By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Two Forrest City men who are being questioned in a triple homicide are being held without bond on a variety of other charges at an area jail facility.
Kevin L. Mosby, 30, and Jimmy Lee Mills, 30, were arraigned before Forrest City District Court Judge Steve Routon Wednesday afternoon at the St. Francis County Jail. The hearing was held in the multi-purpose room at the jail due to security concerns, according to St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman.
The two men were extradited from Hudson, Wisc., on Tuesday by officers with the Forrest City Police Department and the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department.
Although the men are being questioned in connection with the deaths of three men in Crow Creek last month, they have not been charged with those murders. However, Mills is charged with capital murder in connection with the Dec. 28 death of a Forrest City man. In addition to the capital murder charge, he is also charged with theft over $2,500.
Mosby is charged with rape, kidnapping, aggravated assault on a family or household member, theft of property over $2,500 and a parole violation.
The current charges against Mosby and Mills will be heard in circuit court.
Following the hearing, Parkman said the two men were transported back to an undisclosed jail location where they will be held until further notice.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Public Library will lose some of its state aid this year due to funding cutbacks and because the library does not meet the required guidelines for personnel, FCPL board members learned this week.
Carolyn Ashcraft, Coordinator of Extension Services with the Arkansas State Library, told board members that Forrest City will receive only $8,006 from the state for 2002, as opposed to the $27,466 the facility received last year from the state.
"Because of the recent cutbacks in state funding, we (state library), were to receive no funding at all because we fell under category C in state funding," said Ashcraft. "But because legislators are giving us $1.5 million, and the department of education provided another $1.5 million, we now have $3 million dollars to spend on public libraries."
Ashcraft said Forrest City did not meet the state's full criteria to receive an additional $13,000 in state funding because the library no longer has a director with a master's degree in library sciences. "You have to meet standards to qualify for state aid," she said. " These criteria, were set by the board in 1988 and it hasn't changed since. By not having an MLS director, Forrest City will not receive an additional $13,000 in aid from the state."
The library is slated to receive the $8,006 from the state in three-quarterly payments. The first two payments are expected to be $2,572. The third payment is projected at $2,862, but may be cut.
Ashcraft said there may be more cutbacks on the way for state libraries after the board meets in February, and that may jeopardize the third quarter payment from the state. "Some are optimistic, and some are pessimistic, about future cutbacks. However, I am in between, and we may not be able to distribute funding in the third quarter."
The library is currently advertising for a director in trade publications, and board member Brad Beavers asked Ashcraft if the library could still receive the additional funding if a director is hired. "Can we be bumped up if we do find someone with an MLS, or will we loose that part of the funding for the rest of the year?" asked Beavers.
Ashcraft said she was certain the library could, if funds are available.
Beavers told Ashcraft the board only received two candidates for the position, since advertising the position last year.
Ashcraft suggested that board chairman Jim McInturff write a letter to Bob Black, chairman of the state board, regarding the breakdown for state aid. "If enough people let him know what your situation is like, then maybe some policies can be changed. In the future, we may look into qualifying libraries for aid if they have employees certified at certain levels. Then, the libraries would receive funding according to those levels," she said.
In other business, board members voted to not allow patrons to enter chat rooms via the Internet on the computers at the library.
Denny Jarratt has been named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Brice Fletcher has been named president of First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas.
These changes are the result of a management succession plan initiated five years ago. Doug Glover, who has been chairman and chief executive officer during the past 25 years, will continue with the bank as vice chairman with reduced day to day responsibilities, and will be available to assist the chairman and president as needed. The plan calls for Glover to continue in this capacity for the next five years, according to a FNBEA press release.
Jarratt began working at the bank part-time in 1963, and became a full time employee in 1970. He has been president of the bank since 1991. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He has served locally as president of the Rotary Club, president of the Forrest City Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church. He, and his wife Nancy, have two children. Their son Joe, who lives in Memphis, is a member of the board of directors of the bank, and their other son, Hugh, is a second-year law student at the University of Arkansas Law School at Fayetteville.
