By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
After the city council ordered that a partially collapsed building be torn down, work began last week, then abruptly stopped.
The overriding reason is safety, according to Chester Crossen, Forrest City Code Enforcement Officer, who said he has been getting calls about the building.
The building, over 100 years old, is on the northwest corner of Izard and Front Streets.
On the evening of April 3, the wall on the Izard Street side of the three story building crumbled onto the sidewalk and the street. The building was unoccupied at the time, and no one was injured.
Traffic on the parts of Izard and Front affected by the collapse was blocked off, and almost a month later nothing had been done. It was reported that the city was giving the owner, Jim Taylor of Little Rock, time to work things out with the insurance company and secure a demolition contractor.
However, after numerous complaints from the public over the blocked streets, on May 1 the city changed its stance. The city council passed a resolution condemning the property and setting a five-day deadline for getting the work started. The demolition work started May 7, and problems began.
The old building shares walls with the local Housing and Urban Development office on the Izard Street side, and Forrest City Abstract on the Front Street side. A one-story portion of the old building also shares a roof line with the HUD office.
While the roof line was being cut away, water began pouring into the HUD office, forcing it to close.
Crossen said this morning that he realizes a lot of people are frustrated with the time it is taking to tear the building down and get traffic back to normal on the two streets. However, he said safety has to be a consideration.
"Everybody's worried about the buildings beside it, and they're trying their best not to damage them," said Crossen. "They're trying to find some way of taking it down without damaging the other buildings."
He said the roof of the HUD office was being repaired.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
In an early morning accident Saturday, two college students from Conway were killed and 12 other passengers in the van they were traveling in were injured on Interstate 40 near Palestine.
According to Arkansas State Police Troop D Commander Captain Steve Gray, a Ford van traveling eastbound on I-40, and carrying 14 members of the University of Central Arkansas Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, overturned at the 232 mile marker. Brandon D. Davis, 20, of Little Rock and Gavin Morgan, 20, of Malvern, were both killed during the single-vehicle accident.
Reports from the ASP said that the van drifted into the median and traveled 440 feet along the median before veering back onto the interstate. The van then traveled close to 200 feet on the highway before going off the road again and overturning five times.
The driver of the van, Adrian Torrance Smith, 21, of Rison, was transferred Saturday morning to the Elvis Presley Regional Trauma Center (Med) in Memphis where he was treated and released. Among those still at the Med are Dorsey Watson, 19, of Conway, and Jason Mathis, 21, of Little Rock, both listed in critical condition.
Officials with Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City said that two other passengers, Charles Robinson, 21, and Nkem Housworth, 21, both of Conway, were also transported to the Med where they were treated and released. Passengers Brian Brewer, 22, of North Little Rock; Christopher Gordon, 19, Marcus Hughes, 19, Jeremy Owoh, 22, Deon Rhodes, 21, and Demetrius Richmond, 23, all of Conway; and Mitchell Moore, 20, of Little Rock were all treated and released at BMH-FC. According to the accident report several of the students were thrown from the vehicle when it overturned.
According to Gray, although the accident occurred in a construction zone, the accident was not due to construction.
"Right now our belief is that the driver simply lost control and crossed over into the median. That is what all signs point to. There was no construction going on in that area at the time of the accident, it just happened to be in a zone that is right now being listed as a construction zone," Gray said.
Gray also said that alcohol has not been ruled out as a cause of the accident, saying, "The driver of the vehicle was transported to the Elvis Presley Medical Trauma Center in Memphis, and we still haven't received any of his blood work or records. We don't think that alcohol was a cause of the accident be we can't rule anything out until we have all of the evidence."
The accident occurred about seven-tenths of a mile west of the exit ramp in Palestine, which according to Arkansas Highway Department District Engineer Ray Woodruff, is an area that is not currently being worked on.
"That is actually an area where there is no construction. Right there all lanes are open and the speed limit has gone back to 70 miles an hour. These two fatalities make for the second and third in that area this year but none of them have been attributed to construction work. We did have a lady killed in the construction zone last summer when her rental truck ran into the back of another truck," Woodruff said.
