules under consideration by U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Obama administration are critically important to food safety for the American consumer. The Food and Drug Administration currently inspects just 2 percent of all seafood imports. Congress moved inspection authority from FDA to USDA in the 2008 farm bill. The current rulemaking process will determine whether the catfish from Vietnam and other countries will be treated equitably with Arkansas catfish or if foreign fish will be given a special loophole.
I want to make sure that the efforts of our own congressional delegation are acknowledged. The strong leadership of Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Blanche Lincoln as well as the efforts of Sen. Mark Pryor and Reps. Mike Ross, Marion Berry and John Boozman are greatly appreciated by the entire catfish industry.
Catfish farmers play an important role in Arkansas' economy and we appreciate the Arkansas congressional delegation standing up on our behalf.
Joey Lowery
Amagon
Arkansas Women in Agriculture Honor Lincoln, First Arkansan and First Female to Serve as Ag Chair
North Little Rock - U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln this week was presented with the Spirit of Arkansas Women in Agriculture Award, the organization's highest honor.
Lincoln, the first Arkansan and first female to chair the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee in the committee's 185-year history, was nominated by the membership and selected by the Awards Committee for her service as a strong supporter for Arkansas's producers and rural communities.
"Agriculture is the backbone of our state's economy, and the women that operate farms and ranches across the state contribute to that success," Lincoln said. "Their efforts are critical in providing us with a safe and reliable food source that feeds the world, developing alternative energy sources, and preserving the environment for future generations to enjoy. I am proud to stand with them."
Carrie Hirmer of Texarkana, CEO of Arkansas Women in Agriculture, said, "As a senator and parent of twin boys, Senator Lincoln knows the challenges of being a working mother. She has set an example for all women in Arkansas, fights for agricultural producers and works to end hunger. These values align with those of Arkansas Women in Agriculture, which strives to provide educational programs for producers, provide a network of support for farmwomen and partners with Arkansas Rice Depot to help end hunger. These parallels clearly demonstrate that Senator Lincoln exemplifies the Spirit of Arkansas Women in Agriculture."
Lincoln is putting her leadership role to work for Arkansas. She has fought to promote economic opportunity and jobs in rural Arkansas; to meet the nutrition needs of our school children, the elderly, and low income families; to continue to build on our successful resource conservation efforts; to enhance America's energy independence; and to ensure that Arkansas's family farmers, ranchers and producers can remain competitive in the global marketplace.
In January, Lincoln secured a $4 million increase from the Department of Agriculture for the Ouachita and Ozark National Forests, which will put more than 700 Arkansans back to work while helping to restore the health of our forests and keep our mills running. In 2008, Lincoln played a central role in enacting a bipartisan Farm Bill, 85 percent of which invests in Arkansas priorities like nutrition, energy, conservation, and rural development initiatives.
Lincoln is also an established national leader in the fight against hunger. She founded and currently chairs the bipartisan Senate Hunger Caucus to help focus the attention of her colleagues and the nation on the millions of American families, especially children, who suffer from food insecurity.
]]>Bill Halter Should Get His Facts Straight
Little Rock - Bill Halter is complaining about Senator Blanche Lincoln's TV ad but it is he who needs to get his facts straight.
"Bill's campaign is almost entirely funded by out-of-state groups so it's no surprise that his Virginia-based consultant with a Massachusetts phone number sends out a misleading press release about Senator Lincoln," Lincoln campaign manager Steve Patterson said.
"Senator Lincoln has a voting record that is open to inspection so there is nothing to hide here. After much of the first half of TARP bailout funds were used for executive bonuses and the program failed to provide relief to families and small businesses, she said no to the second half of the bailout. She clearly voted against giving more money to Wall Street.
"If we want to talk about misleading advertising, we might look at Bill's first ad. It puts a football in his hands and highlights his humble roots when in fact, he's a multimillionaire who somehow talked labor unions into paying off a half million dollar campaign debt to himself with the union dues of their members so he can run for higher office."
Multi-millionaire Halter gets campaign debt paid off by SEIU.
Script: Lincoln ad, "What It's Like"
I'm Blanche Lincoln and I want to show you what it's like in Washington these days.
And your tax dollars?
This is why I voted against giving more money to Wall Street, against the auto company bailout, against the public option health care plan, and against the cap and trade bill that would have raised energy costs on Arkansans.
None of those were right for Arkansas. Some in my party didn't like it very much. But I approved this message because I don't answer to my party.
I answer to Arkansas.
S.J.RES.5.
Title: A joint resolution relating to the disapproval of obligations under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Vote record: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00005
In a boost to embattled Dem Senator Blanche Lincoln -- and a bit of a blow to primary challenger Bill Halter -- fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton is throwing his support to the incumbent Senator, his spokesman confirms to me.
