One of the most requested shows on Mustang 17, the Forrest City School district's cable channel, will open its second season Tuesday, Sept. 3, when Homework Hotline goes on the air again.
Homework Hotline will begin Tuesday from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m., and will be shown for the rest of the year, Monday through Thursday in the same time slot, according to Phyllis Russell, supervisor of federal programs.
Teachers will be available to offer homework assistance for Forrest City school District students either on the telephone or live on Mustang 17 -- which is channel 17 on East Arkansas Video, Channel 42 on Classic Cable and Channel 45 on Curtis Cable.
Hotline phone numbers are 261-1896, 261-1897, 261-1827 or 261-1859.
Homework Hotline will primarily be assisting students in grades four through 12, and the teachers will have textbooks available.
Teachers who will be available to answer questions will include Karen Busby, Chris Howard, both teachers at Forrest City High School; Deb Chapman, teacher at Forrest City Junior High; and Mary Allen, teacher at Forrest City Middle School.
Televised programming will be directed by Steve Murray with staff members Amber Nelson and Valarie Morrow.
"This is the second year for the hotline," Murray said, "and we had hundreds of calls after getting off to a late start in the school year. The team of teachers is very helpful, and students and parents have been asking when it was going to start this year."
Homework Hotline is funded through Chapter 1, although some of the funding is through a Rural Utilities Services grant that will be ending after September.
While many of the problems presented on Mustang 17 are offered to help students with homework, the teachers frequently work problems that will help students prepare for classroom or standardized tests.
The East Arkansas Community College Foundation is offering students an opportunity to apply for three scholarships at EACC.
The three scholarships are a General Education Scholarship, a Technical Education Scholarship and a Non-Traditional Student Scholarship. Students will be able to apply for these scholarships through the EACC Financial Aid Offices.
"This is an exciting time for the EACC Foundation," said Collie Walker, EACC Foundation Chairman. "We have worked very hard to establish these scholarships and we are very excited about offering this opportunity for EACC students. One of the primary roles of the Foundation is to assist students in their quest for an education."
EACC President Dr. Coy Grace, stated, "We would like to encourage all qualified students to apply for these scholarships. Of the many support services the Foundation provides to the students, faculty and staff at EACC, the establishment of these scholarships really gets to the heart of what our Foundation is all about."
The three scholarships will be awarded annually, divided into $250 each semester toward tuition at EACC. Selection is based upon financial need and scholastic achievement. Interested students should call the Financial Aid Offices at 870-633-4480 ext. 225.
Applications for the three scholarships should be submitted prior to September 15, 2002.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
With three officers injured or headed to the injured roster, and three fired earlier this year, some might think that the Forrest City Police Department is understaffed, but that's not so, according to Forrest City Chief of Police Clarence McNeary.
McNeary said the FCPD is operating at full efficiency without the use of overtime despite the vacancies.
In March, three officers were fired after being arrested on charges involving an insurance fraud scheme. A fourth officer is currently on sick leave after suffering from injuries as a result of a chemical spill that forced the evacuation of several Forrest City residents in June. According to McNeary, the force will also see two officers take leave soon for minor surgeries.
"Although we have some vacancies, we're juggling the work schedule and making sure that the people of Forrest City are kept safe. We only have to use overtime when it's a necessity, and so far it hasn't been," said McNeary.
The force has taken measures to beef up the staff, using auxiliary officers and also with the hiring of a new officer. McNeary also said that a second officer may be hired once the the department receives the results of a background check.
A bill likely to go before the Legislature next year to set limited hours for early voting has drawn the support of the St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith, along with the members of the Arkansas Association of County Clerks.
According to Smith, at meetings last week, clerks approved a measure that would establish uniform hours statewide for early voting. According to Smith, the current system, which allows individual clerk's to set their hours may cause confusion for voters who have moved into a county from another county. A move to set hours statewide would alleviate that problem.
"We've seen people that have moved into St. Francis County who said that they didn't know the times for early voting because the county that they moved from had different voting hours. My office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but there are places where the hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and so forth. With one system, then each clerk's office would hold the same voting hours for early voting and the time wouldn't be a problem," Smith said.
The proposed measure would limit early voting to the regular office hours of county clerks Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Saturday before the primary and general elections.
The House Interim Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Thursday recommended filing the bill for coming session. Clerks had worked with legislators on developing a bill. In the process, they were told last month to come up with a version they could live with or risk the General Assembly developing its own rules.
The committee also recommended filing a bill by state Rep. Barbara King, D-Helena, to limit early voting to Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-noon, ending on the Saturday before the election.
Secretary of State Sharon Priest cautioned that varying hours among different clerk's offices could still lead to lawsuits. Priest recommended allowing early voting from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m.-4 p.m., ending on the Sunday before the election.
Smith said that she would endorse any measure which would make early voting hours uniform. Early voting in the upcoming school election will open Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 8 a.m. in the Smith's office at the St. Francis County Courthouse. Voting hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Forrest City City Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, at city hall.
Councilmen are scheduled to open bids for a thermal imaging camera for the fire department. The group will also continue discussion on possibly purchasing land near the Sports Complex.
A resolution to accept a law enforcement block grant will also be discussed.