By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The Palestine-Wheatley School Board will decide next month whether or not to try and recoup money it could lose if the district is unsuccessful in a fight over student attendance with the Forrest City School District.
During the board's regular meeting Monday night, school district attorney Bill Snowden told board members of possible action the district could take which would hold parents of students involved in the litigation responsible for damages the district could be forced to pay.
The lawsuit involves students who are alleged to have lived in the Forrest City School District but attended classes in the PWSD since 1999.
"Due to evidence which has come to light due to the recent depositions, there may be a cause of action that this district has against some or all of those parents of the children that were affected," Snowden said. "The reason that I say that there may be a cause of action is in case the district is held liable for any money that we might be directed to pay to the Forrest City School District.
"Because there were some statements made that were false in the paperwork that the parents submitted for their children and they admitted that those statements were false in their depositions, then the question has arisen as to whether or not we want to ask the court to collect any money that they (the parents) may have cost us," Snowden said.
"Basically, the idea is that if they hadn't made those false statements to us we would not have had their children in school, and if we didn't have their children in school, then we would not be liable to Forrest City," Snowden added.
Board member John Henry Parker questioned the liability of the parents. "If we drew the money for illegal kids we had in our district, then why should we go after the parents?"
"We accepted the children in our school system on the basis of the representations that the parents made to us that they lived in the school district. So, if they hadn't said what they said we wouldn't be in this position," Snowden responded.
In other business, board members accepted the resignations of two Palestine-Wheatley employees and agreed to add a position in the computer lab. Board members accepted the resignations of Betty Long and Amber Holder, and added Sonya Medley in the workforce lab at the high school.
Board members also heard a complaint from parents on a high school instructor during an executive session. No action was taken.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The St. Francis County Branch of the NAACP reported Monday that it has made a Freedom of Information request of St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco regarding a proposed truck mall development.
The FOI request had to do with the county's applications for $300,000 in grants to do a study on the job, according to a press release.
The NAACP press release complained that the county insisted on having the FOI request in writing.
"We had to make several attempts to receive the information," the release stated, "finally having to show in writing the Freedom of Information Law and its application to government in order to get copies of the applications."
NAACP Branch President Frank Shaw said by phone on Monday that the county seems to be competing with private enterprise in efforts to secure the mall, and is wanting to use funds which rightfully should be used by Ellis Bell, a minority entrepreneur.
"We are looking at a situation where the county is trying to do the same thing that a private business is trying to do," said Shaw. "That is a concern, especially when it's an African American who is trying to bring business into the community."
Bell, a black landowner, has proposed a mall similar to the mall proposed by Cisco. Shaw said Bell had the idea first, and the county is trying to co-opt Bell's idea.
"From what we've been able to find out, his (Bell's) plan was presented some time ago, as far away as 1987," said Shaw. "It's the same kind of plan. It seems kind of strange that the same kind of plan would be coming up for the Widener area in opposition to the free enterprise site where it would not cost taxpayers a dime."
Contacted this morning, Cisco said the county simply wanted the requests in writing.
"We just requested that all requests be in writing as opposed to verbal, people coming in saying, 'I want this, I want that.'"
Cisco disputed the idea that the county was competing with private enterprise.
"There is no competition here," he said. "We're talking about apples and oranges. One is located on one side of the (Crowley's) Ridge, and the other one is 20 miles away on the other side.
"If you had five malls in this county, you could probably fill every one of them."
Cisco said other malls are probably being planned along Interstate 40 between Memphis and Little Rock.
"Others are in the planning stages over in West Memphis now, but they are congested in that area," said Cisco. "This is just an advantage to us because we have 17,000-18,000 trucks a day going by here."
Cisco said the county-owned mall is being considered in the area between Shell Lake and Widener. The Ellis Bell mall is being proposed near the bypass area at Forrest City. Cisco said both could get a lot of business.
