By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
With the federal government's heightening of the terror alert Tuesday, even local law enforcement officials are being extra vigilant.
Director W.H. ''Bud'' Harper of the state Emergency Management Department said the alert was elevated to the second-highest level -- ''orange'' -- because the tenor of suspected terrorists under electronic surveillance was similar to that which preceded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Lt. Tom Wicker of Arkansas State Police Troop D, said while the alert was nationwide, it was more geared to overseas. However, there is still a heightened awareness.
"All law enforcement will be on a higher alert than normal," he said, "basically to guard anything in this part of the country that could be a possible target.
"We have a pipeline coming into West Memphis that could be a possible target. Memphis has issues as a possible target. The bridges in the Memphis area have been listed as prime targets. And we just look for anything out of the ordinary."
The counties in Troop D include Crittenden, Phillips, Lee, St. Francis, Cross, Woodruff, Monroe and Prairie.
While there may not be any major targets in St. Francis County, Chief Sheriff's Deputy H.N. Green said that is no reason to relax.
"You do the same things you've been doing," Green said. "You check your airports and any unusual movement by people who are strangers coming into neighborhoods.
"Of course, everyone is having small gatherings today -- the courthouse, hospital, college and the schools. The only thing you can do is be more observant and be aware of your surroundings."
Green said any resident in the county who observes anything unusual should call.
"And we'll check it out. Basically, that's all we can do. We don't have any major facilities to guard in our county. And I'm glad we don't. If you're short of manpower, they (terrorists) are going to know it. They'll know more about your business than you do if you're not careful."
In Forrest City, Police Chief Clarence McNeary said the alert is constant.
"To be perfectly honest, we've never been off alert since the events of a year ago," McNeary said. "It made us more cognizant of how vulnerable we are. And the police are not really doing anything different today."
Harper and U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins, who is coordinating an anti-terror task force for the state's Eastern District, said residents should call authorities to report any suspicious behavior.
Cummins said task forces have trained people in an array of agencies and businesses to help avert a terrorist attack.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was keeping closer watch on locks and dams, some retailers were looking out for suspicious purchases or patterns of buying, and security chiefs at obvious targets may increase visibility. Truckers can also report on what they see.
The task forces also were reminding members of communication plans so agencies that need information get it and can act on it.
''We encourage (members) to brief their personnel and ... encourage them to be extra vigilant and report information as promptly as they can,'' Cummins said.
The FBI was leading the effort to investigate any terror threats, he said. The FBI office in Little Rock referred a call for comment to a national office.
Cummins said the agencies were keeping an eye on a variety of potential targets that include Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, defense-related industries near Camden, Arkansas Nuclear One in Russellville, the chemical weapons depot at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, universities, bridges and other important transportation spots.
''We're not aware of any credible threat to an Arkansas target,'' Cummins said.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City School District is seeing something that it hasn't seen in 15 years an increase in students throughout the district.
FCSD Superintendent Lee Vent said a 5 percent increase in the student body is projected through the first three quarters of the school year. According to Vent, the rise in students has stopped a steady downward spiral that the district has seen for the past 15 years.
"For the first time in a while, we're seeing an increase in students. We have seen an average drop of 114 students a year until last year when the number of students leaving wasn't as great. This year, not only have we seen students returning to the district, but we've seen an actual increase in the number of students district wide," Vent said.
According to figures provided by Vent, there were 3,967 students in the FCSD at this same point last year. That number has grown to 4,048 to start the school year, which is an increase of 81 students, and according to Vent, an average of a 79 student increase over the first three quarters of the year.
"School funding is based on the number of students that you have per quarter, so this is going to help the district for years to come. It's just great to see the positives over the negatives," Vent said.
The student enrollment breakdown is as follows:
Kindergarten, 320 students; first grade, 380; second grade, 315; third grade, 306; fourth grade, 331; fifth grade, 294; sixth grade, 318; seventh grade, 349; eighth grade, 310; ninth grade, 294; 10th grade, 269; 11th grade, 290 and 12th grade, 239. There are also 33 severe-need students enrolled in the district.
According to Vent, the greatest increase in student enrollment was seen in the seventh and eighth grades.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Two issues on which Arkansas voters will be voting in November were addressed at Tuesday's annual meeting of the St. Francis County Farm Bureau.
