By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of Arkansas Army National Guard 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry, 39th Infantry Brigade, Company Charlie in Forrest City have been activated and mobilized and are preparing to leave for active duty in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, according to a press release from the Office of the Adjutant General, Arkansas National Guard.
Last week it was reported that members of the unit would serve with the Multinational Force and Observers, which is an outgrowth of the 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt. According to the press release received today, U.S. forces have been in Sinai since 1982 after Israel withdrew forces from Egypt under terms of the treaty. Arkansas units will serve along with infantry battalions from Colombia and Fiji as well as a patrol unit from Italy, French aviators, Hungarian military police and contingents from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Norway and Uruguay.
Second Battalion has more than 600 infantry personnel, but Maj. Cary Shillcutt, public affairs officer for the Arkansas Army National Guard and former commander of C Company, was not at liberty to release the number of personnel from the area or the timeline for when personnel will be leaving.
According to the press release, personnel will be leaving the area near the end of the month to begin training in Colorado.
"Near the end of the month, members of the unit will proceed from Arkansas to Fort Carson, Colo. for their train-up for this mission," Maj. Gen. Don Morrow, adjutant general of Arkansas, said in the press release.
"These are strenuous times for America. If we are to return to the quality of life we want in this country, we have to invest in its future. Keeping the peace is the biggest investment I know," he added.
The 2nd Battalion, which is headquartered in Searcy is comprised of the following units: Detachment 1, Headquarters Company at Wynne; Company A at Walnut Ridge; Detachment 1, Company A at Harrisburg; Company B at Batesville; Detachment 1, Company B at Augusta; Company C; Detachment 1, Company C at Brinkley and Company D at Newport.
To help fill the unit's mobilization positions, personnel have been selected from the 39th Military Police Platoon in Little Rock and 39th's 239th Engineers Detachment 1 at Booneville; 3rd Battalion, 153rd Company C at Dumas and Detachment at McGhee and 3rd Battalion, 153rd Headquarters at Warren and Detachment at Monticello.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Forrest City Civic Center commissioners agreed Monday afternoon to compare the rates for renting the civic center with rates for other area convention centers before raising the local rates to meet growing expenses for the facility's operation.
Commissioners voted to table the issue of a rate increase until information on the rates at the Brinkley Civic Center and West Memphis Civic Center could be provided to commission members along with an itemized breakdown of utility expenses at the civic center. Commissioners are seeking the breakdown to determine what utility expenses are incurred by the building and what expenses are incurred due to the use of the kitchen.
Commissioner Shirley Harvell questioned the need for the rate increase based upon the issues of use of the building and a rate increase from two years ago.
Harvell also questioned the issue of storage space at the civic center asking commissioners for clarification on whether weekly renters at the civic center were paying sufficiently for storage space in their weekly rent or if any storage space was available if needed.
"I wanted clarification on whether the $50 per month that they (clubs renting the civic center weekly) were paying included the storage space and if availability was needed was their enough space," said Harvell.
Commission recorder Debra Miller told the board that storage space is not included in the monthly rental. The commission decided in July by a 5-0 vote that weekly renters would not be charged a fee for rental of closet space at the civic center. The commission also decided that if additional clubs needed space, storage would be made available. Harvell did not attend that meeting.
In other business, commissioners voted by a 4-2 margin to present items to be placed on the agenda to Miller by the Thursday prior to the next scheduled meeting. Harvell objected to a memo submitted by commission chairman Delores Morelon asking that any items to be passed out at the meeting be submitted to Miller. Harvell and Willie Ann Ford voted against the measure.
"As commissioners, we should all be allowed to vote on this because I feel that this could curtail some of us as commissioners. Procedural determination should not be determined without the input of all of the commissioners. Sometimes when we get the minutes we might not have the opportunity to contact Ms. Miller before the meeting, and since I'm the only one that hands out stuff and this is targeted at me, I want to make sure that I get a proper understanding of this," said Harvell.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
A Forrest City Prayer Walk is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 to 11 a.m., beginning at the Forrest City Civic Center.
Dr. George Conner of Forrest City said the prayer walk couldn't be more timely. However, the event was planned over a month before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C.
"We have a group called the Wednesday Morning Prayer Group, which is a group of us from different churches and some area pastors. We have been meeting for about four years. We pray for the area churches and the town," Conner said. "It came to a point we should do something for the rest of the town to get involved in prayer for our town and churches. We started planning this at the beginning of August, and it couldn't have been planned more timely."
Conner says he feels the town wants to turn to prayer at this time. "I think many people want to turn their hearts to prayer and to the Lord at this time."
Walkers will start at the civic center on North Washington Street, travel down Arkansas and Division Streets and return to the Civic Center. According to a press release, the walk should take about 30 minutes.
Choirs from area churches will provide music after the walk, outside of the civic center. Conner said, "We have had a lot of help in planning the music for this event from area churches. The Spring Grove Church, Rising Sun Baptist Church, Second Baptist Church and the First Baptist Church will all have their choirs and their members there," said Conner.
