NEWS 

Victims of the tornadoes and severe storms that struck Conway County on May 2nd and June 9th will soon have assistance available to them from the Catholic Charities of Arkansas, through the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. The CCA's case management teams provide assistance in the way of food, shelter, clothing, financial assistance, and other forms of assistance that help people in times of disaster. The CCA has set up two meetings at the Saint Joseph Parish Hall in Center Ridge for people needing help to meet with case managers and disaster assistance volunteers to begin the process of long term recovery. The first meeting will take place Thursday from 1:00-4:00 p.m. It is a preliminary fact finder of people in Conway County for the CCA to assess the needs of people affected by the May 2nd and June 9th storms. Valerie Tischler of the Van Buren County Office of Emergency Management and Mary Raymo of Catholic Charities will both be available to answer questions and assist in any way they can. The second meeting will take place Saturday, August 9th. That event will include a community cook-out and food distribution, and will involve representatives from various agencies who can provide assistance. For more information on the meetings, contact Theresa Paladino at 893-2887 or 354-2422...

Two school board positions in the East End School District will be up for grabs in the upcoming school election. Don Langston and Chad Frey will be in the running for the Position Three seat. Voters will have three candidates to choose from for the Position Five seat: James Reed, Kevin Jones, and Fred Nutt. There are no contested races in the Perryville School District as Mark Roland is the only candidate for the Position One seat. The annual school election will be held September 16th...

In preparation of the second annual Plumerville Veterans Parade to be held November 8th, the Plumerville Association of Conway County Veterans is set to host a fundraiser at the Plumerville City Park this weekend. The event is being called "Barbecue in the Park," and it will take place Saturday from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., and will feature BBQ dinners, entertainment, and craft vendors.  All the proceeds from the event will be used to benefit the veterans parade. The group has future plans to erect a monument to recognize Plumerville's veterans.  For more information on Saturday's "Barbecue in the Park" or the Plumerville Association of Conway County Veterans, call Roy McClure at 208-3467...

More than 400 4-H members from across the state will be in Fayetteville the next two days to take part in the State O'Rama competitions. Eleven Conway County 4-H members will be participating. Lacy Garis, Ashley Ross, and Essie Smith will be competing in Food Bowl. Garis will also compete in Clothing, while Ross will also compete in Health Talks. Phillip Hoelzeman will be competing in the Instrumental contest. Stephanie Yancey, Amanda Ham, Katie Alaback, and Amber Etheridge will all compete in Home Furnishings. In addition, Yancey also compete in Citizenship, Ham in Pet Care, and Etheridge in BB Gun Safety. Jenalyn Parrish will compete in the Vocal contest. Cody Shore will compete in Turkey Talk and Barbecue, and Ricky Myers will compete in Bicycle Safety. Perry County 4-H will have six youths competing. Whitney Wright, Shelby McGehee, Corey Ruff, and Candace Ruff will compete in the Livestock Skills Judging Team. In addition, McGehee will compete in Fashion Revue Purchased Casual Clothing and Wright will compete in Purchased Dressy Clothing. Cody Bunch will compete in Gun Safety, and Rachel Herman will compete in Instrumental Performing Arts. Also during the event Judy Martin from Conway County will be recognized as the State Alumnus of the Year...

SPORTS

The University of Central Arkansas Bears were picked second in one preseason football poll and fourth in the other when they were announced Tuesday at the 2008 Southland Conference Football Media Days. The Bears, who finished tied for second place a year ago in their first full season in the SLC, were second behind McNeese State in the poll by the league's sports information directors. In the coaches' poll, UCA was fourth behind McNeese State, Sam Houston State and Northwestern State. The Bears were ranked in the Top 25 in the nation in two preseason publications this summer. The Bears had seven players named to the preseason All-SLC teams, led by quarterback Nathan Brown from Russellville, last year's Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year...

Kyle Lohse cruised through the first six innings on Tuesday night, but faltered in the seventh and eighth in the Cardinals' 4-3 loss to the Brewers. Ryan Ludwick got Saint Louis going early with his 23rd homer, but the offense fell silent late. With the score tied at three in the ninth, Bill Hall hit a two-out homer off Kyle McClellan to give the Brewers the win and hand the Cardinals their second straight loss at Busch Stadium. The Cards and Brewers continue their series Wednesday night at 6:55 on ESPN AM 800...

The Springfield Cardinals rallied late to claim an 8-7 win over the Arkansas Travelers Tuesday night. The Travs and Cards will meet again Wednesday night at 7:10 in Springfield...