By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor The Lady Red Devils put one in the win column Tuesday night, taking a short trip and beating Mount St. Mary Academy 63-39 in Little Rock. Jacksonville, 1-3, came out trapping on defense and it troubled the Belles. The Lady Red Devils quickly jumped out to a 15-5 lead and continued to stretch the […]

By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor The Junction City Dragons intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to seal a 38-28 class 2A semifinal victory over Carlisle on Friday in El Dorado. The pick six came with 39 seconds remaining, and put an end to a comeback by the Bison after falling behind 30-14. Carlisle mounted […]

By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor The North Pulaski boys won their third-straight game on Wednesday, beating the Hot Springs Trojans 63-50 at the Conway Invitational and improving to 4-1 this season. The game went back-and-forth throughout the first half, which ended with the Falcons leading 31-27. North Pulaski then scored six points in the first minute of the third […]

By RAY  BENTON  Leader sports editor The clouds never broke and the rain never stopped pouring at War Memorial Stadium on Friday, a fitting setting for a class 7A championship game that turned into a battle to see which team would break first. It took an entire half for one team to flinch, and that team was Cabot. The Bentonville […]

My oldest grandson was born 15 years ago on Dec. 7. No one asked me then if I wanted to be a grandmother. If they had, I might have told them, “Not quite yet.” I was actually taken aback when the kids asked what version of grandmother I wanted for my new name. I didn’t like any in common use […]

By JOAN McCOY Leader staff writer The Ward City Council this week passed a $1.39 million general fund budget for 2014 and a $2.7 million budget for water and wastewater. General fund revenue is up slightly from 2013, when the council passed a $1.35 million budget. But the budget for water and wastewater is the same. The general fund budget […]

By SARAH CAMPBELL Leader staff writer The Lonoke City Council discussed raising water and sewer rates during its meeting this week, after members received the preliminary 2014 budget. Alderman Koy Butler said the city’s rates are lower than those of several nearby cities. Lonoke has a minimum charge of $11 for 1,000 gallons of water. A residential rate comparison showed […]

By SARAH CAMPBELL Leader staff writer The Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday received a proposed balanced budget for 2014 that is about the same as 2013 and includes $40,000 in revenue from an increase in the sales tax on alcoholic beverages and more than $157,000 in cuts to employee benefits. Finance director Cheryl Erkel said she would bring the $22 […]