By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Students registering this fall at East Arkansas Community College will be paying $4 more per credit hour in tuition, but the school's president said in his opinion, EACC is still "the best buy in the state."
The increase will go into effect this fall. Students who pre-registered in April for the fall semester will pay the old tuition.
EACC President Dr. Coy Grace told the board that the current tuition is as low as any in the state and lower than most -- one other school charges the same.
"Initially I had hoped we would not have to make any sort of raise in tuition," said Grace. "But as a result of lack of funding for higher education through the last legislative session, this is the only recourse we have."
Tuition will go from $32 to $36 per credit hour for in-county students. Out-of-county, in-state tuition will go from $39 to $43, and out-of-state tuition will go from $47 to $53.
The board also adopted a $2 technology fee.
"We will either be the lowest or one of the lowest in the state," said Grace. He also said he had reviewed the fee schedules at other schools.
"We have a very uncomplicated fee schedule," he said. "In addition to lower tuition, we don't have nearly the fees that some institutions have. So that even though we are recommending an increase, I think it's still the best buy in the state."
After the meeting, Grace said, "You never want to increase tuition. It's one of those things that becomes necessary from time to time. It's been some time since the tuition was increased. Right now, we're operating $12 per credit hour below the state recommendation."
The state recommendation is $44 an hour.
"We just feel that it's necessary at this time," Grace continued. "Throughout the state we've seen tuition increases because of the light funding that higher education received. It's certainly not something we wanted to do. It's something we felt like we had to do, due to funding."
In other action, teachers were given an average 3.82 percent salary adjustment.
The board also adopted a budget for fiscal year 201-2002 of $9,974,268, up just over $300,000 from the previous budget.
On another matter, it was reported that the Summer I pre-enrollment number is 300 and the Summer II pre-enrollment is 14. Fall pre-enrollment stands at 170.
In other action, the board approved a contract with the Federal Correctional Institution at Forrest City for two courses, drafting and design and office technology. The college has been teaching the office technology course for some time. The drafting and design course is a new offering at the prison for EACC.
The board also accepted four resignations: Charlotte Gray and Todd Hammons as nursing instructors; Beverly Hancock as business instructor and director of Distance Learning; and Denise Ramirez as Cross County literacy coordinator.
The board also agreed to start meeting every other month instead
of every month.
A 49-year-old Jackson, Miss., truck driver was listed in satisfactory condition at the Elvis Presley Regional Medical Center (Med) in Memphis this morning following a Thursday afternoon accident on Interstate 40, east of Palestine.
According to a report from Arkansas State Police Troop D, George A. Johnson was traveling eastbound on I-40 near the 234 mile marker, about a mile east of the Palestine exit, when he drove his truck into the rear of an 18-wheeler driven by Thomas Green, 52, of Little Rock. Green's vehicle was stopped due to construction when the accident occurred.
Paramedics from Baptist Memorial Hospital responded to the accident and called in the Medflight Helicopter unit to transport Johnson to the Med. Green was not reported injured.
Thursday's accident was the second serious accident on I-40
near Palestine in the past week. Saturday morning, two men were
killed and 12 men were injured in a single vehicle accident near
Palestine. Three people have been killed in the I-40 construction
zone in the past month.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Preliminary plans for a Road Rally, to be sponsored by the St. Francis County Museum, were discussed during a noon meeting Thursday at the museum.
A committee organizing the June event, discussed plans with Museum Director Laura Mazzanti. The date for the rally has been changed from June 9 to June 16.
"We're trying to get as much local involvement as we can. We will have six or seven locations throughout the county that people will have to go to. We want people to tour the museum, so all of the locations will be places that are pictured in the museum. Families can tour our facility before going on the rally to try to figure out the locations that are given in the clues that we'll give out. That will get people to actually come inside and take a look around, even if it is just to help them with the rally," said Mazzanti.
The date of the rally was pushed back a week so that the event, which Mazzanti hopes will be a family event, could possibly benefit from the Father's Day weekend visitors.
"We would like for this to be an event that the entire family can come out and enjoy. We'll have prizes for our first and second place finishers, and we'll also have prizes for the best decorated vehicles and other categories. We would like to see families decorate their family van or car and just come out and have a good time. There will be a lunch after the event where prizes and trophies will be given out," Mazzanti said.
