The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery matured more quickly than anyone imagined. In only its second year it has reached the point that all lotteries reach, when they must find ways to make more people gamble and gambling people gamble even more. It was a hostile bunch of state legislators that the acting lottery director, Julie Baldridge, appeared before this week. They […]

By JOAN McCOY Leader staff writer Two members of the Cabot Planning Commission proposed an ordinance this week that would require commercial developers to not only landscape their projects but meet standards set by the city. Currently, developers are required to landscape but that could be as little as planting a bush and a tree somewhere on the perimeter. The […]

By SARAH CAMPBELL Leader staff writer More students are taking advantage of national school lunch and breakfast programs. Local children are no exception to a 17 percent nationwide increase caused by the slumped economy. Seth Blomeley, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said 59 percent of Arkansas’ public school students were enrolled in the free or reduced lunch […]

By SARAH CAMPBELL Leader staff writer David Bush, owner of The Hook, formerly known as The Crooked Hook, wants to restore the old Jacksonville hot spot to its former glory, and he’s making good progress toward that goal. He’s the restaurant’s original owner, and his longtime customers are elated that he’s back. Bush bought the restaurant at an auction after […]

By GARRICK FELDMAN Leader executive editor The great Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s longtime guitarist, died last weekend at the age of 80. He’d been in poor health for several years — he carried an oxygen tank with him during performances — but he was a down-to-earth character who grew up in east Arkansas before he headed for Chicago some 60 […]

By SARAH CAMPBELL Leader staff writer The Cabot Christmas Alliance, once able to hand out two weeks worth of food to hundreds of needy families, is scraping the bottom of the barrel to provide just one holiday meal. Colleen Caldwell of the Cabot Community Coalition told the 11 members who attended the new coalition’s meeting on Wednesday to spread the […]

By RICK KRON Leader staff writer Jacksonville doesn’t quite have an art center yet, but it does have an arts council and a family fundraising event already on the calendar. The city is trying to work out a lease agreement with the Pulaski County Special School District for the closed Jacksonville Elementary School off Main Street with plans to use […]

By JASON KING Leader sportswriter Don’t tell Carlisle senior lineman Ryleigh Cunningham his generation is lazy. He can prove that theory false in one workout. And should the Bison hoist the 2A state championship trophy tonight at the conclusion of the championship game against Strong, Cunningham’s hand on the trophy will be a well deserved placement. Cunningham, a starting left […]

By GRAHAM POWELL Special to The Leader The Jacksonville Red Devils showed dominance in the paint through all four quarters as they out-rebounded Bentonville 30-13, winning its first game of the John Stanton Wampus Cat Invitational on Thursday night at Conway High School. All five starters for Jacksonville looked impressive on both sides of the court, but other role players […]

By CHAD MATCHETT Special to The Leader The Cabot Panthers and Lady Panthers didn’t take the floor in the Cabot Pre-Holiday Tournament for three days after opening the event on Monday, but there has still been plenty of good basketball at the new Panther Arena. With three defending state champions in the tournament along with some playoff regulars and contenders, […]