By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A railroad crossing in Palestine where two children were killed this week could have had crossing gates had city and state officials been able to agree on the fate of second crossing in the city.
John Waldrip, with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Safety Division, said efforts made in 1997 which would have placed crossing gates at the Arkansas Highway 261 railroad crossing were stalled after Palestine City Council members decided not to close the crossing at the intersection of Farrar and Sulcer streets, which is within one mile of the 261 crossing.
Two children, Angela Pate, 16, and her brother, Billy Pate Jr., 9, died of injuries they received Monday when their car was struck at the Highway 261 crossing just after 7:30 a.m.
"In 1997, I personally met with the mayor of Palestine (Willetta Carroll) and the city council to discuss arms at that crossing. We asked the city to consider closing the second crossing, and they were reluctant to do so," Waldrip said.
According to Carroll, council members refused to close the crossing because of the limitations they felt it would put on traffic in the city. Carroll also questioned the state's decision to install gates at three crossings in the nearby city of Wheatley.
"The council did refuse in 1997 because closing that crossing would have eliminated the only way into that neighborhood from one side of the city. I don't understand why the state insisted on us closing that crossing when they've got three crossing gates in Wheatley. We have more traffic with Hwy. 261, and we have their children coming over here every day, so I don't understand why we should have had to close that crossing," Carroll said.
According to Carroll, on Monday when the accident forced both crossings to be closed, residents were forced to travel to either Forrest City, or to Jumper's Corner to get from one side of town to the other. She also said the city had made numerous efforts to get gates at the crossing.
"We've made every effort in the world to get gates at that crossing, with the exception of closing the other crossing, but we haven't been able to get anything done. What I would like to know is where is our Highway Department Commissioner Buddy Benefield? He is supposed to live in his district, but I think he lives in Little Rock. I've talked with Marion Berry (U.S. Congressman), and he said that he would make every effort to assist us," Carroll said.
According to Waldrip there are close to 3,000 railroad crossings in the state, and the department installs crossings gates at approximately eight per year.
"The installation of crossing gates is very competitive. We have over 3,000 crossings in this state, and the funding we receive to install gates is very limited. On average, we install eight per year, and there have been efforts to get one over there," Waldrip said.
According to Waldrip, Monday's accident was the second fatal accident at the Hwy. 261 crossing in the past 15 years. According to Carroll, it was the eighth fatal accident at that crossing since 1949.
Officials with Union Pacific Railroad said that the company assists the AHTD by providing information and assisting with guidelines for determining where crossing gates are needed.
Applications are being taken for two $1,000 scholarships, to be awarded to Forrest City High School graduates who have been accepted to teacher education programs and agree to come back to Forrest City and teach.
The offer is being made by the Scholarship Committee of the Forrest City Education Foundation.
The application deadline is April 15. Applications are available at Forrest City school district offices and at East Arkansas Community College.
Catherine Coleman, who chairs the Scholarship Committee, said that employees of the Forrest City School District who give semi-monthly contributions through payroll deductions primarily fund the program.
"Others are welcome and encouraged to participate as well," she said.
Contributions may be sent to the Education Foundation at P.O. Box 2813, Forrest City, Ark., 72336.
Coleman continued, "The program has been a great success already. Our first scholarship recipient, whom we helped finance her senior year in college, is now a first grade teacher in Stewart Elementary School. Our second recipient is a much-in-demand math major. And last year, another math major, Douesha Williams, was selected for a scholarship to support her studies at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville."
She added that an endowment has been established to provide funds each year to be added to the scholarship grants.
"As the endowment is increased over the years, the annual scholarships it provides will also grow," she said.
Foundation Director Sonya Fletcher added that funds placed in the Scholarship Endowment are matched dollar for dollar by grants from the Walton Foundation to the Foundation, a county-wide affiliate of the Arkansas Community Foundation.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
A back-up plan for health insurance for city employees was approved at the regular meeting of the Hughes City Council this week.
