By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Officers with Troop D of the Arkansas State Police kept busy over the Christmas holiday period, but at least there were no fatalities in the troop's area.
Troop D takes in Crittenden, Phillips, Lee, St. Francis, Cross, Woodruff, Monroe and Prairie counties.
In all, Troop D worked 19 accidents during the official holiday period, which began Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. and continued until 11:59 last night.
Troopers made a lot of stops during that time. There were 253 people cited for speeding, and 31 arrests for DWI or DUI.
There were 64 safety belt violations.
Fifty-eight drivers were cited for other hazardous violations, such as running stop signs, following two close or reckless driving.
According to Captain Nathaniel Jackson, commander of troop D, there were 594 total arrests and 1,103 officer-violator contacts.
Jackson reminded people that for the purposes of the State Police, the New Year's holiday will begin Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. and run through 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2003.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
In spite of a year filled with budget woes and inclement weather, St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco summed 2002 up as a pretty much average year.
According to Cisco, although the county began the year faced with budget problems, through tough decisions made by the Quorum Court and penny pinching by elected officials, the anticipated problems ended up being minimized.
"We started the year off facing serious budget issues, but through the two-month budgeting by the Quorum Court, and with elected officials keeping a closer watch on spending, we were able to make it through the year," Cisco said.
According to Cisco, the county will again face cuts from both the state and federal governments and will also see a slight rise in delinquencies when the final settlement is received.
"We're hoping to get some relief from the state and federal governments and not see as many cuts as we saw this year. We hope they can get their issues settled so that the county can quit getting hit with cutbacks. Our biggest issue for 2003 remains the uncertainty in state funding, and we're also facing a higher delinquency rate once we receive our final settlement," he said.
Heavy rains in 2002 also created a number of problems for the county with several roads needing repair from the damages. According to Cisco, 2003 will see an increase in the repair work, and hopefully an increase in roads paved in the county. According to Cisco, repairs to the state's interstate system and construction of the bypass hampered paving efforts this year.
"The rains this year did a lot of damage across the county, and we were able to do a lot of work repairing those roads, but we've still got work to do. We didn't get as many roads paved this year as I would like to have, but that's something we really didn't have any control over. With the work on the interstate going on, and the construction of the bypass, paving companies have all they can handle, and we're just having to wait until they're available," Cisco said.
"We already have plans in the works for two roads this year. I've got the contracts on my desk to pave one of our roads, and we're also going to re-pave a road so we're starting to see some improvement," he added.
With 2002 being an election year, Cisco said efforts on the proposed transportation mall took a hit as some of the contacts needed by the county were busy seeking re-election. According to the judge, 2003 will be a year where the project once again makes its way to the front as efforts by his office continue to bring the project to fruition.
"We weren't able to do near as much as I would have liked on the transportation mall, but that was due in large part to the election. When you're working with as many elected officials as we have to, you understand that you have to back off and that's what we did. We plan to turn things back up soon, and we have our study in hand now and that helps. We're in the process of raising money to purchase the land, and then we're on our way," Cisco said.
One area of the county that didn't see problems due to lack of funds in 2002 was the NEARCO recycling center in Madison. According to Cisco, the plant prospered from the price of cardboard rising and will soon be expanding due to a grant which allowed the county to purchase a new baler for the center. According to Cisco, the plant is running so efficiently, that the employees have been stretched to keep up with the demand for their services.
"We saw the price of cardboard go over $100 per ton earlier this year, and that increased our revenues. We've been handling so much work that it's stretching our personnel. We have been extremely busy as factories in the area have increased their use of the facility. We'll soon be getting a new baler for NEARCO, and we will have to build a new building to house it, and it will increase our productivity. The EPA continues to increase their restrictions and we'll have to do more to stay within them. We've done pretty good for a center that's only in its fourth year in operation," Cisco said.
NEARCO was awarded earlier this year with the Arkansas Recycler of the Year award at a banquet at DeGray State Park.
A Forrest City man was arrested late Christmas Eve on several drug-related charges.
According to the police report, Richard W. Hamblin, 43, of 122 Tennessee Street, was stopped by an officer for allegedly driving left of center on Highway 70 East.
During a search, drugs were found, along with two small corncob pipes and a plastic tube which contained meth residue.
Two small children were in the back seat of the automobile. They were released to relatives.
Hamblin was charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance (marijuana), possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and driving on a suspended driver's license.