By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The filing period for the Democratic and Republican primaries begins at noon Tuesday, March 19, and ends at noon on Tuesday, April 2, according to County Clerk Elizabeth Smith.
The primaries will be held May 21.
According to Smith, there are three towns in St. Francis County -- Forrest City, Hughes and Wheatley -- which do not have primaries. These three cities have laws stating candidates must file by noon the day before the primary elections. These candidates will not be voted on until November.
"We have all the necessary forms," said Smith, referring to petition forms and campaign practice forms. "They can pick them up any time" during the filing period.
The deadline for registering to vote in the primary is April 22, according to Smith. She added that people who are registered by post office box number only may encounter problems on election day, because the computer may not print out their names.
"Those who are registered just by post office box may stand in line a little bit longer," she said. "They need to check with us to make sure we have their physical address."
She said people who may be affected can either call 261-1725, or stop by the County Clerk's office.
For those who are registered, early voting will begin May 6, according to Smith. Early voting, held at the clerk's office, gives people a chance to come in and vote, avoiding the crowds on election day. Early voting will continue through the last day before the election.
Smith said early voting is becoming more and more popular.
"I think early voting is really going to be the coming thing," she said. "We get more every year."
People may pick up absentee ballots at the clerk's office beginning the same day as early voting. Smith said no one can take an absentee ballot out of the office before that day. However, she said requests by mail might be filled a few days sooner, "if we get the ballots on time."
She said the last day to request an absentee ballot will be seven days before the election.
Smith also said there are election calendars at her office.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Advertising and Promotions Commission on Tuesday turned down a request from the St. Francis County Museum for the purchase of a $1,730 computer.
The requested computer would be compatible with a scanner already owned by the museum.
Commission chairman Kem Merrell said he believed in supporting the museum with publicity, but said he felt the commission would overextend itself if it agreed to give funds for the museum to buy a computer.
"I believe in supporting the museum, and we will continue to do so," said Merrell. "But I don't feel it would be right to purchase a computer for them."
The museum has received some recent budget cuts from the county.
On another matter, the Intertribal Native American Powwow is set for March 29-31. The commission is helping with publicity for the event.
The powwow will take place at the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds.
Commission members were also updated by Museum Director, Laura Mazzanti on an Arkansas Highway Department grant.
Last year, the commission agreed to loan $12,000 to the museum as matching funds for the grant, which will pay for turning part of the museum into an official visitor center for the Crowley's Ridge Parkway. The money will also go toward renovations to the second story of the building.
The grant had been tied up in paperwork, according to Mazzanti, namely architect bids and contractor bids. However, she said word has been received from the highway department that problems with the bidding process and contracts can be corrected.
An Indiana resident was extradited to Forrest City this week on a forgery charge surrounding a scheme to steal money from several local banks.
Ricky Aaron Williams, 36, was arrested Tuesday for first-degree forgery and conspiracy to commit theft of property over $2,500.
A second suspect in the case is in custody in Illinois.
Forrest City Police Department Criminal Investigation Division Lt. Dwight Duch said the case involves several states. The local investigation involves about $1,000 that was reportedly stolen by the two suspects during a series of wire transfers between banks.
Duch said the suspects allegedly used fake identifications to open an account at one bank, and then went to another bank where they would also open an account. At the second bank, the suspects reportedly would ask for a $5 cashier's check on the new account and then allegedly used that check to make counterfeit checks on the bank. The counterfeit checks were then cashed at a third bank so it would take time for the check to clear the bank, Duch said, adding that the suspects were also electronically transferring money to other accounts.
A training session for election workers will be held April 25 in the upstairs courtroom of the St. Francis County Courthouse.
The session will begin at 7 p.m.
The announcement was made at Wednesday's meeting of the county Election Commission, made up of Democrats Joe Young and Betty Proctor, and Republican Steve Hollowell.
This year, a minimum of two workers from each polling place must attend a training session before the May 21 primary.
Poll workers have not been named as yet. Proctor said she would go over lists of people who have been active at the polls in the past, and contact them about attending the training.
The training session is not limited to two people from each polling place. In fact, anyone interested can come, according to Young.
On another matter, the commission tentatively set its next meeting for Thursday, April 4, at 2 p.m., for the drawing of ballot positions.