By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The State Board of Election Commissioners did not make a decision on alleged election irregularities in the May 21, primary election in a meeting earlier this week, citing a need for more information from the St. Francis County Election Commission and St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith.
According to a letter from the state commission, at a meeting Tuesday, the state board requested that the state in conjunction with the county commission and the clerk's office reconcile the records for Widener City from the primary. Among the items requested by the state are a copy of the list utilized for early voting in the primary election, precinct-by-precinct results of the primary election and procure copies of the minutes of the meetings of the St. Francis County Election Commission.
The letter also stated that information the state was seeking in July still hadn't been furnished to the board. The information sought in a July 30, letter to county commissioners requested a copy of the spoiled ballot affidavit list for Widener City Precinct 10; a copy of the challenged ballot forms for the same precinct; a copy of the challenged voter list for Widener City Precinct 10 and a copy of the ballot accounting form of Widener City Precinct 10. Those items were again requested at Tuesday's meeting along with a copy of the voter listing for Widener City Precinct 10; a copy of the Participating Voters listing for election for Precinct 10 and copies of the minutes of county Election Commission Meetings going back to June of 1999. According to the letter, all information is due at state commission offices no later than Aug. 26.
Board members were told by members of the county commission that although the minutes were not filed with the county clerk's office pursuant to Arkansas law, the commission had copies of the minutes of the meetings of the commission dating back to June of 1999.
St. Francis County Election Commission Chairman Joe Young was not available for comment this morning.
The Forrest City School District is one of 17 across the state being sued for allegedly not paying overtime to hourly workers.
"Really, this is news to me," said FCSD Superintendent Lee Vent. "I do know there was some advertising done to get people who feel they were not paid overtime, but this is the first I've heard of a suit. I have received no official notification from anyone."
According to an Associated Press story, Little Rock lawyer Jesse Gibson filed the suits and said they claim that the employees are due pay at a time-and-a-half rate for at least 144 overtime hours. Some of the overtime pay is due for performing duties beyond their job descriptions, Gibson said.
One of the suits, against the Hope School District, was filed Tuesday; the other 16 were filed Aug. 8. Four suits were filed in the Western District of Arkansas, 13 in the Eastern District.
The Little Rock School District, the state's largest, is among the defendants. Suellen Vann, spokeswoman for the district, said Thursday evening that administrators hadn't yet had a chance to review the suit, and wouldn't comment until they had done so.
In addition to Forrest City, Hope and Little Rock, the districts sued were Arkansas City, Dermott, Dollarway, Elaine, Eudora, Gould, Lee County, Lewisville, Lonoke, Marion, Smackover, Texarkana, Turrell and West Memphis.
''This is an attempt to get the working class of Arkansas to get an honest day's pay for their work,'' said Gibson, who is working with the Jackson, Miss.-based School Litigation Group in the litigation.
Efforts to reach other school district officials on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Affected employees include cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, teachers' aides and secretaries who worked at the school districts between June 1999 to July 2000.
Gibson said the grievances were not filed as class action lawsuits because the facts in each case are slightly different.
All kindergarten and preschool students of the Forrest City School District will be given the Early Intervention Test in the school they have been assigned to attend. The purpose of the testing is to help the teacher get to know the child early so provisions can be made for a solid foundation of learning during the kindergarten/preschool year. It also helps the teacher become better acquainted with the child's parents.
The days of Aug. 19 through 23 have been designated as days for testing all of these students. The first full day of school for kindergarten and preschool students will be Aug. 26.
Parents of kindergarten students who have not yet enrolled are encouraged to enroll their children immediately so that they may be included in the testing. Kindergarten students needing to register for Fall classes should go to the Superintendent's Office located at 845 N. Rosser and complete an enrollment application. Upon receiving their assignment from the Superintendent's Office, the parent will then need to report to that school to complete the registration process and receive a test schedule.
For more information, contact your child's school.
A Forrest City man has been arrested on a charge of non-forcible statutory rape, for allegedly having sex with a 12-year-old girl.
Freddie Lee Gray Jr., 28, of 944 Hickey, was already in the St. Francis County Jail, where he was being held on a parole violation, when he was arrested.
The alleged incident was reported Tuesday, when the mother of the girl contacted the Forrest City Police Department. She said the girl told her that several men came to her house. One knocked on the bedroom window and got no answer. She said they came to the front door and knocked, and the girl opened the door. The men allegedly took her to an abandoned house, at which time the men allegedly touched the girl in an inappropriate manner.
No other arrests have been reported in the incident.