By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Congressman Marion Berry told Forrest City firefighters and other "first responders" that they need and deserve the best in training and equipment, especially in these times of fears over terrorism.
"There may not be a terrorist act in Forrest City," Berry said during a visit at the Forrest City Fire Department, which was also attended by members of the Police Department. "And we all hope it doesn't happen. But we're almost certain it's going to happen somewhere. You guys may have to go to Memphis, or Little Rock or wherever and help with the situation.
"And I'm of the opinion that the best thing we can do is do whatever we can to get you guys to whatever level of training and equipment that you're going to need to be able to deal with whatever happens," he continued.
He sat down and got some feedback on what the local first responders need.
Fire Chief Dan Curtner said that in rural Arkansas, most fire departments are voluntary, whereas Forrest City has a full time staff. He said at times, Forrest City finds itself in a position not being able to get funding either because it is either too big or too small.
"They (small towns) have the opportunity to apply and receive things," said Curtner. "And then you jump up to the big cities. You're leaving the middle people, just blank."
He said as an example, last year Forrest City made requests for funding from FEMA to purchase a lot of haz-mat materials. He said he called recently and asked where the money was, and was told the first round of grants had been given.
"I asked what was the criteria, and she said the population of the county," said Curtner. "That's ridiculous. Crittenden County is sitting over there, and Earle, (in Crittenden County) that has less than 2,000 people, and they get $200,000 to set up a haz-mat team. And they are all strictly volunteers. And here we are in Forrest City, we've got 15,000 population. We've got an interstate running through here that has more than 40,000 vehicles, more than half of them tractor-trailers. Where's the balance there? We're sitting here in limbo."
"That's the reason I'm here," Berry said, "to try and work this out."
Police Chief Clarence McNeary was also there and said there was more need for training.
Berry recently learned he would be serving on the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, the panel charged with determining levels of funding for many federal law enforcement agencies and first responders. He promised to use his new position to seek funds to assist local agencies in Arkansas.
"The courageous men and women who served in local communities to protect our health and well-being have been neglected for too long. They put their lives on the line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," said Berry. We owe it to them to give them the training and equipment."
He said a recent administration decision to withhold federal money for first responders "doesn't make things more inconvenient -- it makes things more dangerous."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Clear skies and warmer weather may finally give St. Francis County Road Department crews an opportunity to handle some much needed repairs on many county roads after a period filled with rain and snow kept heavy machinery idle during February.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, road crews will be out in force over the next few weeks getting county roads back up to par after last month's wet weather.
"Last month, for about three weeks, it seemed like every time we'd get our graders out to a road the rain would set in and we would have to delay working on the roads. That has really put us behind, so now, we're going to work Monday through Saturday until we can get things caught up," Cisco said.
According to Cisco, work on school routes and the most heavily traveled roads will be the focus of early work with the secondary roads following.
"We've got to get our school routes in good condition first, and we'll follow that up with our busiest roads. After that, we'll get out to those secondary roads that are in need of work so that we can get everyone caught up," he said.
Cisco also gave an update on this week's transition in garbage carriers from B&B Disposal of Jonesboro to King Disposal, which is based in Palestine. According to Cisco, last week's snow and ice caused delays for both companies, but he is expecting the situation to clarify itself within the next week.
"It's my understanding that King Disposal had a few problems getting all of their carts out because one of the trucks carrying their carts was delayed due to the weather, and there was a problem at the factory that they get the carts from. They had to put out some temporary carts, but those will be replaced as soon as the new ones get in. Once everything is sorted out, then they should be on schedule," Cisco said. "I've also talked with B&B, and the weather last week slowed them down on getting everyone's garbage and getting their carts picked up, but they also expect to be caught up soon."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The St. Francis County Judge's Office is the second group in a week to come out warning local businesses that a company touting "The Official St. Francis County Map" is not affiliated with them.
According to officials in the judge's office, DFW Marketing has been contacting area businesses for advertising saying that they were the official map of the county. However, Tracey Teal, chief of staff for St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, said the county is contracted through Liberty Marketing for its map services.
"The maps that will be available from the judge's office will be handled through Liberty Marketing. Our office and the Chamber are the major providers of free county maps, and neither of us are using DFW. We understand that businesses can advertise with whomever they chose, but we just want to clarify which company we're working with so business people know," Teal said.
Last week it was reported that Chamber officials were also warning businesses about telephone calls from DFW Marketing.
The time has come for students interested in healthcare careers to apply for this year's M*A*S*H and Champs programs. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 30, for both programs. The event will be held this summer at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Forrest City.
The M*A*S*H, or Medical Application of Science for Health, program is designed to introduce students who will be in grade 11th and 12th this coming fall to the health care professions. It will be held from Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 20 from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily.
The CHAMPS, or Community Health Applied to Medical Public Service program is for students who will be in grades eighth and ninth this fall, and also provides an introduction to the health care professions. The program will be held from Monday, June 23 until Friday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.
Anyone that is interested or want more information may contact Berta Elphingstone at 633-6593, Judy Jayroe at 581-2459, or Denelda Michaelis at 581-2277.
An Ohio man was sentenced to five years in prison on drug charges Thursday during circuit court proceedings at the St. Francis County Courthouse.
Stephan Kent, 42, of Cleveland, was arrested in June after state police found an estimated 350 pounds of marijuana inside his vehicle during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Forrest City.
Kent was originally charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, but that charge was reduced to possession of a controlled substance during his court appearance yesterday.
One person was arrested when police executed a search warrant at a Forrest City residence early today.
Officers with the Forrest City Police Department served the warrant at the home of Marco Bobo, 24, at 204 E. South St., and found an estimated 6.4 grams of crack cocaine. The drugs are valued at $640.
FCPD officers were assisted in the raid by Arkansas State Police Trooper Rodney Myers and the ASP dog Murphy.
Bobo is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver near certain facilities.
The residence is located within 1,000 feet of the First Baptist Church which is defined as a certain facility in Arkansas Criminal Code. The charge carries of penalty range of 10 to 40 years to life in prison, and the certain facility enhancement allows for an additional 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Other people were in the house during the raid, but were not charged, according to police.
The case was turned over to the prosecuting attorney's office for final charges and disposition, according to the FCPD press release.