Halter's entry into the race had kicked off a round of speculation about who Clinton would endorse, given that he hails from the state and remains very popular with Dem primary voters. If Clinton had remained neutral it would have been a big boost to Halter.
Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna tells me, however, that the former President is supporting Lincoln.
"Senator Lincoln asked President Clinton several months ago to support her reelection," McKenna says. "He said he would, and he does."
McKenna confirmed that this applies to the Dem primary, too, and declined further comment.
Clinton's support for Lincoln may disappoint liberals who are coalescing around the Halter challenger. Halter supporters, however, may say it's no surprise and cite it as further proof that Lincoln is the candidate of the establishment, while Halter is the insurgent outsider. Either way, Clinton's backing of Lincoln is noteworthy, given his stature with Dem primary voters and his roots in the state.
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Few people impact a community like Dr. Lawrence "Prexy" Davis, who made countless contributions to the development of the city of Pine Bluff, and instilled in generations of young men and women the desire to use their education for the benefit of the world around them.
Lawrence Arnette Davis Sr. was born July 4, 1914, at McCrory. A man of notable athletic ability, at the age of 12 he played baseball with adults in the Negro leagues. Dr. Davis moved to Pine Bluff at 14 and completed his secondary education at Merrill High School, where he graduated as valedictorian. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in English from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal (AM&N) College (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), a master's in English from the University of Kansas and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
In 1943, Dr. Davis was appointed president of AM&N. At the age of 28, he was the youngest college president in the country. During his tenure, the college flourished in enrollment growth and physical plant expansion and received its first North Central Association accreditation. His dreams for AM&N were realized in large part to support from Gov. Sidney McMath.
Dr. Davis served as the president of AM&N for 29 years, and then as the first chancellor for UAPB for a year. His impact on students was so profound during his era that they affectionately referred to him as "Prexy," which became synonymous with his name to everyone. After his tenure at UAPB, Dr. Davis served as president of Laney College in Oakland, Calif., for seven years.
In 1967, Dr. Davis was named Arkansas Man of the Year. Throughout his life, he was awarded many plaques, citations and honors for his educational, civic, community and organizational leadership and service, including his work to acquire needed funds to complete the Pine Bluff Civic Center and assistance with plans for constructing the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Dr. Davis' son, Ronald Laval Davis Sr., was a teacher of mine growing up in Helena. It is a privilege for me to honor his father, who was such an influential Arkansan, embodying the ideals of leadership. Dr. Davis taught so many that knowledge is not the end of the road, but rather the vehicle that guides us on our life's path.
With Arkansas Pride,
Blanche Lincoln
]]>A lobbyist the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) said Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) "deserve the gold star for common sense" for suggesting Congress use their SHOP Act -- which allows businesses to pool together to purchase insurance -- as foundation for a scaled-back bipartisan health reform effort. The idea of allowing businesses to pool to buy insurance has bipartisan support and was discussed at Thursday's health reform summit.
The senators said that Congress could also hang other popular measures -- greater cost transparency from insurers, allowing children to stay on their parents insurance until age 26 and malpractice reforms - onto their Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Act.
"Their suggestion ... echoes what small business owners across the country have been saying for months - the House and Senate-passed bills and the president's proposal are too big, they cost too much and they don't deliver what small businesses need most of all - lower costs," Michelle Dimarob said in an e-mail to Inside Health Policy. "
"Not only did small business not ask for a trillion dollar bill, they don't need it and they sure as heck can't afford it. What they do need is a reformed small group market and greater premium predictability, and the SHOP Act provides those solutions," she adds.
In a press release Wednesday, Snowe and Lincoln argue that the SHOP Act -- which was introduced by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (IL) -- is an essential building block to reform legislation moving forward. "It would protect small businesses against enormous rate hikes if one of their employees gets sick, so that premiums become more affordable and predictable for business owners, their employees, and the self-employed. It would allow small businesses to comparison shop for health care coverage through an exchange similar to the one federal employees enjoy," the lawmakers state.
The SHOP Act would also allow national plans with uniform benefits to be sold across states lines, an idea strongly supported by GOP members and included in pending health reform legislation. Finally, the SHOP Act would provide small businesses with targeted tax credits to help them provide insurance to employees.
The Act currently has 12 bipartisan co-sponsors; a sister House bill sponsored by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) has 60 cosponsors, including some Republicans. The legislation has also garnered support from SEIU, AARP, Families USA and the National Association of Realtors, according to the Snowe-Lincoln release.
Dimarob points out that not all small businesses purchase insurance through the small group market, which is why the individual market must also be addressed. It is also why Dimarob said small employers are fighting for a policy that could allow small employers the option of granting employees vouchers that they could use to purchase insurance through the exchange.
