North Shore News

Picture of the Week

Coming Home by Mary Wingad

Trash Pickup

Trash pick up normally scheduled for Friday January 1, 2010 will be picked up Thursday, December 31.

FFB APL Meeting Location Change.

The APL (Animal Protection League) will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 10 a.m. now in the IRV Gallery, first floor. The public is invited to attend.

VFW Monthly Meal  Your VFW Ladies Auxiliary would like to invite you to our meal on Jan. 9 – Roasted Pork Loin – Mashed Potatoes & Gravy – SouthWest Corn with all the trimmings for $8.00 from 5 to 7 p.m.  The public is welcome and all meals are non-smoking.  Hope to see you at the V.

Fairfield Bay Chamber of Commerce Newcomers Welcome Committee

If you are a new resident, or you know a new resident in Fairfield Bay, please contact the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Wagon. One of our volunteers will be happy to visit and bring a sturdy Fairfield Bay bag full of goodies from local businesses. Please call Becky at 884-3972 or 884-3324 with names and phone numbers of new residents.

E-Mailing List

For any IHCC members and guests that are not on our weekly email list and would like to be, please forward your email address to ryan.clelland@ffbcommunityclub.com.  Thank You.

Arkansas – The Natural Energy State

You may have noticed lately that the state’s print and broadcast media have been crowded with ads encouraging you to support or oppose various energy issues and legislation, often in the name of cleaner and less expensive options. All along, we—in Arkansas—have had the answers under our very own feet.

If you live in southern, western or north central Arkansas, you know I’m referring to oil and natural gas. More importantly, no matter where you live in our state, you are a direct beneficiary of this vital economic sector.

The state’s oil and gas industry has a long and proven history in the Natural State, one that has recently become more prolific with the development of the Fayetteville Shale. The University of Arkansas’ Center for Business and Economic Research recently unveiled an analysis measuring (not projecting) the industry’s economic impact in our state (HYPERLINK “http://cber.uark.edu” \t “_blank”cber.uark.edu). Consider some of these key findings:

Almost one-third of the state’s counties have oil or natural gas production.

From 2004 to 2007, Arkansas’s per capita income increased 17%, while earnings in the oil and gas industry grew 92%.
In 2008, the average annual pay in Arkansas was $34,909, while the oil and gas industry’s annual payroll averaged $64,039.

From 2000 to July 2009, employment in the industry sector grew 78%—twice that of the second largest growth sector—while manufacturing declined 32%.

Collections for severance tax on natural gas in 2008 were $1.2 million and the first half of 2009 has generated $13.6 million. The vast majority of the severance tax on natural gas is distributed 70% to our state highways, 15% to our cities, and 15% to our counties.

From 2004 to 2008, overall taxable sales in Arkansas increased 5.3%; whereas, taxable sales increased 28.8% in the 10 oil-producing counties and 21.8% in the 13 gas-producing counties.

In 2008, on average, Arkansas produced more than $11 million of oil and natural gas each day.
Ranked 12th out of the 32 natural-gas-producing states and 17th out of 31 states in the production of crude oil, Arkansas is an energy state.

It has been estimated that the royalty income generated in the Fayetteville Shale alone last year equaled a payroll of 8,000 persons earning $17 per hour. That is significant and likely accounts in part for recent improvements in our state’s per-capita income ranking.

The producers, royalty owners and more than 500 establishments in Arkansas—who directly employ more than 9,000 persons—generate severance taxes, corporate and personal income taxes, sales taxes, fuel taxes, payroll taxes, and numerous other permits and fees. These taxes benefit every Arkansan by supporting education, providing health care services, paving roads and supporting public safety.

The oil and natural gas extracted from the ground right here at home in Arkansas is helping our nation move toward its goal of energy independence. And the more of it we use for transportation and electric power generation needs, the greater the benefits will be for every citizen of our state.

