By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Mayor Larry Bryant told the Forrest City City Council on Tuesday night that the mosquito spraying trucks would roll, "if I have to get out there and do it myself."
One alderman also suggested that better communications could have helped the city avoid some problems over spraying.
"I thought they were running," said Bryant. "They had some problems. I think J.C. (Rice, pest control officer) got them all ironed out."
Contacted this morning, Rice confirmed that the mosquito trucks did roll Tuesday night.
There had been some complaints, particularly from patrons at the municipal sports complex, about a lack of mosquito control. Bryant said on Tuesday morning that spraying was supposed to have begun already.
At Tuesday night's meeting, Bryant was asked why spraying was starting as late as it was. Bryant answered that spraying usually starts in early July.
"Since I've been mayor, we've started spraying around the first of July," Bryant said. He added that other parts of the mosquito program, such as cleaning out ditches and putting chemicals into ditch water, had begun in May.
"This is an extraordinary year," Bryant said. "They are flying airplanes (in some towns) and they're doing everything they can, and they're still having big-time mosquito problems. Our mosquitoes are nowhere near that. All you have to do is leave the confines of the City of Forrest City and you'll see what a mosquito problem really is."
He said that generally, he listened for complaints to begin before he started spraying.
"What we do, we listen to the folks at the sports complex. And when they start biting out there we start spraying. And they didn't start biting out there until about a week and a half ago," said Bryant.
Bryant was also asked why the trucks run only three nights a week. He said that is the way the city has done it in the past, and it works. In addition, he said the pesticide being used (Scourge) costs $300 a gallon.
Alderman A.L. Harris said that better communication between the city and employees might have prevented the misunderstanding over when spraying was supposed to begin, and whether it had begun.
Bryant said the problem would be worked out.
"There were some mental lapses somewhere that shouldn't have been," said Bryant. "I take full responsibility for that. I apologize if people have been bitten more than they think they should have been bitten. But the bottom line is, I take full responsibility...and if I have to go out there and do it myself it's going to get done tonight."
Bryant said instructions may be put in writing in the future.
On another matter, the mayor took two bids for sidewalk work under advisement. The work to be done includes a sidewalk and railing on Ark. Highway 334 (Linden Road), from Grobmyer Circle to Ark. Highway 1, and also on the west side of Highway 1 (Washington) north from Arkansas Street.
Precise Concrete Works of Memphis bid $147,840.15 for the sidewalks. ETC Construction Inc. of Little Rock bid $146,533. The city has grant money in the $120,000 range. Neither bid was accepted during the meeting, and the mayor will study them.
The council also held off on action on a resolution to approve a petition to annex some land. The areas in question are three subdivisions, known as Patillo 1 and 2 and Redfern. Some council members wanted to wait and see if the county gets a grant to extend sewer service to the subdivisions. The council members expressed concern over the city's ability to move services out to the subdivision. Bryant said there is a chance the city's fire rating might suffer if the fire department got stretched. He said that was another reason to build a fire substation on the western bypass currently under construction.
The council also heard first reading of an ordinance dealing with the problem of property where the grass is not cut. There was a case recently in Municipal Court in which the judge said the city's existing statute does not have a specific penalty. The proposed ordinance would establish fines of from $100 to $500.
During discussion the idea came up that rather than amending the existing law, the council might want to repeal it and start from scratch.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the Forrest City Public Library Board were updated this week on the status of an attempt to purchase land near the library to be used for parking.
Board member Brad Beavers told the group that closing on the property, located on the south side of the library on East Davis Street may come as early as next week.
"We can complete the purchase of the property across the street, which we agreed to buy for parking purposes. Once we complete the purchase, then we will have to begin the process of determining how we're going to proceed with what we're going to do with the property. We may want to consider adding fencing like the city did with the Civic Center, at least along the alley, and find out from the city whether the city did the work out there or if it was outside contractors or what because a fence like that is what we would be looking at," said Beavers.
In other business board members learned of an award received by the library from The Millennium Project for Public Libraries. According to FCPL Co-Director Dashaune Roberts, the award was given to only six libraries in the state of Arkansas. This award consists of 50 recently published volumes of The Library of America. Roberts also suggested that the books be listed as resource material.
The books are divided into several categories. Those categories include: African-American Writers, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Nature and Travel, Fiction and Essays, Twentieth Century Journalism, Poetry, Mystery and Crime and Religion and Spirituality.
At least 512 libraries throughout the United States were selected for the award. In addition to Forrest City, other libraries in Arkansas receiving the award include: Eureka Springs, Lake Village, Marshall, Springdale and Yellville. These libraries join 293 others that were awarded the volumes earlier this year.
St. Francis County had an unemployment of 8.2 percent in May, up from 7.6 percent in April, and also up from 8 percent in May of last year.
According to the figures, provided by the Arkansas Department of Employment Security, during May the county had a civilian labor force of 12,150, with 11,150 working and 1,000 not working. There were actually more people working in May than there were in April (11,125). However, the civilian labor force in May was 100 more than it was in April, making the unemployment percentage higher.
May's figures placed St. Francis County ninth in the percentage of unemployed, out of Arkansas' 75 counties.
The highest unemployment in the state was in Mississippi County, which had a rate of 12.6 percent. Drew County with 10.1 percent and Desha County with 10 percent were the only other counties with unemployment of 10 percent or higher.
Benton County, with 1.8 percent, had the lowest unemployment in May. Washington County was next at 2 percent. There were 10 counties with unemployment rates of 3 percent or lower.