The entry fee per vehicle will be $5, and Mazzanti said that she would like to see a minimum of two people per vehicle, and other precautions taken to ensure the safety of all the participants.
"We want to have a driver and a navigator for safety so
that we don't have one person trying to do it all. We're going
to talk to the St. Francis County Sheriff's Office and make sure
that they know why all of these numbered cars are traveling through
the county that day. We will also drive the route so that we can
set a minimum time limit and make sure that everyone does this
at a safe speed. If a person comes in under that time they will
be disqualified," Mazzanti said. "Time is not the issue
in this rally. We want our participants to visit all of the sites
and that will determine who the winner of the rally is. If we
have more than one individual that visits all of the sites then
we will use time as a meter for the grand prize winner."
A Forrest City woman, originally charged with murder, was given a suspended sentence this week after the original charge was reduced to manslaughter.
Karen Kristy Kennedy, 34, 1516 E. Broadway, plead guilty to the reduced charge during St. Francis County Circuit Court hearings this week.
Kennedy was arrested in February in connection with the death of Jamelle Greer, 28, 1516 E. Broadway. According to the original reports from officials with the Forrest City Police Department, Kennedy said Greer was fighting with her 15-year-old daughter when she stabbed him.
The stabbing occurred at an Indian Hills apartment on Feb. 12.
In addition to the 10-year suspended imposition of sentence, Kennedy was ordered to two years supervised probation.
In other circuit court action this week, Danny L. Watson, 32, 411 Rolfe St., Forrest City, was sentenced to 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after his suspended sentence was revoked.
Watson was placed under a five-year suspended imposition of sentence in 1998 on drug charges, but that was revoked after his arrest in December on other drug charges.
Sean Patrick Adkins was sentenced to eight years in prison after his original suspended sentence was revoked on burglary and theft charges.
Forrest City High School will hold its 2001 senior graduation ceremony tonight at 7 p.m., at Mustang Arena.
About 200 seniors will take their final walk as FCHS students.
Those scheduled to graduate are: Sarah Katherine Alderson
De'Anna Alumbaugh
Charlene Anderso
Corey Jerome Anderson
Nicholas Anderson
Adrienne Applewhite
Dameon Atwater
Walter Ballard
Larry Banks
Tenickeo Banks
Marvin Barnett
Comika Nashay Barton
Elnora Bates
Rico Bean
Jennifer Beasley
Ronnie Beltran
Ashley Marie Benson
Ashley Nicole Beshears
Jesse Allen Blankenship
Daniel Joseph Blossom
Laura Anne Bradford
Joshua Elias Brown
Lacey Nichole Brown
Leslie Brooke Brown
Moneke Shaunte' Brown
Shumn Dewayne Brown
Thomas Darnell Broyles
Jessica Burgess
Tabitha Lynn Burks
Andreana Olivette Byles
Terry Ray Byndom
Jessica Erin Callahan
Kellen Young Carroll
Donna Edna Carter
Lafesa Vonyetta Clark
Brandon T. Cochran
Brandon Cole
Seccer Cole
Krista Coleman
April Collins
Leslie Meredith Colvin
Chasity Renee Conley
Alexandrea Copeland
Leroy Martez Cottrell
Lacy Elaine Crocker
Amanda Luker Crowder
Edwin Brett Crumley
Pamela Sue Cummings
Laquisha Cunningham
Chris Curne
Tresha Lavette Curne
LaCedric M. Dale
Amy Katherine Darnell
Joel Anthony Davenport
Lettie Lashay Davenport
Juanita Lashay Davis
Piper Nicole Denton
William Chase Devasier
Alex J. Dillard
Hallie Gale Dodson
Patty Jeanette Dooley
Peggy Corinne Dooley
Rose Ann Dukes
Tracy A. Dulaney
Charese Fatia Edwards
Roger Louis Emmerson
Chris Evans
Caroline Ruth Everett
Adrian Fertha
Jennifer Casstrice Fields
Nynechia Alexandra Fleming
Kenya Franks
dan Fryer
Joseph Luis Gadberry
Karen W. Gobbell
William Corey Graham
Rodney Granberry
Christopher Edward Gray
Joshua Green
Markus Greer, Jr.