The voucher idea was also offered in an amendment to the Senate bill sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Evan Bayh (D-IN).
"The voucher is a new voluntary way to give small employers and their employees more options to purchase health insurance in a tax-free setting and is a win-win for employers and employees. It provides a simple and voluntary way for employers to contribute to their employees healthcare costs and the freedom for employees to choose the plan that best meets their needs as well as the security that if they leave their job they can still have health insurance," Dimarob said.
]]>The congressional delegations of two states are pulling together to ensure "reasonable" year-round access to the Wolf Pen Gap area of the Ouachita National Forest by off-highway vehicles.
U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., said Thursday that she hosted a meeting in her office in Washington, D.C., Wednesday evening with U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-District 4, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, of Oklahoma, to discuss how to work together on the issue.
"The Oklahoma folks were pretty distressed, as well," Lincoln said in a telephone interview Thursday.
"We're going to continue to work together; we're going to continue to stay on this issue. We're going to push the administration to develop an approach that allows reasonable, year-round access to Wolf Pen Gap," Lincoln said.
"The community (of Mena) was willing, and the community has been willing, to work with them on a plan that works for everybody. And I think that was obvious."
Public use of OHVs, including all-terrain vehicles, is now allowed in the ONF on routes and in cross-country travel, except for areas where it is specifically prohibited. OHV use is also prohibited on routes that are obviously closed or posted.
However, the Department of Agriculture in 2005 issued its Final Rule for Travel Management, which required each of the country's 155 national forests to designate a travel system for motorized vehicles, including OHVs.
The ONF subsequently developed the Travel Management Project and released a Decision Notice on motorized travel, including off-highway vehicles, in early January. Out of eight alternatives developed as part of the TMP's Environmental Assessment, the Forest Service selected Alternative E, which allows no cross-country travel, except for limited big game retrieval, and includes the addition of about 5.5 miles of non-system spur roads to provide motorized access to dispersed campsites.
Alternative E also limits OHV use on routes within the Wolf Pen Gap area to holidays and weekends from May 15 to Sept. 15, due to adverse effects on water quality through sedimentation that the Forest Service says is linked, in part, to OHV use in the area.
The Forest Service plans to implement the decision in April or May, barring an appeal that results in its being overturned and remanded.
Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday that 27 appeals have been filed against the decision notice, and a few more were expected.
Lincoln said Thursday that, in her opinion, reasonable access should "absolutely" include weekday access.
"You look at retired folks, you look at the veterans we've heard from. Those people are much more likely to want to go during the week than they are on the weekends when it's more hectic and more congested, perhaps," Lincoln said.
Reasonable access should also "certainly" include more year-round access, she said.
Lincoln, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she pressed Tidwell on Wednesday to "heed the interests of the local communities" and asked him to work with communities to reach a resolution on the issue.
"I reiterated to him that it came as a real shock to my constituents, because I think that's something he needs to know - the way that it was handled. It's not just the decision, but the way that it was handled is critically important.
"To get a decision to close the Wolf Pen Gap area for most of the year ... you miss turkey season, you miss spring break, you miss the fall foliage, you miss a lot when you close it down like that, particularly from a place that's been available 24/7, 365 days out of the year," she said.
"The local Forest Service (officials) had worked with the local folks to come up with something, and then to get something completely different out of Washington ... just wasn't fair."
Lincoln, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, met in late January with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack regarding the issue.
She said she also discussed the matter with Vice President Joe Biden during a visit Wednesday morning. "I brought this issue up and told him it was one of my top priorities," she said.
The EA estimates the number of OHV users per year at 17,000. Since Alternative E limits OHV use on routes within the area to holidays and weekends from May 15 through Sept. 15, the Forest Service estimates the number of OHV users would drop to around 5,000 yearly, a reduction of 71 percent.
The Forest Service says in the EA that there are 16 businesses that provide lodging in the form of rooms, cabins, and recreational vehicle sites in close proximity to the Wolf Pen Gap area, with occupancy capacities that range from eight to 225.
"Even though OHV access would be provided from the Wolf Pen Gap area to other parts of the forest, so that lodgers could recreate in other areas during weekdays, it would still be expected that these local businesses would see a reduction in revenue under Alternative E," the EA says.
Mena, which is about 8 miles northwest of the Wolf Pen Gap area, provides a close source for ATV rentals, fuel, restaurants, lodging and other retail amenities, the EA says.
One Mena motel owner estimated 20 to 30 percent of their business results from OHV tourism. "It would be expected that these Mena businesses would also see a reduction in revenue under Alternative E," the EA says.
Lincoln said she visited with Mena officials while in Little Rock last week, and "they were just devastated. They said, 'You know, we're going to lose 50 percent of our revenue.'"
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