Top 10 stories of 2022
Part one: Stories six through 10
As 2022 comes to a close it is time to reflect on the top headlines of the past year. Siloam Springs saw the return of different events as well as new challenges in 2022. Some of those stories were exciting, poignant, serious, sad and even fun at times.
While compiling the list of top news stories, the Herald-Leader staff considered not only the community impact but also the amount of engagement and interest of the public the stories conveyed. Stories one through five will be published on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, and stories six through 10 are listed below.
6. Water treatment plant upgrade
City officials and executives from Burns & McDonnell gathered on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the water treatment plant to hold a ribbon cutting for the upgraded plant.
The water treatment plant upgrade began in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic and was completed on time and on budget, according to Jake White, the project manager from Burns & McDonnell.
City administrator Phillip Patterson thanked the public, who made the funding possible by approving the 5/8-cent sales tax in 2018; the board of directors for their support of the project; city staff who have maintained the water quality while managing a $30 million upgrade and Burns McDonnell.
“We are excited to be able to celebrate the completion of the water treatment plant upgrade,” Patterson said. “The project has been long overdue, with previous equipment being between 25 and 65 years old.”
White called the project a tremendous success for the city of Siloam Springs.
“Often the water treatment is overlooked as is a lot of infrastructure in towns and communities across the country,” White said.
Upgrades involved upgrading the water intake on the Illinois River; and new pumping chemical and SCADA systems, White said.
Burns & McDonnell also put in a redundant pipeline from the intake to the plant as well as updating the clarifier system and filters as well as the finished water clear well, White said.
The water treatment plant upgrade took two years to complete as well as an additional year of planning before starting the upgrade, White said.
7. Board votes to remove library book
The school board voted to remove a book about transgender teens from the high school library during a special school board meeting held Jan. 6.
The book, “Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin, talks about the experiences and lives of transgender teens.
Three parents learned the book was in the library at the high school and filed a formal complaint to have the book removed because of some parts the parents found inappropriate, according to Superintendent Jody Wiggins.
On Dec. 17, a committee of seven voting members convened to hear the complaints regarding the book, according to a report by the committee. The majority of the committee voted that the book meets the criteria and should remain in the library, the report states.
After the three parents received the news they decided to appeal to the school board, Wiggins said.
“Beyond Magenta” has been in the high school library since 2014 and has been checked out once in 2016, Wiggins said.
The school board acknowledged the book has some lessons to impart but was not sure it should be accessible to everyone.
Board member Misti Stephens asked if one of the complainants had a child who checked out the book. Wiggins responded with a “no.”
Grant Loyd, a board member and secretary for the board, said he went through the book and the questionable parts of the book and while it is something that he doesn’t necessarily “go with” Loyd said there is a place for it but not necessarily on the school’s library shelves.
He recommended the book be placed with a counselor who could use the book to help those experiencing these issues, he said.
“Let’s face it, these problems exist in our schools in Siloam Springs and they’re not caused by this book being on our library shelves for the last eight years,” Loyd said. “This book isn’t the cause of it but I still don’t feel like I can support having it on the shelf to be read. I think it needs to be in a controlled environment through a counselor to help someone.”
Stephens said there are lessons in the book.
“The whole thing is school is about getting different points of view, different perspectives so that the kids will think through some of the things they have concerns and issues with,” Stephens said. “We know there are kids dealing with these issues so I believe they should have access to it.”
What Stephens really liked is that the book shows the teens in question going through counseling and dealing with family and friends.
A final point made by board member Travis Jackson was if the book is removed, then it should be replaced by another book that is either by the author or similar viewpoint but does not use the same language as the book removed.
Following discussion by the school board, Stephens made a motion to keep the book which was seconded by board vicepresident Audra Farrell. The motion was disapproved by a vote of 3-2.
8. MVA in Watts, Okla
A two-vehicle accident occurred at approximately 5:51 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, on U.S. Hwy 59 at Bakery Feed Miller Road in Watts, Okla., which led to four individuals being pronounced dead at the scene and several others transported to multiple hospitals.
The first vehicle, which was a 2014 Ford 3500, was driven by a 34-year-old female from Westville, Okla., whose name was withheld by OHP pending identity confirmation and was pronounced dead at the scene, the release states.
