By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The East Arkansas Enterprise Community executive board received what they consider good news regarding a recent audit of the finances by Hood, Pagan and Associates of Forrest City.
According to EAEC auditor Don Pagan, the audit report covered activities for the year ending December 2000 and the first six months of 2001. Pagan said both audits show that the EAEC is in compliance under government auditing standards. Pagan also answered questions from board members regarding the rotating loan fund which has been questioned.
"In the early part of the year, I had a prospect come to me and give me third party confirmation that the ECD (Enterprise Corporation of the Delta) was in fact making loans. We've read all of the correspondence that went on at the end of last year and during the time span between then and when we performed the actual audit there was quite a bit of loan activity. It does meet all of the requirements as far as we can tell," Pagan said.
The executive board also approved $30,000 in funding to four entities within the EAEC.
Cross County received $10,000 to help toward the purchase of a wood-chipping machine for the disposal of limbs and debris. According to board member Charlene Sykes, the chipper will be used to benefit members of the EAEC census tract in Cross County as well as all Cross County residents.
"We felt that this would be a good project to fund because it helps all of the citizens of Cross County, not just the people of 'West Wynne.' This project is also good because it will provide additional recycling for the area and we all know that it is good when we can return things to Mother Earth," said Sykes.
The Central Delta Historical Society in Brinkley also was a recipient of a grant from the EAEC. The Historical Society received $5,000 to assist in the renovation of the 1912 Union Depot in Brinkley. The project is expected to increase tourism in the region through a museum and tie into the Louisiana Purchase State Park exhibit.
The Lee County Family Resource Center also received funding in the amount of $10,000 for its effective parents/successful children project which will focus on health education for low-income families, an array of elderly services and youth services and a program promoting abstinence education to at-risk children in the middle and high schools.
White River Rural Health Centers, Inc. was the fourth grant recipient for this quarter. They received a $5,000 grant to help renovate an old hospital in Monroe County which will be converted into a Health Center.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
Two Forrest City residents have been selected as Olympic Torchbearers for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay.
One of the runners is Jim McInturff, an English professor at East Arkansas Community College, who was selected by Chevrolet, one of the sponsors of the relay. The other runner, however, was selected based on her letter of nomination for McInturff. This runner is Debbie McInturff, his wife. She is a teacher at Stewart Elementary School.
Jim McInturff, who found out during the summer that he was selected as one of the torchbearers, explains how his nomination occurred. "I got the information about the torch relay in the mail from Chevrolet, and my wife Debbie wrote a letter nominating me," he said. "Then, in September, they made it public as to who would be running, but said they would let us know what the route would be within a couple of weeks prior to the relay."
Only recently did McInturff learn his route, as well as the date and time of the relay, but the big surprise came when the couple found out Debbie had been named a torchbearer as well.
According to a press release from Chevrolet, last spring, 4,300 dealers offered Americans the chance to experience the excitement and emotion of the Olympic Winter Games by nominating an individual to carry the flame. Nominations required a short essay describing how candidates inspired others.
"They said they wanted Debbie to run because of something she wrote in the letter to the nominating committee this summer," he said.
Debbie McInturff was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, but recently was given a clean bill of health after completing all of her prescribed treatments. She said she was completely caught off guard by her selection.
"I received a letter from them addressed to me, and I thought that maybe they wanted to know more about Jim," she said. "And then I opened it up, and I couldn't believe they had selected me. I was so excited and surprised. Words just can't describe how excited I am."
Although Jim doesn't offer the details of Debbie's letter, she says she wrote to the nominating committee about how wonderful she thinks her husband is to her. "I don't know if that's a crime that I truly think Jim is wonderful, but he is. He has been just wonderful to me, especially with the tough time I went through this summer," she said.
"He has done such wonderful things for me, and I couldn't have asked for a better husband. He told me this summer, when I was going through all these treatments, that he was going to make sure I had something to laugh about every day. He never let my spirits get down," she added.
"We are so excited. Both of us will be running," said Jim McInturff.
However, the couple will not be running together. Jim McInturff's route will take him through Forrest City, and Debbie McInturff will run a Memphis route.
The torch will be coming to Forrest City on Friday, Dec. 14 (the same week as final exams at EACC, but McInturff said he didn't think his students would mind much). The runners will meet at Wal-Mart on Deaderick Road that morning and will be taken by shuttle to each starting position.
McInturff is scheduled to begin his portion of the relay at 10:53 a.m., at the corner of Graham and Division Streets and will run with the torch for two-tenths of a mile to 831 Division St.
Debbie McInturff is scheduled to run with the torch for her two-tenths of a mile in Memphis later that same day at 5:17 p.m., on Poplar Avenue.
The couple doesn't seem to mind that they will not be running in the same town. "That's all right with us," said Jim McInturff. "This way we can watch each other run with the torch."
The Olympic flame will begin its journey in Atlanta on Dec. 4, and will make its way on a 46-state, 65-day, 13,500-mile cross-country journey to Salt Lake City, Utah. The torch will change hands a total of 3,505 times.
According to Jim McInturff, "Even though it will be for only a short distance, when you are the one running with that Olympic torch, you are the only person in the world with that torch in your hand, and that is an awesome experience."
While the wet weather is causing troubles in other places, Forrest City has been lucky so far.
Police Chief Clarence McNeary said this morning that other than a few more fender-benders than usual, he was not aware of any problems.
"When the streets get wet, there is an increase in accidents," McNeary said. "Other than that slight increase in accidents, there's nothing else."
Clovis Macon at the city shop said he hasn't heard of any street flooding inside town.
"So far, nobody has reported any flooding in the streets," said Macon. "We're trying to keep the leaves out of the drains so we can keep the water running."
Out in the county, there are problems, however according to Sonny Hamilton of the St. Francis County Road Department.
"We've got major problems all over with all this water," he said. "Our main problem is over in the western part of the county. We've got problems all over, but that's our main one."
He said many ditches are overgrown and clogged, and he said there is also an excess of beaver dams.
"If the water can't get away, it stops up," Hamilton said. "We don't have the money to clear it out. It would take thousands and thousands of dollars to clean out all the natural drains where the water tries to go...We're just going to have to live with the problem until there is some kind of drainage district in St. Francis County and the surrounding counties, because there is just no place for the water to go."