Baxter Bulletin from Mountain Home, Arkansas • 2

Press 23 2A THE BAXTER BULLETIN, Mountain Home, Ark. Saturday, January 5, 2002 DHS announces new budget cuts LITTLE ROCK (AP) A state agency announced new budget cuts Friday, more than two weeks after a judge ruled that it could not move forward with planned cuts to services for developmentally delayed children. U.S. District Judge Bill Wilson ruled on a lawsuit in midDecember that the day treatment and therapy programs are federally required. The state has appealed his ruling to the 8th U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals. In the meantime, the state Department of Human Services announced other cuts to make its $2 billion budget balance for the fiscal year that ends June 30. The department said that, as of April 1, it will eliminate an optional Medicaid program that serves children with serious, long-term medical problems who do not qualify for Medicaid because their family incomes are too high. The program serves 3,000 children annually at a cost of $30 million. DHS said eliminating this service should save the state $8.2 million per year.

Spokesman Joe Quinn said the department had limited options for making cuts. "There are dozens of Medicaid-funded programs that we have no choice on," he said. "The flexibility to manage our state budget comes on the optional programs." Amy Rossi, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said the group was disappointed in the decision but understands DHS is in a bind. "I don't know that they had any other choice," she said. The state is working toward federal approval of a Medicaid waiver to allow Medicaid coverage for families that share some of the program cost and are under a to-be-determined income limit.

It hopes to have a revised program in place by July 1. The waiver application would probably have income eligibility levels higher than current levels of ARKids First, the state insurance program for poor children. ARKids First has an income threshold of 200 percent of the poverty level, or $35,000 for a family of four. "Now we've swapped the group of children we're going to have to cut," Rossi said. "These are children who come from families who need the extra assistance to pay for large medical costs." The department wanted to cut services for developmentally delayed children as part of $50 million i in agency cuts needed due to a state budget shortfall of $142 million.

The cut would have saved up to $5.7 million. Rossi said the budget crisis is the type of situation for which the $100 million trust fund was established with tobacco settlement money. "This is a time that we have to look at that savings," she said. Reallocating proceeds from the tobacco settlement, now would require two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Legislature in a special session. Huckabee has said it would be unwise to call the Legislature into special session without a clear consensus from the people, and only the governor can call one.

Voters approved a blueprint for tobacco spending in November 2000. "The governor still believes that that's the will of the people," spokesman Jim Harris said Friday. If the state wins its appeal, the department will evaluate what to do about programs, Quinn said. DHS officials said during the trial over the lawsuit that the services for developmentally delayed children were not federally required and not available in 50 of 75 counties in Arkansas or in any other state. Officer shot, killed by 3-year-old son NASHVILLE, Tenn.

(AP) A rookie police officer was shot to death in front of his pregnant wife by his 3-year-old son, who picked up the service weapon his father had just placed on the kitchen table. Joshua Haffner, 22, was pronounced dead early Friday after several hours of surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The shooting occurred in the bedroom community of Smyrna late Thursday, shortly after Haffner had gotten home from his shift at Nashville's South Sector Precinct. "He was taking off his duty equipment and laid his gun on the kitchen table. Apparently while he had his back turned and was talking to his wife, their 3- year-old picked the gun up and shot him," said Smyrna police Sgt.

Ken Hampton. Haffner was shot once in the upper back with the Glock caliber semiautomatic pistol, Hampton said. Neighbor Carrie Deatcher rushed next door to comfort Amy Haffner after looking out her window to see an ambulance OBITUARIES Velma Lee Waggoner, 85 and Haffner being carried out of his home on a gurney. "I just kept telling her to calm down, to think about the baby. You could tell she was in shock.

She would be bawling one second and then calm the next," Deatcher said. She said the little boy, Jacob, had been curious about his father's gun, but Haffner had told him it was dangerous and he could only look, not touch. She said the boy had some idea of what he had done. "Amy's sister was holding him last night and he said, 'I shot my daddy." Amy Haffner, who is eight months pregnant, and her son were staying with relatives Friday, police said. Haffner graduated from Nashville's police academy Nov.

1 and was in the midst of his field training. "This is something he always talked about, being a police officer," said Hampton, who had known Haffner for several years. Don Aaron, Nashville police spokesman, said officers-intraining take a home firearms safety course when they get their Velma Lee Waggoner, 85, died Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002, at Springdale. A funeral will be 10 a.m.

Monday at Roller Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Baxter Memorial Gardens. The Rev. Roy Cain of Russellville will officiate. She was born Dec. 1, 1916, in Dixon, to A.H.

and Ella Sue Hicks Best and married Bill Waggoner in 1954 in Mountain Home. She was a homemaker and member of Church of God in Russellville. Her survivors include two sons, Bill McClellan and his wife, Lou, of Springdale and Bob McClellan and his wife, Patricia, of Sandusky, Ohio; two daughters, Debbie Stites Waggoner and her husband, Terry, of London and Imogene Morts of Kansas City, a brother, John Best and his wife, Gladys, of Benton; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and three sisters. Arrangements are by Roller Funeral Home.