Ruth Cantrell Griffin
Ashley Shyrel Haggans
Yavonda Monique Hall
Leif Elliot Hamilton
Michelle Andrea Hamilton
L'Erin Darrius Hampton
Stephanie Latrece Hancock
Crystal Jeanette Harbin
Crystal Jeanette Harbin
Marnecia Montia Hargraves
Christopher L. Hare
James Harris
John William Haris, Jr.
Christopher James Heard
Jessica Moniek Henderson
Melissa Kaye Hill
Shieta Hilliard
Jennifer Miranda Hines
Andrew Hurd
Travis Hurst
LaToya Monette Jackson
Richard Jackson, Jr.
Marquita James
Leslie Michele Jayroe
Willie James Jenkins
James Danielle Johnson
Jason Demond Johnson
John Devon Johnson
Ashley Marie Jones
Casandra Lynn Jones
Jason Jones
Kennard Jones
Lashounda Lorene Jones
Stacey DeShay Jones
Nikkia Shamair Keith
Chad Kevin Kennedy
Jasmine Janique King
Kevin Lawrence King
Fredrick S. Kirby
Reuben LaMar III
Stephon DiMera Latham
Leslie Deanne Lawson
Nathan Lawson
Domanike LaShun Lay
Victor Lee Mark Lewis
Paul Lieblong
Erica Nicole Lindsey
Oscie Lockett
Robert Clifton Lowe
Amanda Lynch
Eric Jerome Lynch
Jennifer Lynch
Kashundra Maggett
Corey D. Marion
Steven Marrs
LaToya Sherice McCoy
Brian McKisick
April Janie McKnight
April R. McKnight
Amanda L. McMorris
Cornelius Cortez McShan
Kenwarren McShan
Latasha Lashay Millbrok
Joquel Mooney
John Moore
Wardell Motley
Travis Eugene Nalls
Amber Jeanene Nelson
Edwina Lyfaye Nichols
Samantha Nichols
Samantha Nichols
Nicholas LeMarc Norfolk
Daffy norment
Justin Randall Northcutt
Mario L. Oliver
Tonya Dawn Padilla
Kimberly Parchman
Mindy Parker
Tamara Nell Partain
Patrik Patel
Lashunda Patton
William Lucas Patton
Jennifer Carol Pearson
Roderick Pendleton
Stephon Emill Phillips
Syreeta LaShun Pitts
LaMarcus Terell Price
Alissa Marie Rains
Lashelle Lynn Ramsey
Michelle Marie Ramsey
Brandon Rankin
Felita Ratchford
Anita R. Richardson
Jason Paul Ring
Verika Robinson
Kimberly Roebuck
Latoya Evol Rolfe
Joseph Rucker, Jr.
Tiffaney Rucker
Daniel Bean Savage
floyd Shivers
Adam Simon
Felicia Deshay Sims
Latoya M. Small
James Earl Smith, Jr.
Eugenia Y. Smith
Kristal Renee Smith
Rachel Blair Smith
Stephanie Michelle Smith
Yalonda Yvette Smith
Michael Jared Spencer
Adrian Matthew Spratt
Karen Lynn Stacy
Kamylle L. Stegall
Melissa Gayle Stidham
Shannon Gayle Sweet
Tammy Taggart
Adam Blake Taylor
Londraies Demetric Thomas
Raven Thomas
Toni Lynette Tobar
Candice Rose Tousant
Abigail Diane Townsend
Terrence L. Triggs
Cornelius Tucker, Jr.
Andrew James Vaccaro
Jennifer Lee Vondran
Latresha Rochelle Wade
Victoria A. Walker
Terina Michelle Wall
Jeremiah Washington
Stacie Nicole Watson
Brandon Watts
Krystal Weaver
David Allen Wessels
Carrie Elizabeth West
Bobbi Westmoreland
Roy White
Allison Leigh Wilkie
Joseph Williams
Lionel Williams
Marquita Williams
Mildred Williams
Terrio Williams
Joseph Wilson
Michael Brian Wilson
Nicholas R. Wilson
Evy-An Woods
Amina Woodson
Jeffery Wade Young