Other passengers pronounced dead at the scene include two juveniles, ages 13 and 11, of Westville, Okla., and Larry Valentine, age 61, of Caney Hill, Ark., the release stated. Valentine was the driver of the second vehicle, a 1991 Dodge Ram, the release stated.
Asa Valentine, 25, of Lincoln, was a passenger in the second vehicle and was airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo., and was admitted in critical condition with head and trunk internal injuries, the release states.
Chad Murray, 37, of Westville, Okla., was airlifted to Washington Regional Hospital along with a juvenile, 14, also of Westville, Okla.
Murray was treated and released with head and internal injuries and the juvenile female was admitted in fair condition with head and trunk internal injuries, the release states.
The vehicle’s other passengers, juveniles ranging from ages 2 to 13 from Westville, Okla., were transported to hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale for multiple injuries, the release states.
The highway report says the weather was clear and the road was dry.
The Westville, Okla., School District posted the following message on its website following the accident: “Our Westville Community was hit with a tragedy today. A State Line Christian Academy van was involved in a head on collision in Watts this afternoon.
Counselors and clergy will be available tomorrow (Friday) at school.”
State Line Christian Academy is a faith-based organization in Westville, according to its Facebook page.
9. Siloam Springs wins community volunteer of the year award
Siloam Springs received the 2021 Volunteer Community of the Year award on March 27, during the Arkansas Municipal League banquet held at the Little Rock Statehouse Convention Center.
This year’s nomination and award focused on how the community supported food insecurities in the city, especially during the pandemic, according to a press release issued by Communications Manager/Public Information Officer Holland Hayden.
Hundreds of individuals came together to ensure that those needing food were able to access it in a free manner, the release states.
The awards are designed to recognize municipalities (rather than individual volunteers or nonprofits) that seek to address the municipality’s greatest needs through the engagement of citizens, the release states. They may include the Mayor’s Youth Councils, citizens committees, utilization of community-wide service initiatives, citizen advisory forums, etc., the release states.
Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year Awards are cosponsored by the Governor’s Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism (GACNSV) and the Arkansas Municipal League, the release states.
A panel of judges composed of distinguished citizens from across the state meets to review each nomination and select the award recipients, the release states.
Other cities honored this year include Fayetteville, North Little Rock, Osceola, Vilonia and West Memphis, the release states.
10. Board establishes utility commission
The city board adopted Ordinance 22-23 which established the Siloam Springs Utility Commission during the Sept. 6 city board meeting.
Members of the utility commission were approved during the Dec. 6 city board meeting. Under the ordinance each member will serve staggered terms for the initial set of terms. Following these initial terms each position will be for four years.
The first members and terms will be as follows:
• Jody Wiggins will serve a one
year term until Dec. 31, 2023.
• Bernadette Keck will serve
a two-year term until Dec. 31, 2024.
• David Neff will serve a two
year term until Dec. 31, 2024.
• Alyssa Weyl will serve a three
year term until Dec. 31, 2025.
• Humberto (Herbie) Garcia will serve a three-year term until Dec. 31, 2025.
There have been talks about the city establishing a utility board or commission for a few years but the idea took hold when the directors approved halting automatic annual rate increases during the city board meeting on Dec. 7, 2021.
During that meeting, city board members said they would be in favor of a utility board or commission.
City administrator Phillip Patterson told the directors at the April 5 city board meeting that he tasked Electric Department Director Phil Stokes, Finance Director Christina Petriches and Steve Gorszczyk, director of public works to research the possibilities.
The trio researched utility boards and commissions from four cities that provide the same number of utilities Siloam Springs does. Those utilities are electric, sanitation, sewer and water.
The cities studied were Bentonville, Clarksville and Hope in the state of Arkansas and Pryor in the state of Oklahoma.
The directors said they preferred having a utility commission instead of a utility board much like the city’s planning commission that served only in an advisory capacity.
After the ordinance was adopted a panel consisting of city directors David Allen,
Reid Carroll and Carol Smiley was formed to interview candidates for the new utility commission.
Initial meetings will begin in January of 2023 for the purpose of education, organization and training, according to a copy of the ordinance. Public meetings for the utility commission will begin in June of 2023, the ordinance states.
Meetings will be monthly with the time and place to be determined, the ordinance states.