Joseph B. Wallrab, 72 A memorial service for Joseph B. Wallrab, 72 of Bull Shoals will be later. Mr. Wallrab died Friday, Jan.

4, 2002. Local survivors include his wife, Dolores Wallrab. Arrangements are by Kirby-Boaz Funeral Directors. G. Max Skinner, 91 G.

Max Skinner, 91, of Lakeview died Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002. A reception will be 1-4 p.m. today at the family home, 153 Lone Tree Drive, Lakeview. Local survivors include his wife, Lorraine Skinner.

Arrangements are by Roller Funeral Home. Kenneth R. 'Jack' Dearmore, 80 YELLVILLE A funeral for Kenneth R. "Jack" Dearmore, 80, of Yellville will be 10 a.m. today at Burns Funeral Home.

Mr. Dearmore died Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002. Local survivors include his wife, Mary Hester Dearmore; his sons, Bill Dearmore, David Dearmore and Mike Dearmore; and his daughter, Annette Dearmore. Beulah Lodema Wintersteen, 90 YELLVILLE A funeral for Beulah Lodema Wintersteen, 90, of Flippin will be 2 p.m.

today at Lighthouse Assembly of God Church in Flippin. Mrs. Wintersteen died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2002. Arrangements are by Burns Funeral Home Inc.

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5. -10s -09 Os 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Bands separate high temperature zones for the day. FRONTS: 2002 AccuWeather, Inc. COLD WARM STATIONARY High Low Showers Rain T-storms Flurries Snow Ice Sunny Pt. Cloudy Cloudy Pressure: 0 Associated NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS Weather TODAY Gradually warmer with precipitation becoming all rain.

Highs in the mid 30s. South wind around 10 east. The chance of precipitation is 90 percent. TONIGHT Cloudy with a chance of rain. Rain becoming mixed with or changing to snow before ending.

Lows near 30. Northeast wind 10 to 15 Becoming north. The chance of precipitation is 40 percent. SUNDAY Mostly cloudy and breezy with a chance of afternoon snow flurries. Highs in the upper 30s.

SUNDAY NIGHT. Partly cloudy and colder. Lows in the mid 20s. LOCAL Weather weapons. He said the shooting was a tragic accident that happened in a split second.

"This officer had Joshua Haffner just gotten home. He Joshua Haffner was getting settled, and in the process took the pistol out of the holster and put it on the table. He did not leave the gun unattended; there were two adults in the kitchen," Aaron said. Hampton added: "It's not like he had come in and been there a long period of time. He still had part of his uniform on." Lt.

Mike Hagar, operations and academics commander at the Nashville police academy, said the home safety class includes "general principles on the storage and security" of weapons, as well as "what you should teach family members." Family members also are invited to take a firearms safety course, but he did not know if the Haffners had done so. Some police departments have written requirements for officers to remove ammunition from their firearms when they get home and store it separately from the weapons. Others have verbal standard operating procedures, said Kim Bossey of the International Association Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. Hagar called Haffner an excellent recruit because of "his attitude, his personality, his excellent sense of humor, his work ethic." "We've lost a part of our family," Hagar said. Carol Minks, who manages the Village Lake Townhomes where the Haffners live, said the couple had recently won a $250 prize for having the best Christmas decorations on their patio.

Within view was Haffner's white Ford pickup truck, decorated with National Rifle Association and Fraternal Order of Police stickers and an American Flag in the back window. His wife's car has front license plate that reads "Josh and Amy," with two intertwined red hearts. Trial delayed again BERRYVILLE (AP) A circuit judge has again delayed the trial of a man charged with killing an elderly woman and directed the state to share with defense lawyers evidence it has uncovered. Judge Alan Epley pushed back Ronald Eugene Garner's trial date beyond Jan. 14 after discovering that evidence held by the sheriff's office and state police had not been turned over as required.

The failure was discovered Dec. 20, Epley said. Garner and two others were charged in the beating death two years ago of Green Forest widow Grace Vowell. The judge delayed the trial until Feb. 25, SO Garner's lawyer would have time to investigate the newly turnedup evidence.

The judge also said if any law enforcement evidence is not turned over to Garner's lawyer by Jan. 14, it can't be presented to the jury. Energy-Saving Vinyl Replacement Windows Call us today! Free In Home Estimates WEATHER 3598 Since 1979 Hwy. 5 N. WISE Mountain Home Window Room 8 425-5533 Carmike Cinemas Village 5 425-9797 Lord Of The Rings PG-13) Elijah Wood Friday 7:10 10:40 Saturday 12:00 3:45 7:10 10:40 Sun.

