Washington news in brief

Clarksville band tours, plays in D.C.

Members of the Clarksville High School band traveled to the nation’s capital last week, taking their instruments and stacks of patriotic sheet music with them.

The 60 young musicians provided a free mini-concert in front of the nation’s World War II memorial Thursday morning, playing the national anthem, “Veterans’ Salute,” “America the Beautiful” and “The Washington Post March.”

Thirteen chaperones from Johnson County and curious tourists from around the country enjoyed the performance on a drizzly, unseasonably cool spring day.

The band members visited the National Air and Space Museum and stopped at the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are permanently on display. The students walked past the White House and toured the U.S. Capitol too.

Band director Ralph Brody, who helped raise the money, teach the music and arrange the trip, was unable to make the trip because of a last-minute ailment.

“He worked all year for this,” said chaperone Steve Morgan.

“This was his dream,” added another parent, Susan Eichenberger.

They’ve posted pictures online at facebook.com/clarksvillepantherbands/ so that Brody and the rest of the folks back home get a glimpse of their adventures.

Arkansas teacher gets Obama praise

Meghan Ables, the 2016 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, was feted at the White House last week.

President Barack Obama welcomed Ables and the other teachers of the year from all across the country Tuesday.

During a speech in the East Room, the president teased the educators about missing school. “We got a lot of folks playing hooky today,” he said, joking that it would be “a pretty good day for substitute teachers.”

The ceremony coincided with National Teacher Appreciation Day.

Addressing the crowd, Obama stressed the importance of their vocation. “This is a profession where you have the potential to make more of a difference than just about anything you can go into,” he said.

Ables, who teaches English and journalism at Stuttgart High School, took photos and posted updates on her Facebook page. “Just a glimpse into this amazing, unforgettable day,” she wrote.

While in Washington, she also visited the Smithsonian Institution and was a guest of the Bidens at the vice president’s residence.

Ables is a 2002 graduate of Arkansas State University.

41 students to get education awards

Second District U.S. Rep. French Hill has launched an “educational achievement award” that will be given annually to central Arkansas juniors and seniors.

High schools select the individual winners. The Republican from Little Rock recommended that each recipient have a grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, a record of community service, and “demonstrated leadership and teamwork.”

Hill, who was elected to Congress in 2014, announced last week that 41 students from 23 high schools are receiving the honor. He visited several of the schools, making stops at Harmony Grove, Benton, White County Central, Vilonia and Greenbrier highs, as well as Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock.

Crawford speaks at agriculture forum

First District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford was a luncheon speaker at Friday’s Silicon Valley Agriculture Technology Conference in Mountain View, Calif.

The third annual conference, which was held at the Computer History Museum, featured sessions on topics such as soil health, sustainable protein and vertical food/urban farming.

Google has its corporate headquarters in Mountain View. The city is less than 10 miles from Cupertino, home of Apple Inc., and just down the road from Stanford University.

Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro, has a degree in agriculture business and economics, is a former agriculture journalist and sits on the House Agriculture Committee.

He represents the top rice-producing congressional district in the nation.

Chief justice given Traveler certificate

U.S. Sen. John Boozman welcomed U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to Northwest Arkansas last week and gave him a framed Arkansas Traveler certificate. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first dignitary to receive one of the certificates, Boozman said.

On Friday, Boozman gave the commencement address at his alma mater, the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. The Republican from Rogers graduated from the school with a doctor of optometry degree in 1977.

Boozman and his late brother, Fay Boozman, founded the Boozman Hof Eye Clinic. John Boozman worked as an optometrist before he was elected to Congress.

Cotton recognizes Prayer Day in D.C.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton issued a statement marking National Prayer Day last week.

“It is no small thing that we live in a nation where all are free to pray and worship as we please and to share our faith with others, and we are protected against persecution by the founding documents of our country,” the Republican from Dardanelle wrote. He encouraged Americans to “give thanks to God for the grace he has bestowed upon us. And let us also remember those Christians and other religious minorities around the world who are persecuted for their faith. May they find comfort in His hands.”

Thursday was the 65th annual prayer day observance. A religious service, broadcast live on GOD TV, was held in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

The Rev. Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, traveled to Washington and participated in the observances.

2 reveal winners in art competition

Third District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack and 4th District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman have announced the winners of the 2016 Congressional Art competition.

Samantha Smith of Siloam Springs High School won top honors in Womack’s district. Her artwork, titled Cheeks, will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol complex for the next year.

Womack, a Republican from Rogers, said his office received 76 entries from a dozen schools. An artist, a university art educator and an art museum officials picked the top entries.

In Westerman’s district, Maurice Bradford of Hot Springs’ Lakeside High School was the winner. His piece, titled Discovery, beat out 104 other entries. Bradford’s piece will also be part of the yearlong display.

Planning to visit the nation’s capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Democrat-Gazette’s Washington bureau? It’s available on Twitter @LockwoodFrank.