Yurachek cracks door on Hogs/A-State game

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

At the Little Rock Touchdown Club last month, University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek was asked about playing Arkansas State, and his answer was … not exactly what former Athletic Director Frank Broyles used to say.

Yurachek’s appearance came two days after the Razorbacks’ embarrassing home loss Saturday to lowly San Jose State, and of course that’s what people wanted to hear about. He said it was a “step backwards” for a program struggling to gain momentum, and he continues to support Coach Chad Morris.

At this point, what else can he say? He can’t fire the coach after 16 games, despite a 4-12 record. That would be another step backwards, and Morris would be owed $12.25 million under his contract’s buyout terms. He’d be owed $9.8 million if fired after next year and $7.35 million if fired the year after that.

So no matter how bad it gets, Morris isn’t going anywhere for a while, which is fine. He needs a chance to build his program. And besides, who would take his place?

During Monday’s Little Rock Touchdown Club appearance, media personality David Bazzel asked Yurachek about playing Arkansas State. Yurachek replied, “Obviously, a game versus Arkansas State in any sport will have some interest across this state, so whether it happens or not, I’m not going to make any guarantees one way or the other as I sit here today.” Continue reading →

What to do about teen vaping?

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

After decades of winning young people’s hearts and minds in the war against nicotine, all of a sudden we’re losing, so now what do we do about it?

Last month, the National Institutes of Health said teen use of vaping products, or e-cigarettes, has doubled in the past two years, according to a survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders. One in four seniors has vaped in the last month. While cigarettes are no longer cool, vaping apparently is.

The vaping industry says its products are a safer alternative to cigarettes and are even a smoking cessation tool, which is true for some.

However, many vape users are simply moving from cigarettes to vapes, which contain nicotine and other chemicals. We don’t know what vaping’s long-term consequences are. Meanwhile, hundreds of severe lung illnesses leading to six deaths have been reported nationwide, often as a result of people misusing the product. Nine Arkansas cases resulting in eight hospitalizations have been confirmed or are being investigated. At least four involved users inhaling THC, the compound in marijuana that makes people high. Continue reading →

Helping kids in crisis immerse into adulthood

By Steve Brawner
© 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Eric and Kara Gilmore’s lives changed when they watched Meagan ride off in a Greyhound bus the day after her 18th birthday. She was exiting the foster care system with one bag of clothes, one night’s worth of bipolar meds, and a one-way bus ticket to Fort Smith where some biological family members she hadn’t seen in a while lived.

“That was her transition into adulthood,” he said.

The Gilmores had met Meagan when they were house parents in a group home when she was 14. They’d separated and then reconnected shortly before she turned 18. Watching that bus drive off, they believed someone needed to do something. So the Gimores formed Immerse Arkansas in 2010.

For foster children removed from their homes but never adopted, the stage where they age out of the system can be perilous. After lacking a stable home life during childhood, they sometimes face the complexities of early adulthood alone. And then they can get into real trouble.

State programs do help. Foster children ages 14 and older are eligible for transitional youth services to help them plan their adult lives. Teens can stay in extended foster care until their 21st birthday. Funds are available for education, job training and basic necessities during those years.

But as with any government program serving a challenging population, there are gaps, which Immerse Arkansas can help fill. And since its founding, it has broadened its mission to serve all young people in crisis, not just foster kids, including victims of abuse and sex trafficking. Continue reading →

Why one ex-con is ‘proud of the man that I have become’

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Less than a year ago, Terrance Knowlton was in a Wrightsville prison for dealing drugs. Now, he says, “I’m proud of the man that I have become today.”

How did he get from there to here? Partly thanks to Shorter College.

Knowlton, 30, made bad choices in life and ended up selling drugs out of his house. While he was in prison, he met Stormie Cubb, a Shorter College staff member who works with inmates. The North Little Rock-based school is one of 67 institutions nationwide participating in the Second Chance Pell program, which offers government grants to educate prisoners. It teaches classes to 500 inmates in eight locations across Arkansas.

Knowlton enrolled in classes and made good grades. When he was released from prison 11 months ago, he was determined to continue his education.

“First day I came home, I went looking for Miss Stormie,” he said. “She said, ‘Mr. Knowlton, we’re happy to see you. You ready to get started? You ready to be successful? We’ll give you all the tools that you need.’ And she did that. She gave me that opportunity.”

Knowlton made that comment during a meeting Sept. 6 with Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., and representatives of Shorter College, Arkansas Baptist College and Philander Smith College. Continue reading →

Petrino returns with humble apology

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

I don’t know if Bobby Petrino’s first return to Arkansas since 2012 was the most important statewide story this week, but it definitely was one of the most interesting.

The former Arkansas Razorbacks head football coach appeared before 700 people at a sold-out-in-24-hours Little Rock Touchdown Club meeting Monday. The format was a Q and A with media personality and former Razorback David Bazzel.

It didn’t take long for Petrino to address the issue that was on everyone’s mind. After briefly sharing some football-related memories, he said, without being asked, “I wanted to be able to come here and apologize to everybody, the fans, the players, and truly tell you how sorry I am for the way it ended. I also wanted to come here and thank you for everything that the people in this room and the state did for me and my family.”

His voice choked up a little, but he held it together. The crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Petrino had not been back in the state since after he was fired April 11, 2012, by former University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long. Continue reading →