Lt. Kevin Russell, School Resouce Officers Quinton Jackson, Joey Bedsole, and Bobby Shell, along with Police Chief Kirk Lane pose with Superintendent Jeff Collum for pictures at Thursday night’s school board meeting
BENTON - The Benton School Board has made official the hiring of a new school resource officer for the 2014-2015 year. Officer Bobby Shell will come off the streets and enter the hallways of the various Benton School District campuses. Shell is a longtime veteran of the Benton Police Department and has been active in the community during his time as an officer.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.” Shell told Saline247.Com after the meeting. “I’m really excited about this opportunity and had hoped something like this would become available”
Shell comes on the heels of the Benton School District, it’s administrators, and resource officers undergoing extensive training from several national organizations over the summer. Superintendent Jeff Collum addressed the Golden K Kiwanis Club in Benton on Wednesday, noting that the hiring of Shell comes as the district has made substantial investments in upgrading student safety.
“You’ll notice changes at all of our campuses.” Collum said. “We want our schools to be welcoming and inviting, but we are sending the message that if you’re a bad guy, there are going to be extra levels of deterrents before you have access to our kids.”
Each of the campuses have made investments in the structural layout of the buildings to accommodate the new safety upgrades.
The board recommended to hold off on granting exclusive broadcast rights for Panther Sports in 2014.
Board members reviewed proposals from Saline247.Com and KEWI Radio on the broadcasts of Panther sporting events for the coming year.
Saline247.Com offered a proposal that would provide webcasts of football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, and also junior high sports, plus a revenue share with existing athletic support organizations. As announced last week, Grant Merrill will return for play-by-play duties, while Jim Gardner, Toney Stowers, and Judge Bobby McCallister will be round out the broadcast team this year. The broadcast crew was the winner of the Sully Award for best play-by-play call in the state from the Little Rock Touchdown Club in January.
Senator Jeremy Hutchinson
Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, a partner in KEWI’s new ownership said the station’s board of directors had authorized a $5,000 payment to the district for exclusivity that would make the radio station the exclusive broadcaster on both radio and internet for Panther Sports. The station’s comprehensive proposal also included video streaming and coverage of all sports, and the Senator announced that former radio talk show host Andy Hodges would be behind the microphone for play-by-play duties on radio. Hutchinson also noted that the station at 690 AM would be changing it’s call letters to KWPS to accommodate a partnership with the group’s other “ESPN WPS” branded stations in Arkadelphia and Hot Springs, and to salute the “Woo Pig Sooie” branding for Razorback sports.
Board Member Jeff Morrow recommended that broadcast rights be given to both parties for one year before any exclusive contract was granted. His recommendation was unanimously backed by the board.
Merrill was the majority stockholder in the current corporation that owns KEWI and sold all of his interest in the station in February. In a transaction that is pending FCC approval, the new ownership group of the radio station includes Hutchinson, and businessmen Michael Wilkins and Ken Henderson, both of Russellville. Merrill retained sole ownership of Saline247.Com and has since added sister website properties in Northwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.