By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Same course, new management.
That's the scenario for Saturday's 19th running of the Mightymite Triathlon.
The race will follow the same course as in past years, but with a new director -- its second in as many years.
Last year's one-time director Rich Trail stepped down, opening the door for Wyndell Robertson, a veteran of organizing triathlons -- primarily the Memphis in May triathlon -- to step in.
Robertson said the race is being limited to 500 participants this year. A year ago the number of Mightymite participants was right at 300. As of Thursday, this year's list of entrants stood at 290. Of that total, only five from Forrest City have entered. Other in-state participants will come from Conway, Hot Springs, Marion, Hot Springs, Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Magnolia, Benton, Maumelle, Jonesboro and Fort Smith.
Pre-race packets may be picked up Friday night at the Forrest City Civic Center, but as was the case last year there will be no pre-race buffet.
Mightymite will once again this year employ a professional timing crew at the finish line to ensure accurate finish times.
The race will begin at 8 a.m., Saturday at Village Creek State Park's Lake Dunn and the four-tenths of a mile swim.
The second leg is the 13-mile bike ride along Crowley's Ridge Road to the East Arkansas Community College campus.
From there, the entrants will run the final three miles to the finish line, which will be located on the practice field behind Sam Smith Stadium at Forrest City High School.
The awards ceremony will be held at Sam Smith Stadium as soon as all of the runners have finished.
For more information about the Mightymite or to register for the race, contract Robertson at (901) 276-0354 or check out the website at www.mightymitetri.com.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
A Forrest City man convicted of capital murder in 1981 will remain in prison for now.
Governor Mike Huckabee on Wednesday refused a commutation request from Bobby Joe Gibbs, 40, according to Huckabee spokesman Jim Harris.
Gibbs was sentenced in April 1981 to life in prison without parole in the death of Margaret Merrell, 49.
Granting a change of venue in the case, the trial was scheduled to begin in Cross County on April 30, 1981, but in a move that surprised some at the time, Gibbs, then 18, pled guilty to the capital murder charge after a jury had been seated in the trial. He had pleaded innocent to the charge at a Feb. 6 hearing.
According to previous reports of the murder, Merrell died from a single gunshot wound after an intruder entered her home on Highway 70 West, just outside the Forrest City city limits.
It was reported that Gibbs and an accomplice arrived at the Merrell home about 8 a.m. on Jan. 30, 1981. The accomplice reportedly lured the victim's husband, Glenn Merrell, away from the residence. He returned a few minutes later to find his wife being held at gunpoint, according to Harris. Gibbs and Merrell reportedly exchanged gunfire and the victim was shot in the head.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Several projects are currently under way to improve the service provided by the Forrest City Water Utility.
FCWU Manager Jim Beazley told commissioners Tuesday evening that two of the three pumps at the Mallory Road pumping station need to be replaced.
"The pumps' engines are a time bomb," Beazley told commissioners. "The third pump is fine, but I hope to let bids for the replacement of those two pumps at the Mallory Road station in the next few months."
Beazley said the pumps would be replaced with similar equipment because the pumps are not near capacity.
"The pumps are capable of pumping 10 to 12 million gallons per day. Right now, in dry weather, we pump 1.2 million gallons per day. Unless we have a huge increase in need, the current system, as is, will be just fine."
Beazley did express concern about the city's sewer system, however.
"I believe that our next big project should be increasing the sewer system. Right now it is undersized for our current needs. We should look at updating it in the next year or so before it becomes a problem," said Beazley.
In other news, one of the new trucks ordered for the Water Utility has not yet been delivered due to equipment renovations. It should be delivered in the near future, the commission was told.
Craig Jones, St. Francis County Assessor, wants to remind citizens that the deadline for reappraisal is fast approaching.
"If you have received an appraisal letter and there is a problem with it, you should call to get reappraised as soon as possible," says Jones. "The Board of Equalization meets from August to September and after September it will be too late and you will have to wait until next year to make any corrections."
For a reappraisal or for more information, call 630-1800.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The Palestine City Council was presented with a new fire ordinance at the rescheduled meeting held Tuesday night.
Volunteer firefighter Jeremy Sharp presented councilmen an updated ordinance that would bring the current law up to 1999 standards. The last ordinance was passed in 1979.
"This ordinance will bring the city to the current national and state codes. The codes we operate on now are from 1979 and need to be updated. It will really help us out," Sharp said.
The council passed the new ordinance unanimously, after some talk of tabling the issue until next month's meeting.
Police chief Stanley Barnes updated the council on a grant application for a new computer system.
"The computer system is a locator system for missing children," Barnes explained. "This system will link us to a national network so that we can send out information to the whole country if we have a missing child."
Barnes also told councilmen that the city has applied for a grant to hire a new police officer.