By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A driver delivering a new school bus was killed on Interstate 40 Wednesday afternoon when the vehicle collided with another bus.
Wallace Grummer, 48, of Conway, was killed in the accident.
According to the Arkansas State Police, the wreck happened about 3:21 p.m. near the 226 mile marker, east of Wheatley. Both vehicles involved were eastbound.
Grummer was driving one of the buses. The other bus was driven by Raymond Sublett 63, of Greenbrier.
According to the ASP report, Sublett was slowing down because of a traffic backup, when it was rear-ended by the bus driven by Grummer. The Grummer vehicle left the interstate and stayed upright, coming to rest at a fence.
At first report, it wasn't known if there were children on the bus or not.
At the scene were the Arkansas Highway Patrol and State Police. Called in were ambulances from Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City and also from Brinkley, the Wheatley Police Department, the Palestine Police and Fire departments and a Medflight helicopter from Memphis.
Sublett was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City, where he was treated and released. Rescue workers worked for some time to extricate Grummer from the wrecked bus.
According to a State Police dispatcher, weather conditions were clear and both men were using seat belts.
It was not known exactly what caused the traffic slowdown. However, there is construction in that area, although there was no construction at the actual wreck site.
Eastbound traffic came to a standstill for more than an hour.
It is not known to where the buses were being delivered.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Residents living out in the county who have more than one garbage container may find some of them missing, St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco said this week.
"We have a 1-cent sales tax which pays for one pickup a week of household garbage," said Cisco. "The problem is, some homes have more than one container. And the company, B&B Disposal, is now in the process of following their trucks to get any excessive containers that they are not being paid for. In other words, if there are two containers out there on the road, and there's only supposed to be one, and arrangements have not been made with them for that extra pickup, they are just picking up the whole container."
He said the reason is that the company is losing money.
"And also, we're trying to get it corrected that we're not paying for extra containers, from the county's end of it. We furnish one container per household and that's all," Cisco said, adding that according to the contract, residents wanting an extra cart can get one by paying an additional $4 a month.
This policy does not include businesses, only households.
"We're just trying to make people understand that when they go back out there after they rolled two out to the curb and there's only one left, it's because they have not made arrangements with the garbage company," Cisco said.
According to Cisco, it is hard to tell just how people are getting the extra carts. He said that sometimes people might move away and leave a cart which sits there for a long time, and someone will pick it up. Also, sometimes B&B may replace a damaged cart, but leave the old cart behind.
"The company is making pickups, and the company is the one you need to contact to make arrangements if you need more than one container," Cisco added.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
The date has been set for a road rally to be held in St. Francis County.
The event, sponsored by the St. Francis County Museum, will be conducted similar to a scavenger hunt. Participants will meet at the museum, receive clues about historic places in the county and drive to those places. Contestants will have cards to indicate they have reached the correct destination. The first team back to the museum will be the winner.
In other business, the board learned the museum will receive operational funds for February and March from the county. The facility is supported in part by county funds, but had not received that money for two months due to the county's financial problems.
Brenda Fort, a museum employee, also said they are still awaiting reimbursement for January for an overpayment on insurance.
Attorney Brad Beavers updated the board on the progress with the Delta Byways visitors center project funding. A Little Rock architectural firm had been selected by SFC Judge Carl Cisco. However, the firm backed out after they had reviewed the project. Beavers said a local architect could take over the project with approval from the Arkansas Highway Department. Bidding for the center could begin in June.
Museum Director Laura Mazzanti told the board the museum is planning to participate in the state's Heritage Month celebration in May.
The local theme will revolve around music in St. Francis County, according to Mazzanti, who added that she would like to have free entertainment on the museum's front porch each Saturday in May.
She also suggested having vintage instruments displayed and background music played in a room called the family parlor, now being used for the black artist exhibit.
Tickets for tonight's annual Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet are still available, according to Niki Jones, director of community relations with the Chamber.
Jones said tonight's event, themed, "2001-Focus on Forrest City," will premiere the Chamber's new website.
"We're not going to have a keynote speaker, as such, this year. Danny Ferguson, executive director of the Chamber, is going to deliver a power point presentation on the website and talk about some of the goals the Chamber hopes to achieve this year," Jones said.
Also tonight, outgoing board members and the outgoing president for the FCACC will be recognized for their contributions to the Chamber.
The event will be highlighted by an appearance from Miss Arkansas Sara Harris, who will perform during the banquet.
Tickets for the banquet are $15, and can be picked up at the Civic Center tonight prior to the event which begins at 6:30.
Officials with APAC Construction will close a portion of County Road 224 on Wednesday April 25, at 7 a.m. for work on the Forrest City bypass. The road will reopen Thursday morning at 7 a.m.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, next week's closing is one of two that will take place over the next two weeks to raise existing overpasses.
"They (APAC) contacted us to let us know that they were going to have to close a couple of roads to raise overpasses over the next couple of weeks. Each project is supposed to take 24 hours to complete. People that live down those roads have alternate ways of getting in and out so this shouldn't cause too many problems," said Cisco.
The Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute's board of directors will meet at 6 tonight on the school's campus in Forrest City.
The advisory board will meet at 5:30 p.m.