By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Several Arkansas Department of Corrections inmates that were participating in the Act 309 program at the St. Francis County Jail were returned to state facilities last week after violating policy and procedures, according to St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman.
Parkman said four inmates who were in the state program, which allows ADC prisoners to spend portions of their sentences in county jails where they serve as trustees, were sent back to state prison after violating jail rules.
"Well, most of these guys weren't good church-going boys in the first place, and they were just messing up. They were violating our policy and procedure rules. So, we had to send them back," he said.
Parkman was unsure whether any of the inmates would be allowed back into the state program, but said that they would not be allowed back at the St. Francis County Jail. "If they can't follow the rules, then I don't need them here," said Parkman.
The county still has one remaining 309 inmate.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Students at Forrest City High School will receive a different type of education on Thursday, during the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce Education Committee's Career Expo. The event will be held at Mustang Arena.
Forrest City School District Deputy Superintendent Dr. Alice Barnes said the event will serve as an informational tool for the high school students.
"We're really trying to bring awareness to the students through the Expo. It will be an awareness day for them where they will be able to get information on job opportunities in St. Francis County," Barnes said.
The expo will consist of two sessions; a morning session which will be held from 8:30 until 10:30, and the afternoon session from 1 until 3. From 10:30 a.m. to noon, the expo will be open to the public and lunch will be served to exhibitors at noon.
According to Barnes, each exhibitor will have a booth and will meet with 10 to 15 students at a time for 15-minute sessions. Students will be asked to sign up for "career clusters," to get a better idea of which exhibitors they may want to visit.
"Our exhibitors are going to sit in with the students and explain what is necessary for them to work in their fields. They will talk to them about the educational standards needed as well as the salary expectations in each field" she explained.
According to Barnes, about 30 exhibitors will be on-hand Thursday.
"Our main objective is for our students to understand that it's not always necessary for them to have to leave the area to find good jobs and good careers," Barnes said.
Only five building permits were issued in Forrest City during March, with one permit making up the major bulk of the $334,640 worth of projects.
A permit was issued to Forrest City MRI, 981 Holiday Drive, for a new building valued at $328,000. The only other commercial project was a new sign at Parts World, 203 W. Broadway, valued at $2,000.
The remaining projects were for private homes, including a storage building, a remodeling project and repairs.
Kick Butts Day, a national effort to reduce the numbers of under age smokers, will be observed on Wednesday and Thursday of this week with the help of some Forrest City High School students.
Diane Jefferson, local coordinator of the event, stated that the Mustangs Against Drugs and Tobacco will speak to the students at Lincoln Middle School about the dangers of tobacco and drugs.
"The Mustangs Against Drugs and Tobacco is a group of 35 Forrest City High School students that have been trained by the American Lung Association to talk to other students about smoking," said Jefferson. "We will split the Lincoln students into 15 groups, and they will go to different groups of Mustangs to learn about things like the ingredients in cigarettes, the hazards of smoking and smoke-less tobacco, and general information."
Jefferson says the Wednesday event, to be held on the LMS campus from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., will feature speakers from the Arkansas State Police and the Forrest City Police Department. The Thursday event will be bigger, according to Jefferson.
"On Thursday, April 3, the Mustangs will hold an motivational anti-smoking rally at the Forrest City Civic Center. Our speaker will be Dr. Brenda Caldwell of Memphis. She will talk to the group about the health risks tobacco use causes." The Civic Center event will be held at 9 a.m.