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-Thurs. 7:15 Not Another Teen Movie (R) Jaime Pressly Fri. -Thurs. 9:15 GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE DTS SOUND Jan. 4 Lake levels Maximum .38 Bull Shoals .653.52 Minimum .14 Lake Norfork .548.92 Precipitation .0.00 Area lake levels for yesterday are providLocal report provided by Cox ed by the Mountain Home office of the U.S.

Communications. Army Corps of Engineers. WEATHER Elsewhere Temperatures indicate Friday's overnight low to 8 p.m. Eastern Hi Lo Albany, N. Y.

32 17 Albuquerque 45 29 Amarillo 46 28 Anchorage 30 28 Asheville 43 21 Atlanta 43 21. Atlantic City. 41 21 Austin 52 19 Baltimote 39 26 Birthingham 16. Boise' 30 26 Buffalo 32 26 Burlington, Vt. .26 15 Casper 36 29 52 27 Charleston, W.

Va. 34 21. Charlotte N.C: 44 17 Cheyenne 34 27 Chicago 38 18 Cincinnati 36 12 Cleveland 33 17 43 .18 Columbus Ohio 36 14 31 11 Dallas-Ft Worth 51 24 Dayton 36 14 Des Moines 44 20 Detroit 38. 15 Duluth 27 12 El Paso 59 34 Evansville 39. 15 Fairbanks 10 5, Fargo 31 8 Flagstaff 38 21 Grand Rapids 30 14 Great Falls 42 28 39 18 Helena 41 28 Honolulu 80 66 Houston 53 Indianapolis 38 Jackson, Miss.

48 17 Jacksonville 50 27, Juneau 38 37. Kansas City 43 19 Key West 58 56 cdy high and Las Vegas 59 37 cdy Time. Little Rock 45 16 Pre Otik Los Angeles 65 50 cir cdy Louisville 39 19 cdy .01 cdy Memphis 43 18 cdy Midland-Odessa 46 33 coy sno Milwaukee 33 cdy cir Mpls-St Paul 30 19 cdy cdy Nashville 40 13 mm cir New Orleans 48 26 New York City 40 31 cdy cdy Norfolk, Va. 37 30 .02 cdy cdy North Platte 47 14 cir cdy Oklahoma City 43 23 cdy Omaha 39 17 cdy cdy Orlando 50 32 cdy Pendleton 41 32 cdy cdy Philadelphia 40 26 clr cir Phoenix 67 46 clr cir Pittsburgh 31 19 02 cir Portland, Maine 30 19 cdy cdy Portland, Ore. 47 38 cdy cdy Providence 36 18 clr cdy Raleigh-Durham 39 17 .02 cdy 01 clr Reno 45 27 cdy cdy Richmond 39 24 cdy coy Sacramento 52 42 cdy Salt Lake City 32 26 .13 cdy cdy San Antonio 50 25 cdy San Diego 64 56 cir edy San 83 73 cdy.

St Ste Marie 29 19 cdy cir. Seattle 43 cely. Shreveport 49 17 rn cdy Sioux Falls 40 19 cir cdy Spokane 33 30 cdy cdy Syracuse 34 19 .01 cdy sno Tampa-St Ptrsbg 51 36 cdy coy Topeka 44 23 cdy cdy Tucson 61 37 cir coy Tulsa 46 25 sno cir 41 27 cdy Wichita 43 .20 cdy sno Wilkes-Barre 33 23 cdy Wilmington, Del. 39 23 cir cdy National Temperature Extremes for Friday High 76 at Thermal Calif. cdy Low 10 below Zero At Buena Vista Velma Lee Assistant Attorney General Kent Holt, who is prosecuting the case, wants to try Garner, then Allen "Cecil" Hudson, then Damon Fuson.

Garner's lawyer, Mac Carder, was previously granted a delay in the case because an investigator was ill. Trials for the other two defendants have not been reset since Garner's latest trial date was set. Garner and Hudson's trials are to be at Eureka Springs because of pretrial publicity in the Berryville-Green Forest area. Vowell lived at Green Forest. Fuson has not asked for his trial to be moved out of Berryville.

Garner, 29, and Hudson, 26, are charged with beating Vowell, 93, on Dec. 10 and 11, 1999 and stealing $60. A fourth defendant, Sonny Weathereal, 21, will testify against the others under terms of a plea bargain. offer a dignified, cost effective alternative. We welcome your questions on how we can care for you or your loved Complete Traditional Funeral Service with 20 gauge steel casket Complete Cremation Service Starting a $695 BAXTER COUNTY FUNERAL HOME --ANDCREMATION SOCIETY 2982 Hwy.

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