State News

COVID-19 hospitalizations setting new records in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK — Hospitalizations set records over the weekend as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spread across the state.

On Monday, the state Department of Health reported 786 new hospitalizations, up from Sunday’s one-day record high of 741 hospitalizations. Saturday the state saw 722 hospitalizations reported.

Monday there were 945 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the state and a total of 12,488 active cases. That was down from the weekend, with 1,038 new cases reported on Sunday and 1,598 new cases reported Saturday.

“With yet another day of over 1,000 new cases, we are likely headed for a difficult week,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday on Twitter. “Let’s all be safe and take action to protect each other.”

Of those new hospitalizations reported Monday, 116 were on ventilators, which was up 13 from Sunday.

There were 23 more deaths reported Monday – on top of the 29 deaths reported over the weekend – for a total of 2,108 COVID-19 deaths in the state.

There have been a total of 122,811 cases in the state so far, with 99,861 recoveries.

The Health Department reported Monday that the top counties for new cases are Pulaski, 128; Washington, 79; Independence, 75; Sebastian, 56; and Benton, 49.

“We continue to see a high level of hospitalizations across the state. This increase can affect everyone, even those who have not contracted COVID-19.

We all have a responsibility to our friends, family, and neighbors to do our part as we fight this virus,” Hutchinson said.

On Friday, Russellville School District Superintendent Mark Gotcher reported 12 active positive cases on campus, up 3 from the previous week. Of those cases, 8 were students and 4 were staff. There were 94 students quarantined last week (up from 51 the week before) and 18 staff members were in quarantine (up from 14 the previous week).

A total of 124 students and staff were out of school or work last week.

“Our total cumulative positive cases among staff and students are 126 out of 6,025 students and staff.

This is 2 percent of our district who have tested positive since the outbreak,” Gotcher stated in an email.

According to the ACHI (Arkansas Center for Health Improvement) data as of Nov. 2 there were 1,931 cumulative positive cases in the Russellville community (5 percent of community) with 133 new cases (compared to 168 the previous week).

“Today, the governor reported the state’s single highest number of positive cases just under 1,900,” Gotcher stated in his email on Friday. “While this brings great concern to me, I am pleased that our district and community numbers remain relatively low compared to other regions in our state.”

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and a cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

COVID-19 numbers are primarily on the rise in

Continued on Page 11 STATE NEWS (cont.)

Northwest Arkansas. Upto- date numbers in the River Valley as of Monday afternoon, according to the Department of Health website: • Conway County: 412 total cases, 56 active cases, 352 recovered, 4 deaths.

• Johnson County: 1,095 total cases, 50 active cases, 1,034 recovered, 11 deaths.

• Logan County: 653 total cases, 48 active cases, 600 recovered, 5 deaths.

• Newton County: 346 total cases, 29 active cases, 296 recovered, 21 deaths.

• Perry County: 181 total cases, 40 active cases, 139 recovered, 2 deaths.

• Pope County: 2,991 total cases, 201 active cases, 2,751 recovered, 39 deaths.

• Searcy County: 227 total cases, 17 active cases, 209 recovered, 1 deaths.

• Van Buren County: 246 total cases, 16 active cases, 227 recovered, 3 deaths.

• Yell County: 1,418 total cases, 62 active cases, 1,324 recovered, 32 deaths. ***

PINE BLUFF — Rex DeLoney is featured in the Arts and Science Center’s upcoming exhibition “Brothers by One: The Black Athlete and Social Justice.” This exhibition highlights the many ways that Black athletes used their celebrity status and media coverage to give attention to social justice issues; from boxer Muhammad Ali and his stance against the Vietnam War to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem as a statement against police brutality.

DeLoney has had solo exhibitions at venues including the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock. He is an art instructor and Fine Arts Department chairman at Central High School in Little Rock. He has a master of arts degree in education from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, and a bachelor of arts in commercial art from University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

“Brothers by One” will be on display through Jan. 2, 2021. The museum is located at 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff.

***

State Police make arrest in 16-year-old 2004 murder case

LITTLE ROCK — An Oregon man is behind bars in connection to his alleged involvement in the 2004 killing of Rebekah Christian Gould.

William Alama Miller, 44, is currently behind bars in the Lane County Jail in Eugene, Oregon, awaiting extradition to Arkansas.

Miller is charged with firstdegree murder in connection to Gould’s death.

Authorities said her body was discovered 16 years ago on a hillside off Highway 9, just south of Melbourne.

The 44-year-old murder suspect was arrested Saturday by a special agent with the Arkansas State Police after authorities learned he’d returned home “following an extended stay in the Philippines.”

Gould was reported missing by family in September 2004 a few days before her body was found off Highway 9. The 22-yearold woman’s body was recovered on Sept. 27, 2004, following a community- based search in Melbourne and across Izard County. After the woman’s body was recovered, Izard County law enforcement requested ASP take over the investigation. The ASP was asked “while the search was underway” to take over the Gould investigation.

Police said Miller lived in Texas when he visited Izard County and reportedly killed Gould.

“Special agents of the Criminal Investigation Division have devoted hundreds of hours to the case which was never classified as a cold case,” ASP officials said in a news release on Monday.

ASP Director Col. Bill Bryant said this case was never considered a cold case and that investigators have worked diligently to find Gould’s killer.

“The special agents assigned to this case never abandoned any hope of finding the necessary evidence and facts to lead them to a suspect and an arrest,” he said. “This case is a testament to the Criminal Investigation Division and the devotion the special agents assigned to the division possess in helping police and sheriff’s departments across Arkansas with their toughest cases.”