Ads can be persuasive, but be assured of the facts—Arkansas is blessed with the natural resources we need to fuel electric generation, transportation, industrial and residential needs. It is in everyone’s best interest to promote these resources over non-indigenous or foreign fuels. Increasing the domestic use of American oil and natural gas—harvested in Arkansas—benefits us all, right now. We can take pride that Arkansas is the Natural Energy State.

J. Kelly Robbins, Executive Vice President
Arkansas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association (AIPRO)
1401 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 440
Little Rock, AR 72201. HYPERLINK “mailto:krobbins@aipro.org” krobbins@aipro.org (501) 975-0565

City Council to Address findings for Agape Shelters Inc.

The Fairfield Bay City council will address the findings and recommendations of the Planning and Zoning commission regarding the “Special Use Permit” requested by David Linsey for a group care center at 103 Greenwood Rd, Fairfield Bay, during its scheduled City Council meeting on January 11, 2010. Agape Shelters Inc. is proposing to lease the facility at 103 Greenwood for an emergency foster care center, Interested parties are invited to attend.

P&Z Schedule Public Hearing

The Planning and Zoning commission will hold a public meeting on January 7, 2010 at 9 a.m. at the Bay Center conference room. This is to address a request by David Linsey for a “Special Use Permit” for a group care center at 103 Greenwood Rd, Fairfield Bay, AR. Ref: The Fairfield Bay Municipal Code – Title 14, Paragraph 14.04.19. All interested parties are invited to attend.

Parents Day

The Van Buren County TEA Coalition hosted a Parents Day Out on Saturday, December 19, 2009.  The event was designed to offer parents and caregivers a chance to get some last-minute Christmas preparations done while their children enjoy fun and games.  Children’s activities included character building lessons that prepare children to make healthy choices and remain drug and alcohol free.  TEA Coalition members Cora Gray and Cindy Miller organized the event and youth volunteers were CheyAnne Miller and Brooke Johnson.  For more information about the TEA Coalition contact Cindy Miller at 501-745-7004.

Stop Smoking

DISABILITIES
By Daniel J. Vance

“Stop Smoking”

Over the years, I have chatted over the telephone with Stanley Mignerey of Sardinia, Ohio, perhaps hundreds of times. He is my uncle. Not long ago, a Cincinnati heart specialist diagnosed him with congestive heart failure.

The National Institutes of Health defines congestive heart failure (also called “heart failure”) as a chronic, long-term condition in which the heart “can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body.” Though not a disability itself, congestive heart failure certainly can lead to a person having a number of different disabilities.

“Because of (congestive heart failure), I had water building up around my lungs and I was having a bad time breathing,” said 81-year-old Mignerey in a telephone interview. “Before seeing a doctor about it, I wasn’t even able to walk upstairs from the basement to the first floor.”

To shed excess water, he takes a daily diuretic, which greatly limits the work he can do around the house each morning. He can’t get much work done because of having to go to the bathroom several times an hour, he said. The excess water often causes swelling in his feet, ankles, and legs. Besides heart problems, Mignerey has “a really bad back.”

From ages 15-55, he was a three-pack-a-day smoker. When he was a drug store owner, he quit smoking one day after delivering medicine to a customer smoking cigarettes while hooked to an oxygen machine. He didn’t want to die gasping for breath like that man, said Mignerey. He credited his quitting smoking with keeping him alive and being in relatively good shape so many years.

“I’m coping really well,” he said of having congestive heart failure. “I don’t get too excited about anything anymore. I’m 81 and never thought I’d live to this age anyway. The good Lord has blessed me. I just take what he gives me, and am tickled to death I’m still alive.”

Besides managing his own heart challenges, Mignerey helps out his wife, who has diabetes and a mobility disability. Last January, in part, their granddaughter moved in also to help Joyce monitor her intake of medication and carbohydrates.
His advice: “Stop smoking,” he said. “Smoking doesn’t do you any good. If I were a three-pack-a-day smoker today, I’d have to quit buying food in order to afford it. Cigarettes are so expensive now.”