Fletcher has been employed by FNBEA for 19 years. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Arkansas Bankers Association. He has served locally as president of the Forrest City Chamber of Commerce, the Forrest City Industrial Development Corporation and the Forrest City Rotary Club. He is a member of the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church. He and his wife Sonya have two children; Klint, who is in the ninth grade in Forrest City, and Jules, a two-year-old daughter.
Other officers who received new titles are Curtis Gentry, senior vice president and Dianna Jackson, assistant vice president.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Two St. Francis County cities -- Forrest City and Wheatley -- have received approval from the Arkansas Highway Commission for funding to construct and replace sidewalks and to build handicap ramps.
The money is for an 80-20 match, in which the state pays 80 percent.
Forrest City was approved for $167,236. According to Mayor Larry Bryant, the money will continue an ongoing effort to get sidewalks to much of the city. This latest grant will concentrate in the downtown area of North Rosser, Hill and East Broadway streets.
"We'll do the downtown area, and then if there's any money left, we're going to go west (on Broadway)," said Bryant. "We're going to try to build up the infrastructure downtown."
He said sidewalks are not the only concern downtown.
"You can find places downtown that aren't handicapped accessible. We want to make all the downtown area ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible and bring up our sidewalks. It's all part of a major plan of trying to improve life in Forrest City."
Larry Nash, mayor of Wheatley, said he was pleased to be receiving the grant. Along with sidewalks, Wheatley was also approved for new street lighting. The project will effect the area of Memphis Street, plus 7th and 8th streets.
"The lighting is around the park," said Nash. "The sidewalks are going all the way down Memphis Street."
He said in some places there will be a sidewalk for the first time, and in others, old sidewalks will be replaced.
The funding for Wheatley and Forrest City is part of $20 million in enhancement projects which were funded by the Arkansas Highway Commission.
The enhancement category of funding was created by the U.S. Congress in 1991 for non-traditional transportation related projects.
Other nearby areas for which funding was approved include Wynne, which will receive $160,635 for reconstruction of sidewalks in the downtown area and construction of new sidewalks along Martin Luther King Street, L'Anguille Street and Falls Boulevard; and West Memphis, which will receive over $1 million for several projects, including the historic downtown district, Mid-South Community College, the Sunset Walkways Project and others.
"The Commission will continue to provide the citizens of Arkansas with the best possible system of highways, but I am pleased that we are able to assist local communities with projects such as these," said Highway Commission Vice Chairman J.W. "Buddy Benafield.
Three four-wheelers reported stolen recently in St. Francis and Lee counties have been recovered.
The St. Francis County Sheriff's Department reported deputies arrested two suspects in connection with the thefts when the four-wheelers were recovered this week.
Christopher Gardner, 18, of Palestine and a 17-year-old Palestine juvenile were arrested Wednesday and charged with theft of property over $2,500 when police found them riding two of the stolen all-terrain vehicles on SFC 838.
According to reports, a witness notified the sheriff's office that he had seen the two subjects riding on SFC 838. SFC deputy Chris Ratliff and Gene Wingo responded and found the vehicles on the side of the county road.
Auxiliary deputies assisting with the call saw Gardner in a vehicle on the north end of the road. He was reported to be muddy and reportedly avoided answering questions about himself.
After further questioning, the suspect reportedly admitted to stealing the four-wheelers and named the juvenile subject as an accomplice and told authorities where they could find another four wheeler that had been stolen from Jerry Jarrett of Palestine. Jarrett reported two four-wheelers stolen from his property on Tuesday.
The juvenile was turned over to the sheriff's office by relatives.
According to reports, other arrests are pending, and the case is still under investigation.
The Forrest City Community Voices will host the Youth of the Year banquet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at the Forrest City Civic Center.
The guest speaker for the event is Renee Malone, an employee with UPN 24 News in Memphis.
Tickets for the event are $10, and may be obtained by contacting any member of the Community Voices or by calling 501-633-8799.