By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Riding a bicycle and helping others are the twin passions of Alfred Günthor, a native of Germany who is currently riding around and through the United States, raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
More specifically, he's raising money for the St. Jude domestic affiliate in Peoria, Ill. St. Jude, along with its headquarters in Memphis, has four domestic affiliates. Besides Peoria, there are affiliates in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, La. and Johnson City, Tenn.
Günthor, who made a similar ride in Europe for spina bifida last year, said he was first moved to do a U.S. bike tour by the events of Sept. 11.
"I felt I had to do something," he said. "And I know that I am not the only person on this planet. On my own, I cannot achieve anything."
He said everyone has to give and accept help in their lives.
"When we are little, we are takers. Later, it's time to gave back. People lately seem to have forgotten about that."
According to Günthor, no one achieves anything without the help of others. "Nobody makes it without support along the way," he said.
He would like, if possible, to raise $1 million for St. Jude. "Judging from the population of this country, it should be possible. But if I can just help save the life of one American child..."
Günthor left Peoria on April 13. He recently passed his 10,000th mile on the road. By the time he gets back to Peoria on Sept. 11, he will have passed through 39 states. Much of his equipment is supplied by Vaude, a German firm.
While he has encountered hospitality everywhere, in Arkansas he also has encountered heat, humidity and, he says, laughing ruefully, mosquitoes. He still rides as many as 100 miles a day.
He said his twofold mission is to set an example and do some fundraising. He quoted a line from a poem by Edgar Guest, "I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day."
He issued a challenge to other athletes to raise money for
causes. He also said he had a lot of people to thank. "Peoria
gave me a stage. And all the people in the background made it
possible for me to do this. And most of all I thank Danny Thomas,
the founder of St. Jude."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Officials with three Eastern Arkansas counties attended a meeting this morning at the St. Francis County Courthouse to discuss illegal dumpsites and waste disposal.
Authorities with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the East Arkansas Solid Waste Management District spoke this morning about enforcing waste laws and updated county officials on the proper ways of dealing with illegal dumpsites.
Ronnie Rogers, Environmental Officer with Crittenden County, covered several areas with representatives from St. Francis and Cross County. According to Rogers, an 18-year law enforcement agent, the high cost of fines may be the biggest deterrent to illegal dumping.
"The cost of the fines can range as high as $25,000 per day, and I've seen fines of $4,800 and a major fine of $30,000 that have been paid. I've had a case where I saw a guy dumping paper, and as I investigated and collected evidence, I ended up writing tickets for an illegal dumpsite, dumping of prohibited materials for medical waste that was found on the site and illegal dumping for the guy who was bringing paper from Memphis and dumping it on the site," Rogers said.
According to Charlie Woods with the East Arkansas Solid Waste Management District, homeowners can also be cited for violations if they pay someone to haul refuse off and it is improperly dumped.
"With dumping crimes, it kind of goes against the norm in that you're guilty until proven innocent. We have to find something that has a person's name on it at an dump site before we can go after them. So if you have someone haul some trash off and they just dump it, and it's reported to us and we find your name in it, you're still responsible," Woods said.
Officials also covered materials that are burned during today's meeting.
According to George Turner with ADEQ, most materials that are burned are prohibited materials. According to Turner, the only burning allowed by law in the state deal with burning for the purpose of clearing land, crop burning and barbecue pits. Items such as tires, plastics or shingles have to be disposed of in a landfill.
"Even if you're burning one tire, it's a violation. If there's a farmer using a tire behind a tractor to start a crop fire, even though he's allowed to burn the field, using that tire is a violation and he can be fined," Turner said.
Speaking to members of law enforcement, Woods also cautioned that as in any other law enforcement duty, officers should be prepared.
"This is something that really should be handled by someone who has been certified for law enforcement. There are things like the chain of evidence and so forth that must be followed because it is a legal matter, and if it's not, the case can be dismissed," Woods said.
Woods also said, "Officers have to be careful because with a lot of these cases you go out and you might find materials that are used for making methamphetamine disposed out there and a lot of the dumps are used by drug dealers. You might end up going through someone's marijuana patch as you're trying to find an illegal dump, so you really have to be careful."
Turner echoed Woods' statements. " A lot of time you'll find that someone who illegally dumps won't have a valid driver's license or their vehicle won't be registered, and if the county is writing the citation, that's money that goes directly into the general account. So, it can help a county in ways more than just getting rid of the dump."
According to Turner the largest means of disposing of solid waste is through illegal dumping.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A lawsuit has been filed in St. Francis County Circuit Court in which the plaintiffs claim harassment and damages because of their race.
Robert Stewart and Marcia Stewart of St. Francis County are listed as plaintiffs. Listed as defendants are Leslie Brown, James Brown and Nathan Brown of Woodruff County.
According to the lawsuit, the Stewarts, who are black, purchased 42 acres of land in western St. Francis County, near the Monroe County line in 1994. The suit states that access to the property is provided by County Road 932, also called Jay Bird Lane.
The lawsuit states that Leslie Brown leases the adjoining land on the south side of the Stewart property. The filing also alleges that since the Stewarts purchased the land, the defendants "have engaged in a pattern of intimidation, coercion and threats" against them.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that access to the property has been blocked, that ditches have been filled in, that a trench was dug across the county road, blocking access, that a pile of manure was dumped near the Stewarts' house, and that racial slurs have been used against them.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the defendants to cease the alleged activities; compensatory damages in excess of $75,000 and punitive damages in excess of $75,000 and legal fees. The suit also seeks a jury trial
With a filing deadline of noon on Sept. 6 approaching, several independent candidates have entered municipal races around the county.
In Widener, Larry White has entered the race for mayor.
Henry Kimble has filed as a candidate for mayor of Palestine. Also in Palestine, Bobbie Boileau has filed for the city council from Ward 2, Position 1.
In Colt, three independent candidates for city council have filed. Charles J. Ward has filed for Ward 1, Position 1; Joe Kerr has filed for Ward 2, Position 2; and Randy Hefner has filed for Ward 2, Position 1.
These filings are for municipalities which have not passed ordinances limiting the time that independents can file. For instance, Forrest City has an ordinance stating that its municipal elections are independent, and further stating that all candidates for city offices must file their petitions no later than noon on the day before the preferential primary election.