Contact danieljvance.com [Palmer Bus Service and Blue Valley Sod made this column possible.]

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Thank you Fairfield Bay and Surrounding Cities:

Delores Napier and Judy Ivie wish to extend our thanks to the communities and all our patrons of Sophisti-Cuts.
We are so blessed to live where we  see the true spirit of Christmas the whole year through.
We have a community of servants. Our community reaches out to one another. The wonderful volunteers sometimes go unnoticed. But because of thier love of service, many elderly can still have their independence. They have a sense of security knowing that someone cares and is going to check in on them daily.
We are so blessed to see how all the different denominations work together for the love of Christ.
So many wonderful people have prayed for our families and we have been blessed to pray for others.
Our hearts are full of gratitude for each act of kindness you have shown us in our work place.
We send thoughts of Peace and Good Will in this New Year 2010.

In the Love of Service
Delores Napier & Judy Ivie

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Today, December 15, 2009 I raked the grassy area around the #11 hole pond to rid the small amount of waste caused by ouir ducks and geese. We have a few visiting MAllards that flew in today and the pond is beautiful with the ducks enjoying it. The raking is necessary each week and I will continue to do so. But PLEASE put all food for the ducks on waters edge as this will help keep the ground area clean. The food for ducks can be cracked egg shells that are very small, corn, finely cut apples and small pieces of lettuce. Basically food that normally is thrown away. Bread, potatoe chips and cereral actually is junk food for ducks. Yes it is bad for their health but a small amount once in a while is okay. These ducks could live for about 20 years if cared for properly. They are here for all of our enjoyment. ust take a ride in your cart down to the large pond on #11 hole Indian Hills golf course and sit there for a while and enjoy the view. I sincerely hope this information will be benificial for the ducks and in keeping FFB as clean and attractive as possible.

Sincerely,
Richard Blume

Obituary: Mrs. Leona Schultz

Mrs. Leona Schultz, long-time resident of Fairfield Bay, AR, passed away at Indian Rock Village on Sunday morning, Dec. 27, 2009.  She was 93. Leona was the daughter of Fred and Minnie (Drewes) Moeller of Artesian, Iowa.  She married Wilbert Schultz on May 22, 1938.  Wilbert and Leona Schultz moved to Fairfield Bay in the early 1970’s.  They became charter members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Leona is survived by one nephew, Daniel Moeller ofManhatten Beach, CA.

Loving to sing, Leona sang in her church’s choir and in the Community Chorus for many years.  Leona’s church was her ‘family.’  She kept FaithLutheran Church neat and clean 18 years.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, at Faith Lutheran Church.  Rev. Allen Freudenburg conducted the service.  Leona will be buried next to her husband at Woodland Memorial Park.  Memorials may be designated to Faith Lutheran Church.  Arrangements are by Olmstead Funeral Home.

Obituary: Niels Christian Nielsen

Niels Christian Nielsen, age 89, of Fairfield Bay, Arkansas, passed away Saturday, December 26, 2009, at the Indian Rock Village.  Born in Ribe, Denmark, on October 24, 1920, he was the son of the late Marius and Elise Christiansen Nielsen.

Mr. Nielsen was a retired chemistry professor.  He was a veteran of World War II, having served in the United States Army.  Mr. Nielson was a resident of Fairfield Bay for twenty years where he was a member of the Lions Club and served as an EMT and librarian.  He was a member of the Fairfield Bay United Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara Nielsen of Fairfield Bay; two sons, Erik Nielsen of Alabama and Karl Nielsen of Virginia; one daughter, Lise Neave of Fairfield Bay; one sister, Edith Hansen of Florida; four grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Mr. Nielsen is also survived by other relatives and his many friends. A memorial service will be held at a later date.  Arrangements are by Olmstead Funeral Home.

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