Conner said with all of the choir members and church members already committed to the walk, he anticipates the participation to be in the hundreds. "We already have over 100 people with just the choirs, and I think we may have participation of several hundred for the prayer walk."
Conner said Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant and Chief of Police Clerance McNeary have been very helpful in planning for the event and providing security for the walkers.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Madison Mayor James Brooks had to defend some of his decisions during a Madison City Council meeting on Monday night.
Brooks' defense began before the minutes from the September meeting could be approved. Councilwoman Annie Winfrey questioned Brooks on whether or not bids for construction on the addition to the fire department had been properly advertised.
"I get the Times-Herald every day and I can tell you that I haven't seen the bids. There was one day last week that the bid ran but that's it. From where I can see, it just wasn't done," Winfrey said.
"I beg to differ with you Ms. Winfrey. We even have the bill. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean that it wasn't done," Brooks responded.
Brooks then fielded questions from Councilman Oscar Brown regarding a letter mailed to a Madison resident over garbage clean up.
"I think that last month the mayor mentioned getting people to clean up their yards, and he sent out a letter saying that people have 30 days to clean up their yards. This lady contacted me regarding a letter she received, and I was wondering why she was the only person that was being asked to clean up her yard because when I look around the city I see plenty people who aren't in compliance. Why was she cited alone for not cleaning up her yard?" Brown asked.
Brooks referred Brown to last month's minutes which stated that letters had been sent out regarding the issue. Brown then stated that through his own observations he had come to the decision that only the one letter was sent out.
"I just don't see why this one citizen was harassed when others aren't in compliance," Brown said.
An argument between Brooks, Brown and Winfrey ensued when Winfrey questioned why the council hadn't been given an opportunity to approve the letter before it was sent out.
"Why didn't we see the letter before you sent it out?" asked Winfrey.
"You could have if you had come by the office. It's not written anywhere that you have to see the letter but if you wanted to see the letter you could have come by and seen it. We have ordinances in the city that have to be enforced," Brooks said.
Brown responded claiming that only certain individuals had to comply with the city's ordinances.
In other business, council members were updated on the progress of designating wards in Madison. Earl Anthes with Community Systems Consultants presented a plan which would create three wards for Madison.
According to Anthes, Ward 1 would consist of residents living west of Arkansas Highway 50 and north of U.S. Highway 70. Ward 2 would be those living east of Hwy. 50 and the southeast corner of Madison would be Ward 3. Council members voted to table the issue until next month.
Brooks also updated council members on the status of street repairs and the status of construction on an addition to the fire department. According to Brooks, M&T Paving had agreed to return to Madison once they completed a project in Cotton Plant.
"I spoke with them recently, and they told me that they might be able to get started in the next two or three weeks. They had a project in Cotton Plant that they had to finish before they could get to us, so that's why work hasn't been started," Brooks said.
Brooks told aldermen that no bids had been received on construction of the addition at the fire department.
St. Francis County had an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent in August, down from 8.8 percent in July and the same as the rate in August of 2000.
The rate was the 12th highest of Arkansas' 75 counties.
According to the figures from the state Employment Security Department, during August the county had a civilian labor force of 12,050, with 11,150 working and 900 not working.
The highest unemployment in the state was 12.8 percent recorded in Mississippi County. Mississippi County, Long with Poinsett County at 11.4 percent, were the only counties with unemployment over 10 percent.
The lowest unemployment was 2 percent in Benton County. Eleven counties had unemployment rates of 3 percent or lower. Twenty-nine were at 4 percent or lower.
Statewide, the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, up from 4.9 percent in July.
Unemployment rates in surrounding counties were as follows: Cross, 5.6 percent; Crittenden, 5.4 percent; Lee, 7 percent; Phillips, 8.9 percent; Monroe, 5.7 percent; and Woodruff, 6.1.
Georgia upset Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, Bentonville upset top-ranked Fort Smith Northside, and the Chicago Bears bounced the Atlanta Falcons over the weekend.
When all of the dust had settled in last week's Professor Pigskin balloting, two readers emerged locked in a tie for first.
Joe Varvil and M. E. James, both of Forrest City, missed just four of the selected high school, college and NFL games, which brought into play the tie-breaker game -- Forrest City vs. Cabot.
In the tie-breaker game, the person coming the closest to guessing the final score, is declared the winner, and this time around it was James coming out the winner.
James picked Cabot to win over Forrest City 42-14 while Varvil had Cabot picked 27-24. The actual score had Cabot winning 35-0 which meant James came within 21 points of being the closest while Varvil was 32 points away from the actual total.
James will pocket $50 in cash. The new Pigskin selections can be found inside today's Times-Herald.
The recent King Cotton Festival in Widener was considered a success, but the mayor wants to move it to another time of year.
"I want to move it from September to May," Mayor Dot Halford told the city council on Monday. "There is too much other activity during September."
During September, in St. Francis County, there were festivals in Caldwell and Colt as well as Widener, plus a rodeo and the Forrest City Junior Auxiliary's Shops of La Petite.
Halford said she is looking at the first weekend in May.
According to Halford, the festival cleared $826.94. That brings the total amount raised during the festival to $2,532.03. The money will be used for the city park and a community center.