By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Gov. Mike Huckabee proposed Wednesday to pay millions in reimbursement to counties for housing state prisoners, a move which was welcomed locally.
The first word was that $5 million was to be utilized from the general improvement fund. St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman said this morning he had been informed that another $2.8 million from farm prison income would be added to that, for a total of $7.8 million.
"It's going to be a tremendous help to us," said Parkman, "given the financial state we're in right now. That's a pretty good chunk for us, especially during this situation."
County Judge Carl Cisco said, "Even some would help. The state has always been slow anyway. But this will be a big help."
He continued, "The last report we had, it was $135,000" that the county was owed by the state. "I'm sure it's more by now."
Huckabee's proposal offers a temporary solution to a long-running dispute between the state and the counties over money owed the counties for holding hundreds of convicted felons in local jails until room is available in overcrowded state prisons.
Sheriffs desperate to keep jails open and pay employees had earlier threatened to sue the state to force payment of a debt that stood at $5.7 million Wednesday, when 538 state prisoners were backed up in county jails.
Huckabee had suggested the state might cut off funding for prosecutors if the counties went to court. Both sides backed off and kept talking.
''The point is, everybody wants to make this work,'' Huckabee said at a news conference announcing the proposal. ''I thank them for their willingness to cooperate with us and be patient and let us try to find ways in which we could get this accomplished.''
General improvement money is set aside to pay for local or government projects. Huckabee said using the money for jail reimbursement likely would short other projects, but he declined to say which ones.
The $5 million, along with advancing $2.8 million that would be available for jail reimbursements when the fiscal year begins July 1, would allow the state to reimburse the counties through September, the governor said.
Payments could begin flowing within 30 days, the governor said.
A revitalized economy could provide extra funding by then. If not, Huckabee said, the Legislature could take care of any backlog with a supplemental appropriation when the regular session begins in January.
Huckabee's proposal must be approved by the state Board of Correction and reviewed by legislative committees since it would require a change in an existing appropriation.
''There's still some work to be done. Obviously we hope that will be an easy thing to do and that it will go along fine,'' said Pope County Sheriff Jay Winters, president of the Arkansas Sheriffs Association.
The $5 million would come from a $12 million appropriation for repaying bonds for two Newport prisons. The payments are based on prison farm sales, and sales are not expected to reach that level, according to Department of Correction spokeswoman Dina Tyler.
Huckabee said the state has fallen behind on reimbursements 16 times since 1980. He said he was hopeful that sheriffs would support legislation to provide flexibility to deal with the problem.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Construction on the third phase of the Federal Correctional Institution- Forrest City has reached the halfway mark.
Danny Smith, a construction representative, told members of the FCI-FC's community relations board Wednesday that a "really good, mild winter helped" construction on the project.
According to Smith, the Bureau of Prisons is expected to take over the new medium-security unit by June 8, 2003.
Warden Marvin Morrison said he has requested an additional 300 employees for the unit which is rated to house 1,152 inmates. However, Morrison said the realistic figure for inmate population is probably closer to 1,500.
New employees are expected to begin arriving in Forrest City in May or June next year.
Board members toured the perimeter of the new facility. The three housing units are each four-stories tall and nearing completion. Much of the exterior work on the buildings has been completed with a lot of labor now focusing on interior jobs. Smith said there are about 370 contractors on ite daily.
The prefabricated cells for the housing units are shipped to the prison site via tractor-trailer trucks from Nashville, Tenn. Each cell is large enough for two inmates and includes the necessary conveniences such as sinks and toilets.
Morrison also told board members he has received an additional $3.5 million for other construction projects to help the Institution get ready for the opening of the third phase. An additional warehouse is being built along with a pistol range and an addition on the training center.
A four-member committee was appointed to review requests for 90 computers the prison will be giving away to the prison community district which includes St. Francis, Cross and Lee counties. Board members Dr. Alice Barnes, Betty Mills, Rev. Vernon Faulkner and Richard Benson will serve on the committee.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A proposed community center for the city of Madison almost ran into a road block Tuesday, when members of the East Arkansas Enterprise Community Economic Committee recommended that requested funding not be given to Madison for the construction of the proposed facility.
Committee chairperson Charlene Sykes and commission members agreed not to fund a $35,000 grant to the city of Madison to help in the construction of the new facility. According to Sykes, commissioners agreed that funding should be spent on the possible renovation of the Butler school building in Madison.
Madison mayor James Brooks disagreed with Sykes. "The city council of Madison, myself and the citizens of Madison, agreed that the best thing for the city right now is to have this center since we presently have none. I have a problem with the commission moving away from giving the grant or denying the grant and then telling the city what it feels should be done."
Wheatley mayor Larry Nash agreed with Brooks. "I personally would have a problem if I came before the committee with a request that my council and citizens agreed on and the committee came back and tried to change what my proposal was."
