The story of a foster mom

This item came in yesterday and it strikes a positive cord with me. See what you think.

January 14, 2009

This is a matter that concerns the treatment of a mother and her two children by the State of Arkansas.  Please, for the sake of this family, do not delay in giving this your immediate attention.

In 2005 Miriam Ashley Moore became the foster mother of Cheyene when she was eleven months old.  Cheyene was the child of a cousin who had lost custody due to drug charges and child abuse.  In 2008, Ashley was granted permanent custody of Cheyene.

Two years later, foster care called Ashley and asked if she would please provide emergency foster care to Kaiden.  His mother was in prison.  She picked him up from the hospital when he was a day old.  They never moved him from her home.  After a year, his birth mother’s rights were severed.  Ashley has been anxiously and patiently waiting to adopt him since that time.  Ashley has never been in trouble with the law.  She is not cohabitating. She does not use drugs or alcohol.  She takes excellent care of her two children.  She is exactly what our foster system in asking for.

At 4:45 on a Monday, Ashley pulled into the courtyard of Cheyene’s daycare on a cold day and noticed that Kaiden was asleep, secured in his car seat in the backseat of her car.  She put the car in park, ran in the door of the center, and got her 4 year old. All in under 60 seconds.  While she was out of the car, a man jumped in and drove off with Kaiden inside.  The car was subsequently abandoned a few blocks away and found 90 minutes later with Kaiden unharmed.  How many parents have run in to pay for gas, returned the grocery cart, or dropped off the cleaning?  Isn’t having your child kidnapped enough of a consequence.  We have all learned from her mistake.

Ashley was charged with felony endangerment of a child and has never been allowed to see Kaiden again.  She has been told that she will most likely loose custody of both children. This is a ridiculous overreaction Laws are not black and white.  Unnecessarily removing children from a loving environment is abusive. These are the decisions that discourage good individuals from becoming foster parents and bring a deep sadness to us all.

As the adoptive mother of three children, I am outraged by this action.  No one, parent or child, genetic, fostered or adopted, should ever loose their family due to this type of incident.  It implies that those making decisions regarding our foster children have lost touch with common sense and compassion.   Who benefits from this type of action?  The children? The citizens of Arkansas?  The mother?

Please do your part to let the public know the whole story and help this family get reunited.

Lisa Hall
llrwhall@sbcglobal.net

Freezin’ Friday first headlines

My morning updates are on K-106.3 The Greatest Hits of All Time with John Lee and Spirit FM at 93.3 and 100.7. You can also hear my early morning headlines on Y-95 in Camden.

I occasionally add items of state and local interest on my Lynch at Large blog

https://lynchatlarge.wordpress.com/

My train blog is very popular, so check out Trains for America.

http://trains4america.wordpress.com/

The legislature will be recessed during the presidential inauguration next week. The vote was mostly along party lines. Republican Dan Greenberg spoke against it. The Senate adjourned a short work week and won’t return until Wednesday. The House is scheduled to meet today, then join the Senate in a longer than usual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

A western Arkansas lawmaker filed a bill Thursday to repeal a 1-cent bingo game card tax that has been the revenue source for a division within state government that monitors bingo operations statewide.

It is opening day at Oaklawn. Track announcer Terry Wallace has over 19,000 races under his belt.

The Marching Musical Machine of the MidSouth will perform at the presidential inauguration Jan. 20 after raising much of the money needed to make the trip.

Little Rock-based Bank of the Ozarks announced 2008 fiscal year net income of $34.47 million, up 8.6% over 2007 net income of $31.74 million. The company reported a loan loss provision of $19.02 million in 2008, up more than 209% over the provision of $6.15 million in 2007.

Simmons First National Corp. today announced fourth quarter 2008 earnings of $5.6 million, down from one year ago when earnings topped $6.1 million.

Home BancShares reported net income for the year ended December 31, 2008 of $10.1 million compared to $20.4 million for the year ended 2007.  For the fourth quarter of 2008, the net loss was $9.4 million compared to net income of $5.4 million for the same period in 2007.

The number of Arkansas properties facing foreclosure activity in 2008 was more than the number of properties in 2007 and 2006 combined.

A judge has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the fatal shooting of a shoplifting suspect in which two Morrilton police officers remain on leave

A former Miller County jail guard has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he admitted smuggling drugs and other contraband into the lockup last year.

The daughter and sister of a man who escaped from Cummins Prison in October were formally charged with aiding in his escape along with another family friend.

State authorities are investigating the use of fire grant funds in Twin Groves. Twin Groves City Clerk Amie Ealy said she contacted the Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit requesting an audit into the city’s financial practices.

20-year-old Brandon Johnson stands charged with three counts of capital murder in a series of robbery-slayings over the past month. Johnson was arrested after Little Rock discovered wallets containing identification of two men who were robbed early Tuesday. Both men died.

Maumelle police are investigating the first shooting in years.

Little Rock firefighters rescued a woman from a burning Pine Steet home Thursday night. They could not get in the front door, so they cut a hole int eh side of the house. The woman has third degree burns on much of her body.

North Little Rock Times reports The North Little Rock School Board hired Jim Smith to be the board’s attorney and he recommended that the board file a complaint for a declarative judgment against the TIF district as being procedurally deficient.

Curtis Vance, the Marianna man accused of fatally beating KATV anchor Anne Pressly, pleaded innocent in  Circuit Court.

U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder’s office has announced that the triplet sons of the congressman and his wife, Rev. Betsy Singleton, came home from the hospital Monday.

Blake Rutherford’ Think Tank blog reports that Hendrix political science professor and Democrat Jay Barth plans a run for the Arkansas Senate in District 34 in 2010. The seat is currently held by term-limited Sen. Tracy Steele.

Entergy Arkansas is awarding Maumelle $588 from the Entergy CitySmart Program for installing more efficient heating and air-conditioning systems at Maumelle City Hall.