Last month, 48-year old bus driver Wallace Grummer, was killed
in an accident on the eastbound side of I-40 near the Palestine
exit.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
Organizers are optimistic about the American Cancer Society's Fourth Annual Relay for Life, held at Mustang Arena Friday and Saturday after bad weather chased the event indoors.
The two-day fundraiser brought in an unofficial total of $40,000 this year, according to Sue Jayroe, luminary chairperson.
Phyllis Autry, chairperson, said this morning the official totals would not be in until later this week, but said she was hopeful the event, which raises money for the American Cancer Society, exceeded last year's total of $35,000.
The relay was to be held at Sam Smith Stadium, but was moved indoors after an isolated thunder shower moved into the area.
The event still got underway at 7 p.m. with a march by cancer survivors, supervised by Mary Ann Stipe of Forrest City.
Those attending were entertained with games and music. Elizabeth Lindsey, Forrest City High School drama teacher, was mistress of ceremonies.
For safety's sake, the luminaria ceremony in the arena was represented by a few candles instead of the hundreds lined around the stadium.
Miss Arkansas Sarah Harris sand two songs for the ceremony and Ruth Ann Vowan, music and voice instructor at East Arkansas Community College, closed the ceremony by singing "Amazing Grace." The luminaria ceremony honored and memorialized those stricken with cancer and those who have lost their lives to the disease.
Those in attendance stayed up till the following morning to
play and walk in the relay.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
Wheatley residents whose homes are actually in Monroe County will soon pay more money for ambulance service.
Beginning in June, about 93 Wheatley citizens, who are Monroe County residents, will pay an additional $2.50 for the emergency services located in Brinkley.
Wheatley Mayor Larry Nash told city councilmen during a meeting last week that Monroe County recently adopted an ordinance approving the charge for its citizens, and was asking that Wheatley do the same.
Wheatley residents with homes in St. Francis County will not be charged the additional fee because the city pays a subsidy for the service.
City attorney Bill Snowden questioned the move. "Wheatley will just be collecting the money for Monroe County and the city would not have to do anything extra but bill the 93 customers. Wheatley will not have to pass an ordinance to comply with the Brinkley request," Snowden said. We are going to bill them the $2.50 and if they don't pay it, then they will be in trouble with our water utility, resulting in shutting off their water service," said Snowden. "However, if they don't pay, we still have to pay it for them to Monroe County, and I wonder how that will affect the city."
Many councilmen basically agreed that most residents in the affected area would support the additional fee. "When somebody gets sick, they will need an ambulance and then that's the time they wish they had paid it," said Councilmen Arvern Burnett.
In other business, councilmen agreed to purchase a new water
billing program to go with the new computer recently purchased
for the city. City Clerk Judy Baynes said they would have trouble
with the water billing procedures on the new computer if they
didn't upgrade the program. The new program will cost the city
$1,872. The new computer cost the city $1,700.
A full schedule of meetings are planned for this week in St. Francis County.
The Forrest City Civic Center Commission will meet at 5 this afternoon at the civic center.
The Madison, Widener and Hughes city councils meet tonight at each city's city hall. The Widener meeting will begin at 6 p.m., and the Madison and Hughes councils will meet at 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Forrest City Water Commission will meet at 10 a.m. at the water department.
The St. Francis County Museum Board will meet at 5 p.m. at the museum.
The Forrest City, Palestine and Caldwell city councils are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. at each city's city hall.
The St. Francis County Quorum Court will meet at 7 p.m. at
the courthouse.
An elementary school student has been suspended for taking a toy gun to school.
The Forrest City Police Department reported today that it was notified Friday by officials at Central Elementary School that a nine-year-old boy had taken the toy rifle to school that morning. Police described the toy weapon as one that would be used with an action figure.
The Friday incident occurred just one week after a first grader took a broken revolver to Central inside his backpack. That child was also suspended.