Sykes argued that although asbestos problems have delayed anything being done with the building, efforts should be made to clear up that problem so that the city would have a larger facility than the planned 80-by-40 building.
"There is a school building in Moro that is being renovated, and they also had an asbestos problem so something can be done to remove the problem. With a new subdivision being planned and possible increases in population, the committee felt that a larger facility would better fit the needs of the city," Sykes said.
According to Brooks, studies on the asbestos removal and renovation put a price tag on work on the school over $1 million. Brooks also told board members that a committee has been put in place to seek funds for the renovation of the school, but efforts were not stopping regarding the construction of the new facility.
According to EAEC Director Dr. Robert Cole, administrators with the EAEC did not want to "hold the city of Madison hostage" by impeding in efforts to build the center.
"By denying this grant it is possible that we could harm other efforts that the city is seeking to help in the funding of this project, and we don't want to do that. Our purpose is to help citizens in the EAEC census tract, and our recommendation is that we do partial funding with the intent of helping the city receive further funding and if not allow them to come back before the board with a separate grant proposal," Cole said.
Commissioners agreed to give Madison a $15,000 grant. The city originally requested $35,000. Madison also received a grant of $12,000 to assist with the construction of sewer lines, water lines and streets in an effort to bring a 24-unit housing complex to the city. Madison officials requested $30,000 in funding.
In other business, Moro was given a $10,000 grant to assist in roofing on the construction of a community center. The city was asking for $25,000. According to Cole, efforts to receive the remaining funding are being sought through another program. Another grant approved by the committee will help bring sidewalks to areas of Wheatley. An application for a $7,000 grant was fully funded by the board.
The city of Widener, was another grant recipient, receiving approval for a $4,200 grant for the renovation of a building which will now house the police department and city clerk's office.
Two other grants were also approved, with NEARCO receiving $10,000 which will help increase the number of jobs available from nine to between 12 and 14 and the Delta BRIDGES, Inc. will receive $20,800 for a family and youth program for Housing Authority Tenants in the EAEC census tract which covers areas of Lee, St. Francis, Monroe, Woodruff and Cross counties, excluding Forrest City, Marianna and the eastern portion of Wynne.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A lawsuit by a Forrest City man against the Forrest City Housing Authority has been dismissed.
Michael Gray filed the suit against the housing authority, the housing authority board, FCHA Director Janet Duncan, assistant director Wayne McNeary and others, claiming racial discrimination.
"It's called a summary judgment," said Michael Dennis, an attorney representing the housing authority. "It's a process by which judges look at the facts each side presents, and determines the facts were not sufficient to go trial, so an order of dismissal will be entered."
He continued, "We've very glad for the result and think it is the correct decision by the judge."
Contacted earlier this week, Gray said a decision has not been reached on whether to appeal the decision, made by Federal Judge William R. Wilson Jr.
Gray, who is black, was a former FCHA employee. In the suit, he claimed that he had been placed on probation and later fired, because he filed as a candidate for a position on the Forrest City School Board, against a white incumbent. The defendants' position was that Gray was fired for not satisfactorily performing his duties as program coordinator.
In his opinion, Williams wrote that Gray "offers no evidence that gives rise to an inference that his supervisors were motivated to fire him because of his race. Mr. McNeary, who participated in the decision to fire Plaintiff, is an African-American male."
Gray said a decision on whether to appeal would probably be made later this week.
An undetermined amount of money was stolen during an armed robbery Wednesday night at the local movie theater.
The robbery was reported about 7:40 p.m. at the Broadway Cinema at 1101 E. Broadway.
Mary Lou Vaccaro reported to the Forrest City Police Department that she was inside the ticket window when a black male subject stuck a gun through the opening in the window and demanded money. She reportedly handed the suspect the money and he left running with another subject behind the theater toward the Happy Hollow area.
The first robbery at the theater occurred earlier this month when a money bag was taken from the owner of the business as she was attempting to get into her vehicle after closing. The first time, a black male subject reportedly approached her from behind a nearby parked vehicle and told her to give him the bank bag.
Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the subjects involved. Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers at 261-1499.
St. Francis County Quorum Court Justice Cliff Wise was the lone incumbent to file for reelection, Wednesday, in the second day of filing for the May 21, primary elections.
Wise, of Hughes, is seeking reelection during the Democratic primary to the post of Justice of the Peace for District 1. Wise was joined yesterday by Lamar Bridges, of Forrest City, who is filing for election to the Democratic Central Committee and Calvin Chism, also of Forrest City, who joined the race for Constable of Madison Township.
Tuesday, April 2, is the last day to file for the May primary. Filing for citywide races in Forrest City, Hughes and Wheatley opened today at noon and will close on Monday, May 20, at noon.