SPORTS STORY >> CHS records fall at UALR

By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor Two school records fell as the Cabot girls’ swim team finished fourth in the class 7A/6A state championship meet Saturday at UALR. The Lady Panthers finished with 168 points, which was more than 300 fewer than state champion Bentonville, but the team had plenty to celebrate. Competing with a smaller team than some of […]

SPORTS STORY >> LHS hosts state for first time

By GRAHAM POWELL Leader sportswriter Lonoke High School is hosting this year’s class 4A state basketball tournament, and both the Jackrabbits and Lady Jackrabbits will play their first-round games tomorrow at the Gina Cox Center. The Jackrabbits (23-6), the East No. 3 seed, will play North No. 3 seed and defending state champion, Pottsville, at 2:30 p.m. and the Lady […]

SPORTS STORY >> Badgers, Devils set for tourney

By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor The Jacksonville and Beebe boys’ and girls’ basketball teams begin play this week in the class 5A state basketball tournament at Alma High School. Because of the bad winter weather on Sunday and subsequent and persistent sub-freezing temperatures, the entire tournament begins Thursday instead of the regularly-scheduled Tuesday start. That means Beebe’s tournament opener […]

SPORTS STORY >> Cabot girls run away from Lions

By RAY BENTON  Leader sports editor The Cabot Lady Panthers won’t be going to the playoffs this week, but they put a positive close on what they knew would be a rebuilding season. The Cabot ladies dominated the first half and fought off a second-half charge to beat the Searcy Lady Lions 56-40 Friday night at Panther Arena. Lakyn Crumbly, […]

SPORTS STORY >> Cabot boys improve as state nears

By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor The Cabot Panthers closed the regular season with a conference sweep of Searcy on Friday. The Panthers pulled off a 51-32 victory to secure a No. 3 seed in the class 7A state tournament that begins today in Conway. The boys’ win was a positive turn of events after what head coach Jerry Bridges […]

EDITORIAL >> Only took five votes

Ordinarily, it would not be necessary to praise a huge majority of lawmakers, Republican and Democrat, who acted out of compassion for fellow humans or just practical wisdom. What else, after all, do you expect of your representatives? But the House of Representatives’ approval yesterday of an appropriation to pay for medical services or long-term care for the poor, disabled […]

TOP STORY >> Beauty and the Beast

The Cabot High School Theater department invites the public to be their guest as they present the Broadway Disney musical “Beauty and the Beast.” Performances will be held at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the fine arts auditorium. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door or reserved through the box office […]

TOP STORY >> Ice storm hits hard, moves out

By SARAH CAMPBELL Leader staff writer Sunday was the start of a severe sleet, ice, snow winter storm in the area and National Severe Weather Week. The storm that evening brought lightning, thunder, rain, freezing rain, hail, sleet, ice, snow and cold, cold winds to the area. The mess caused officials to cancel school in Pulaski, Lonoke and White counties. […]

TOP STORY >> Private plan is approved in fifth vote

By JOHN HOFHEIMER Leader senior staff writer Gov. Mike Beebe’s signature is now all that stands between as many as 250,000 working-poor Arkansans and private-option health care insurance. With a single vote to spare, the state House of Representatives on Tuesday passed 76-24 the scaled back version of the private-option Medicaid expansion that prohibits advertising the health insurance for the […]