The insurance change voted on in February was expected to save the city an estimated $17,000 a year over the previous plan. However, Mayor Donnie Mooney expressed concerns as to whether the new company could provide the quoted savings.
"I talk to the insurance company and they seem like they are trying to back down from the prices we were given last month," said Mooney. "With that, and the fact that they may not cover us at all, I've asked someone to present to us a back-up solution so that if the new company can't do what they said, we will not be without insurance."
Mooney added that the current insurance contract expires before the April meeting, and urged the council to listen to the alternate plan presented by insurance agent Linda Lindsey.
After Lindsey's presentation, which was based on the company that the city was going to terminate the current contract with, the council voted unanimously to accept the back-up plan and institute it if the new company could not offer them the quoted rates.
Hughes Police Chief James Wilson then updated the council on several issues including the departure of an officer.
"This past month, for those who don't know, we lost Officer Michael Thomas to the Marianna Police Department," said Wilson. "We have also inquired about the sponsored vehicles that most cities are putting in for. The deal is we could receive three cars at $1 each for three years. I'd like the council to vote to accept the vehicles if we are chosen to receive them." Councilmen granted Wilson's request.
Wilson made another request of the council, this time asking them to pass a resolution to accept a policy and procedures manual for the police department. That issue was tabled until the next meeting so that council members could have time to read it.
Finally, Mooney asked the council for permission to price a new city truck. According to Mooney, the city's one-ton garbage truck has become too expensive to maintain.
"We have had the truck for 10 years, and it is costing the city a lot each month to patch it up. I'd like to get a truck that we can just start up and go. My suggestion is a truck in the 2000 model range that will be new enough so that it won't need repair all the time, and it will last us hopefully 10 years." The council gave Mooney permission to begin pricing the new equipment.
A man siphoning gasoline from his car with a Shop-Vac suffered burns to a large portion of his body Wednesday afternoon.
The St. Francis County Sheriff's Department reported David Mitchell, 40, 263 SFC 314, in the Barrow Hill Road area, was cleaning out a gas tank at his residence with the hose of the vacuuming device inserted into the tank.
"It must have caught a spark, because the entire back end of the vehicle was burned to the ground," Deputy Joy Lee Hancock said.
Mitchell suffered burns to his face and upper body, and was taken by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City, where he was then airlifted to the burn center at the Med in Memphis. Mitchell was listed in serious condition this morning.
The Board of Directors of the St. Francis County Workforce Alliance recently approved a new name for the five-year old organization. The Workforce Alliance will now be known as the St. Francis County Community Development Corporation.
According to SFCCDC executive director Andre Stephens, the new name reflects a long term agenda to improve the lives of low income residents in St. Francis County.
"Community development is connecting the dots between people, land and money. It's building on your local assets to improve your local economy. It's both assisting businesses to grow and residents to improve their income.
In addition to the name change, the group has announced a press conference set for Friday morning to welcome the NETmobile to Forrest City.
The NETmobile is a wireless mobile van equipped with Internet access via satellite link. The NETmobile's mission is to assist businesses and educational institutions in the Arkansas Delta by providing access to the Internet and local, statewide, national and international information resources, according to the press release. The SFCCDC and ASU will be making the vehicle available to all residents in SFC.
The press conference will be held Friday, March 14, at 10 a.m., at the Forrest City Cyber Café located at 500 South Rosser in Forrest City. For more information, contact André Stephens or Pakita Rogers-Jones at 870-630-9131.
The second of two Harrisburg children injured last week when they fell out of a motor home has been released from a Memphis hospital.
According to Linda Smith of Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Matthew Marquis 3, was released earlier this week, following the Sunday release of his brother, Morgan Marquis.
The two boys were riding in a motor home on Kittle Road last Thursday. The mobile home was being driven by their mother, Shannon D. Greenhaw, 25, of Harrisburg. A door to the motor home opened and both children fell out.