Stanley Reed, vice president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, spoke against Initiated Act 1, which would make animal cruelty a felony, and against a proposed amendment which would remove the sales tax on food.
The bureau members had already approved a slate of legislative positions, which included opposition to those two items.
"It's not that we at Farm Bureau are opposed to treating animals fairly," said Reed. "We already have laws that make mistreating, killing or maiming an animal a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by one year in jail and a fine. I think that is a pretty severe penalty for harming or mistreating an animal."
He claimed that the proposed act, besides making cruelty to animals a felony is too vague in its definitions of what constitutes cruelty, making it illegal to mistreat any animal.
"That is a pretty broad statement," he said. "'Any animal' can include a grasshopper, a mouse, a snake, a skunk, a coyote, a stray dog."
He said the act could have an adverse affect on animal agriculture, because it does not define agricultural practices. He said the bill might also affect hunting and fishing. He said that shooting a duck one minute before season opens or being just one over limit could mark a person as a convicted felon for the rest of his or her life.
He also said that two-thirds of the money supporting the initiated act are from out of state animal rights groups, "who are vehemently opposed to eating meat, to animal agriculture, and to hunting and fishing."
According to Reed, the amendment to remove sales tax from food would wreck the budgets of state and local governments.
"Unfortunately, it looks like it has a landslide victory, if something is not changed," he said. "We believe there is a chance that the courts will remove this amendment from the ballot. We have no assurance of that. Right now it seems that about a 70 percent majority of the state favors it. Farm Bureau has opposed this for many, many years...This year especially, we see a budget problem in the state of Arkansas like we haven't seen in years, we've got a school district case that could require the spending of up to $1 billion to rectify some problems in our public education."
He said more than $400 million in tax money could be lost around the state.
"We're going to see some real, real tragic results take place (if the amendment passes). It is irresponsible, it's not good government, and we would urge you to oppose it."
As entertainment for the evening, the guest was Gussie Michaelis, who performed her Minnie Pearl act.
Several people were recognized, including the J.T. Jarrett and Sons partnership, the St. Francis County Farm Family of the Year.
Several young people spoke. These included Lauren Collier, Miss St. Francis County Rice; Amanda Ramsey, who attended M*A*S*H Camp; Derick McCollum, who attended CHAMPS Camp; Chelsea Jones and Ashley Gatling, who attended Teen Challenge, and the state Dairy Recipe winner, Eddie Reed Rice.
The Women's Committee was recognized for again being named the Outstanding Women's Committee in the state.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Caldwell Council members were updated during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday night on certain guidelines governing the city's planning commission.
Mayor Gary Hughes told councilmen that the commission recently reviewed a request regarding some property in town, and although that request had been withdrawn, its presentation has raised questions regarding the commission's guidelines and what it can and cannot do.
"We are looking into refining our guidelines to bring them before the council," Hughes said.
Hughes also said the city should hold a public hearing before the proposed changes are voted on so the public can voice opinions and concerns.
In other news, Hughes reminded councilmen the city's second annual Cotton Pickin Festival will be held Sept. 27 and 28.
"We are getting ready for the festival in two weeks," said Hughes. "We are still in need of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, call Jeanie Lindsey at 633-6771."
The East Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees will meet Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
Along with some of the agenda items are a status report on the facade and driveway modifications, a fiscal year-end report, and a report on new hires. There will also be presentation and approval of the 2002-2003 college catalog and a discussion of the college yearbook.
Three more thefts from automobiles were reported this week, adding to the rash of recent similar thefts.
At about 4:37 p.m., Monday, Holly Bartlett of Marvell reported that she returned to her unlocked car at Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute, where she was attending classes, and found that her stereo had been taken.
At 6:15 p.m. Ernest Hill reported that he came out of his workplace at the Music Shop, 1417 N. Washington, and discovered that a leather briefcase was missing from his auto. The bag contained several credit cards, $300 in cash and several check books. No forced entry was found.
At 6:20 p.m., Weston Lewis reported that he had parked his vehicle at 1421 N. Washington and when he returned he found his gas cap missing, along with his driver's license and a $20 bill from the center console.