I can't help feeling twinges of compassion for Kevin Lea. He's the former coach for Cedarville High School's football team who found himself charged with a bevy of misdemeanors following a screaming, shoving brouhaha during an Oct. 16 game with Elkins.
Lea, who was replaced for the remainder of the season by an assistant coach, formally resigned earlier this month. Can't say as I blame him after what likely has become the most publicly humiliating experience of his life and career.
As the son of State Auditor Andrea Lea, Kevin was living on the borderline of a public figure's life, considering it's impossible to write about his questionable actions (much like the governor's son) without mentioning his mother's elected leadership role in public life.
This sad story just goes to show all of the havoc a few minutes of lapsed composure can wreak in our life.
In Lea's case, after allegedly engaging profanely and otherwise with local police and the Elkins coach, as authorities contend, he found himself charged with inciting a riot, second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, failure to disperse, obstructing government operations and two counts of harassment. Lea was freed on an $8,800 bond.
I'll not rehash all the unpleasant details of events as reported by ace reporter Bill Bowden, but they led to the coach's arrest and charges. I'll just say the alleged game-ending activities on the field reflected poorly on the former coach and health teacher. And they set a terrible example for the young men on his team.
Lea's trial is set for district court in Elkins on March 1. We'll learn then whether he's found guilty or innocent of these charges. Beyond that, hopefully Lea can put these past tumultuous months behind him and start anew as a wiser and calmer man with a brighter future.
Expediting War Eagle
Powers that be in Benton County are moving to hopefully cut the expected wait time nearly in half for design work on the historic War Eagle Bridge. Good move, even though that's likely to run the cost to the county from about $77,000 to $90,000.
The quorum court's transportation committee recommended asking Great River Engineering of Springfield, Mo., to complete the design phase in seven months rather than a year, according to a story by reporter Tom Sissom.
County Judge Bob "Git-Er-Done" Clinard concedes the spring crafts fair each May that draws tens of thousands to War Eagle is a factor in moving as quickly as possible to accommodate the 2017 event. Clinard said engineers at Great River say they can increase the pace without sacrificing quality. The design work would take about seven months and the construction is estimated to take another seven or eight months. The proposal now heads for discussion by the Finance Committee and could be approved by the quorum court next month.
"If we get it in seven months, that's September," Clinard told Sissom. "I think we can get most or all of it done before their event in May."
Another decision involves how much weight the restored bridge could safely bear. One choice increases the limit from the current three tons to between seven and eight tons at a cost of about $712,000. The second, at a projected cost of some $870,000, would raise the limit to 10 tons. Choice three is estimated to run just over a million dollars while raising the weight limit to 15 tons. All three options would be put out for bid, the news account said.
Clinard said the county has been approved for a $500,000 grant to help offset costs.
Knowing Clinard's basic philosophy the way I do and the way he managed his own private construction company before becoming a public servant, I believe he'll effectively whittle the price of whatever the choice might be as low as it can go. Some $640,000 was spent in a 2010 attempt to bring the 1907 bridge over War Eagle Creek up to safe standards.
As many from Northwest Arkansas and across our state know (and I've previously written), the War Eagle bridge is one of a kind in charm and the history of Benton County, and should be restored, preserved and utilized.
Seen 13 Hours?
Haven't seen the film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi yet? I can't recommend it strongly enough. Based on a book by five men who were there during that Sept. 11, 2012, night in Benghazi, Libya, when U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and others were murdered by Islamic radicals who stormed and overtook our diplomatic post and a nearby CIA annex, this movie finally shows all Americans how much the lives of four who died actually did matter.
It also helps clarify what actually happened through the eyes of those who survived rather than grossly politicized (and typical) afterspin. Those who told the story insist the film is accurate. I'm one who believes the survivors over any self-serving spin.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 01/31/2016