SPORTS>>Hickingbotham to direct offense for Jacksonville

By TODD TRAUBLeader sports editorTo move forward, Jacksonville is taking a few steps back to its past.The Red Devils announced last week Rick Russell, 51, a 14-year veteran of the coaching staff, was leaving North Pulaski after one year to return to Jacksonville as head coach. In short order, Russell announced Barry Hickingbotham, a 1987 Jacksonville graduate, was moving up […]

SPORTS>>Hickingbotham to direct offense for Jacksonville

By TODD TRAUBLeader sports editorTo move forward, Jacksonville is taking a few steps back to its past.The Red Devils announced last week Rick Russell, 51, a 14-year veteran of the coaching staff, was leaving North Pulaski after one year to return to Jacksonville as head coach. In short order, Russell announced Barry Hickingbotham, a 1987 Jacksonville graduate, was moving up […]

SPORTS>>Travelers battle foes, rain, schedule

By TODD TRAUBLeader sports editorNot only did the Arkansas Travelers have trouble winning games in their recent homestand, they had trouble getting them started, playing them in regulation or ending them in a timely fashion.A pregame boxing match, a long rain delay and extra innings played havoc with the schedule during the six-game homestand against the Midland RockHounds and Frisco […]

SPORTS>>McDonald helping out alma mater

By TODD TRAUBLeader sports editorNew Jacksonville football coach Rick Russell doesn’t necessarily want his players to turn out like Clinton McDonald, though that would be nice.It would simply be good enough if Russell’s Red Devils feel the way McDonald does about the program.McDonald, the Jacksonville graduate currently with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, gave the Russell era a shot in the […]

SPORTS>>IKF umbrella harbors amateurs

Bring it on!It’s a simple, yet catchy motto for what has become one of the largest martial arts sanctioning bodies in the world, particularly for amateurs.The International Kickboxing Federation was founded by Dan Stell and Steve Fossum in summer 1992 and expanded into Europe by 1998. Stell left the organization in the mid 1990s. Fossum later went on to form […]

SPORTS>>IKF umbrella harbors amateurs

Bring it on!It’s a simple, yet catchy motto for what has become one of the largest martial arts sanctioning bodies in the world, particularly for amateurs.The International Kickboxing Federation was founded by Dan Stell and Steve Fossum in summer 1992 and expanded into Europe by 1998. Stell left the organization in the mid 1990s. Fossum later went on to form […]

SPORTS>>FIGHT CLUB

By Jason King Leader sportswriterThe McGlothlin family really gets a kick out of Mixed Martial Arts.So much so that William McGlothlin opened his own training facility in Cabot in early 2009, while his two teenage sons, Eli and Rudy, aspire to reach the professional MMA ranks.The McGlothlins operate Barata MMA in Cabot and live near Bald Knob.William has been involved […]

SPORTS>>FIGHT CLUB

By Jason King Leader sportswriterThe McGlothlin family really gets a kick out of Mixed Martial Arts.So much so that William McGlothlin opened his own training facility in Cabot in early 2009, while his two teenage sons, Eli and Rudy, aspire to reach the professional MMA ranks.The McGlothlins operate Barata MMA in Cabot and live near Bald Knob.William has been involved […]

EDITORIAL >>Base deserves charter school

If a group promoting charter schools in Jacksonville gets its way, Little Rock Air Force Base a year from now could have a charter school for junior high students. This would be timely indeed as nearby Northwood Middle School faces possible closure for failing to meet state standards.Former state Rep. Mike Wilson, who brought Lighthouse Academy to Jacksonville last year, […]

TOP STORY > >Recycle center wins state education award

By JEFFREY SMITHLeader staff writerThe Jacksonville Recycling Education Park has been selected as the 2010 Recycling Education Program of the Year by the Arkansas Recycling Coalition. The award will be presented at the ARC awards luncheon at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 15 at the Robinson Center in Little Rock during the annual conference and trade show. Jacksonville Recycling Center supervisor Jason […]