By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
St. Francis County is still waiting to know the results of the final tax settlement for 2002, and county officials may not know the tally for another couple of days.
County Clerk Elizabeth Smith said problems balancing the figures on the tax settlement have caused the delay.
"We're working to try to get this solved, and it's just been a problem of balancing the figures from the collector's office with the figures that I have. Once that's done, then it should only take a day or so to get the final settlement in," Smith said.
In October, the Times-Herald reported that more than $800,000 more in property taxes were collected in 2002 than in 2001. According to that story, in 2001, collected taxes for 2000, stood at $4,265,191.86 with $1,093,638.21 in homestead reimbursement. The total collected was $5,265,181.86.
It was also reported then that in 2002, the 2001 taxes collected totaled $5,956,085.15, with an additional $1,227,193.23 in reimbursement from the state for homestead credit, bringing the total taxes collected in 2002 to $7,183,278.38, which left a difference of $824,458.31.
Smith said she was unsure how large a difference would be determined in the figures from the collector's office and the figures compiled in her office, but did say that she felt like the matter could be finished soon.
"I've been working on this, and we've closed the difference significantly. So now we're checking our figures and comparing them so that we can get this solved," Smith said.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Homelessness may be a bigger problem in larger cities, but according to Yolanda Jackson Jones, it is a problem here in Forrest City as well.
Jones runs a homeless shelter on North Washington street funded by the Our Daily Bread Christian Center and donations. She says that although local residents may not see them all of the time, the homeless are still here.
"The people we help are not all living on the street," said Jones. " A lot of the people we help are just really down on their luck. They have lost their jobs and need somewhere to stay until they can find another. Most of the people who have come here have found jobs and have left because they can support themselves. We once had a man whose car broke down on Interstate 40 and had no money to get it fixed. We housed him until he could get money from his relatives to help."
The shelter, which has been open since April of this year, was something she was called to create, according to Jones.
"I would see homeless on Wednesday night at our services. They would ask if we had a place for them to sleep and something to eat. We would feed them, and I felt that the Lord was calling me to help these people. We had no money to rent or buy property, so my husband and I sold our house."
Jones and her husband, Pastor J.B. Jones the pastor of the Our Daily Bread Christian Center, having sold their home to purchase the shelter property, now reside with the people they help.
"We have strict rules here," added Jones. "This is not a party place. There is no drinking or smoking, and we don't allow people to be up all hours of the night. They are here to better their lives. We have had people refuse to live here because of our rules, but most of the people have been willing to do what we ask for the help we give."
Jones says several thousand dollars worth of work on the shelter needs to be done, and some basic needs still need to be met.
"We started in April needing $28,000 for repairs to the house. Now, thanks to donations, we need about $10,000 in repairs," explained Jones. "There are several things that need to be done. The most pressing is the kitchen sub-flooring that is rotting out. The estimates on the flooring alone have been around $4,000.
"We also need some work done on the exterior of the building as well. A phone line and computer are needed, some appliances need to be replaced and outside lighting needs to be installed for security. We have held fundraisers each month since April, but we are in desperate need of donations of money or useable items."
Jones commented that any donations will be greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the shelter located at 1220 North Washington in Forrest City. The shelter is non-profit, and according to Jones, all donations will go to help the homeless.
A 14-year old Hughes girl was allegedly raped early Sunday morning after leaving the scene of an argument with her parents.
The Forrest City Police Department reported officers were called to a home on West St. Andrews Street at 12:36 a.m. Sunday, where they spoke with the teen. According to the report, the girl had been found earlier in the night by her parents at a house near Day Street, in bed with a 25-year-old man. After arguing with her parents, the youth left the resident walking west on Day Street.
According to police, the girl accepted a ride from a black male, driving a burgundy four door Nissan, after she declined a ride from a couple that asked if she needed help. According to the report, the pair rode around "for a little while," before stopping at the home of one of the girl's relatives. Police said the girl was later allegedly taken from that house at gunpoint by the man after he and the girl's relatives attempted to keep the girl from leaving with him. The girl was then allegedly taken to a vacant home where she was reportedly raped.
No arrests have been made.
Several offices will be closed for the New Year's holiday Wednesday, Jan. 1.
These include the Forrest City City Hall and the St. Francis County Courthouse. The business office at Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute will be closed on Wednesday.
The offices of the Times-Herald will be closed Wednesday for the New Year's holiday, and will be open for business Thursday.
Two 17-year-old Forrest City teens were arrested Sunday at Stuart Springs Park on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver near a certain facility and violation of the city park curfew.
According to a report from the Forrest City Police Department, an officer on patrol with the FCPD spotted the gates to Stuart Springs Park unlocked at 5:30 Sunday evening. While investigating the unlocked gate, the officer approached a vehicle which was parked in the driveway of the park and spoke to the occupants of the car.
Police reported that while conducting a search of the vehicle, the officer found approximately 26.3 grams of marijuana wrapped in individual bags; a clear plastic bag and remnants of two marijuana cigarettes, which were found in the ash tray.
A Forrest City woman was arrested early today on charges of criminal possession of a forgery device and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance after members of the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department searched a motel room at the Regency Inn on East Broadway.
According to a report at the sheriff's office, Ashleigh Marie Holland, 27, 75 SFC 335, Forrest City, was arrested at the motel after officers found a computer and printer that were used to process and print forged checks in a room occupied by Holland. According to the report, deputies received an anonymous tip that lead to the arrest.