The unemployment rates in surrounding counties were as follows: Cross, 6.5 percent; Crittenden, 5 percent; Lee, 7.5 percent; Phillips, 8.7 percent; Monroe, 5.6 percent; Woodruff, 6.5 percent.
Unemployment increased in 48 counties during May, and decreased in 19 counties. The other counties remained unchanged.
Statewide, the average unemployment was 4.6 percent, up from 4.5 percent, while the United States' unemployment rate was 4.4, down from 4.5 percent.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
County officials made the move to help zero the budget for the beginning of a new three-month budget plan last week by transferring $10,000 from the county trust fund into the county's general account.
At a recent meeting of the Quorum Court Budget Committee, justices decided to move the funds over to balance the budget so that county officials could begin the three months on an even level.
According to St. Francis County Treasurer Ann Harbin, the $10,000 will cover bills that needed to be paid in order for the budget to be zeroed.
"After everything was checked and the clerk's office saw what bills needed to be covered, and what money we had, we determined that it would be best if we only transferred $10,000. That amount should zero us out, but in actuality we will be a little above zero because we have an additional five or six thousand that we get from the county administration of justice each month which carries over after money has been paid to the state," Harbin said, adding, "So we're in good shape on paper for the new budget to begin."
Quorum Court justices passed an ordinance changing the budget process for the remainder of the year due to declining revenue in the county's general fund. The new budget plan calls for county offices to run on funds allocated for the next three months at which time justices will once again look over the general fund and determine what to do for the remaining three months of the year.
According to county officials, the general fund has taken hits this year because of lower income last year from taxes as well as turnback money that was paid and the unknown affects of the newly passed $300 homeowners tax credit.
The budget committee is scheduled to hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday at the courthouse.
The trial of a paroled Arkansas rapist charged with killing a woman in Missouri may be held outside Clay County or with a jury from elsewhere in the state.
Wayne Dumond, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the suffocation death of Parkville resident Carol Shields last Sept. 20. He had moved less than two months earlier from Arkansas to Smithville, about 10 miles from the scene of the homicide, after Missouri authorities agreed to supervise his parole.
Dumond has been held in the Clay County jail since his arrest June 22 on a parole violation. He was charged with killing Shields on Friday and has pleaded innocent.
Bruce Houdek, Dumond's lawyer, said Tuesday he would move to have the trial held outside Clay County because of publicity. The county is one of three that include parts of Kansas City, and the case has received wide coverage in the metropolitan area.
In the alternative, Houdek said he would seek to have a jury brought in from outside the area. Houdek discussed the possible change of venue after a closed, preliminary parole hearing Tuesday at the Clay County jail in Liberty.
Police also are investigating Dumond in the June 21 homicide of Sara Andrasek, 23, which police said was similar to Shields' death. No charges have been filed.
Dumond was paroled in 1999 from his Arkansas sentence of 39 years and six months for the 1984 rape of Ashley Stevens of Forrest City.
While awaiting trial in that case, he was castrated -- by masked men who broke into his home, he has said.
The parole hearing Tuesday was to decide whether there was probable cause to arrest Dumond for parole violation. Parole officials will issue their decision in a later report.
The parole issue is almost moot, however, because Dumond is being held without bond on the murder charge, said Tim Kniest, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Arkansas officials will decide whether Dumond will face a parole revocation hearing in Arkansas, where he could serve the rest of his rape sentence.
Houdek said that, during the hearing, a parole officer read the parole violation report and a Kansas City detective had agreed with it. Houdek said he objected because the report referred to evidence he had not had an opportunity to examine.
Meanwhile, Kansas City police Tuesday explained why it took about nine months for DNA tests to lead to a suspect in the Shields case.
Police spokesman Capt. Rick McLaughlin said investigators took scrapings from Shields' fingernails Sept. 21. Scientists at the Kansas City Police Department Regional Crime Lab worked about 85 hours beginning Oct. 5 to lift other physical evidence, including body fluids and more than 100 strands of hair, from items at the crime scene.
McLaughlin said it took about 224 hours to develop 28 usable DNA samples, which tests matched to persons who were not suspects. Scientists on May 21 found an unidentified DNA sample, which was sent on May 23 to the Missouri Highway Patrol lab.
The patrol ran the DNA through the FBI database, which matched it to Dumond's DNA on June 20, McLaughlin said. The match was confirmed by Arkansas investigators June 22.
Building permits were issued for projects valued at $343,210 during June, bringing the year-to-date total to just over $2.9 million.
Only a small part of the total June figure came from commercial projects. Cato-Lile Real Estate Management at 201 Deaderick will be doing $18,000 worth of renovations, and A-Meco at Cloverleaf Shopping Center will be doing a $13,460 remodeling.
The rest of the building permits were for residential projects, including one $250,000 new home. Other residential projects included one storage building, three fences, one repair project, four remodelings, two additions and one roof.
An after hours burglary at a St. Francis County bank netted a local thief less than $300 Tuesday.
According to a report filed with the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department, Fidelity National Bank in Hughes was burglarized when the perpetrator first attempted to enter the bank through a back entrance. According to the report, the robber attempted to saw through a locking lug using a hack saw and when that didn't work he tried using the hack saw to pry the lock from the cylinder.
After successfully using the blade on the lock, the individual pried open several money drawers where he found only rolled and loose change. According to the report, the individual fled the scene after the alarm sounded, dropping change, the hack saw blade and a money tray in the parking lot. According to the report $283.72 was missing from the drawers at the bank.