On Monday, it was announced that Frederick Freeman, a local businessman, has been named coordinator for the project, which Cisco called a transportation mall as opposed to simply a truck mall. Freeman and Bobby May of Forrest City have been serving as consultants for the project.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The fiscal news is bad at the moment, but the state legislature is not ready to start raising taxes, at least not yet.
That was the news from state Rep. Danny Ferguson this week.
"We got some updates Friday in the Legislative Council," he said. "The bad news is that the governor's office and the Department of Finance and Administration have downgraded revenue projections by $142 million."
This is for this fiscal year. He said projected cuts for the next fiscal year, Fiscal 2003, is for $160 million in cuts.
Gov. Mike Huckabee has said he is opposed to any tax increases at this time, and Ferguson said that is also the mood of the legislature.
"I don't think anybody in the legislature is even dreaming about tax increases to replace all the cuts," he said. "I think that (anti-increase sentiment) is pretty well prevalent at this time. National economists are predicting a turnaround in the spring. Some are saying it may be later. But most economists are pretty optimistic about business picking up during the next calendar year. And I think most of the legislature is saying we'll just suck it up with these cuts.
"I think everybody is going to take a wait and see attitude and see if the economists are going to hit these predictions."
He said the largest dent in the revenue projection was nearly $42 million less in corporate income taxes in Arkansas.
"I think that is a real indicator of what the economy has done, even before Sept. 11," he said. However, he said the economy was already in trouble before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and said those attacks could not be completely blamed for what has happened.
"Things have been accelerated by Sept. 11," Ferguson said. But he said cuts had already been made before that, and that Sept. 11 could not be blamed for all of it.
According to Ferguson, funding for schools will be cut, and that will jeopardize the proposed teacher raises.
"And it appears right now that the Department of Corrections is taking a pretty big hit," Ferguson said.
However, Ferguson warned that the state may face a "double whammy," especially if the economy does not turn around, over a possible decision in the so-called Lakeview Schools case.
"The real double whammy we're going to be facing over the next couple of years is a revenue shortfall in education coupled with a court decision saying Arkansas does not adequately fund its educational system," he said. "Some of the 'guestimates' of what additional revenue would be needed in the Lakeview decision could be $500 million to $1 billion.
"That's where the real challenge is going to be -- if the economy does not turn around, how do you come up with a half-billion to a billion? That'll go past headache and into the nightmare category."
At the same time, he said Arkansas, in particular this region of Arkansas, has had tough times before.
"We always seem to pull through," he said. "Yes, it's going to be tough. Yes, Medicaid and students who are working hard to get scholarships will be hurt. It's going to affect some teacher raises. It's going to be painful. But I don't think it will be a total meltdown."
He said the only thing that would cause legislators to seek new revenue would be if the economy stays bad or gets worse.
"If the economy does not turn around, we've got two points," he said. "One, we've got major cuts. Or, if the people demand it, increase taxes in some areas."
Two men were caught by police while allegedly trying to burglarize a local business early today.
The Forrest City Police Department reports an officer on routine patrol saw a window broken at the Trading Post at 128 West Broadway just before 2 a.m., and noticed someone inside the building.
Other officers arrived at the business and waited outside for the owner. During that time, according to police, one of the suspects attempted to leave through the back door, but instead walked into police custody.
The second suspect was caught inside the building.
Police have charged Charles Buchannon, 39, 321 Ash St., Forrest City, and Tyrone Luster, 46, 402 Davis St., Forrest City, with commercial burglary, second-degree criminal mischief over $1,000 and theft of property over $500.
The two are scheduled to be arraigned in Forrest City Municipal Court Wednesday afternoon.
It all came down to a tie.
When all of the Times-Herald Professor Pigskin Contest entries had been counted, Adam Hillis and Willie Doby Jr., both of Forrest City had missed just three games each.
Using the tie-breaker Arkansas-Mississippi State game, Hillis prevailed to win the $50 cash prize by correctly picking Arkansas as the winner. Doby had selected the Bulldogs.
There are only two more Pigskins remaining this season. You can find this week's selection of games inside today's Times-Herald.