By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Bill Baxter has been here before. Six times before, to be exact.
On the eve of the seventh annual Rumble on the Ridge Thanksgiving Weekend Classic basketball tournament, Baxter admits he is still "a little apprehensive."
Baxter is the founder and director of the tournament, which hit the floor running for the first time in 1997. Each year the tournament features eight of the best high school boys' basketball teams from throughout the south.
The Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge tournament will tip Thursday, Nov. 27, at 3:30 p.m., and will run through Saturday, Nov. 29, at Mustang Arena.
Baxter said he is still hoping to "get it right." Not that the previous six have been done wrong -- he just wants to be certain that everything and everyone are working toward the same goal -- to produce the best high school basketball tournament possible.
Apparently, Baxter and everyone associated with the tournament are doing something right. Each year, the tournament draws national attention and has become one of the premier holiday tournaments.
Still, there's that little matter of "being apprehensive."
"There are always changes each year in the volunteers who work so hard," Baxter said of those people who give of their time freely and unselfishly for three days and then some. "Some people have to be out of town with family, and there are those who have other obligations, but there are always those standing on the sidelines who are willing to step up and step into vacated shoes when they are needed."
This year, Baxter has another concern -- one that he doesn't have any control over.
"This year, I think the Rumble will be a challenge attendance wise for us," Baxter said. "Largely due to the success of two of our local football teams and two other schools who are participating in the Rumble."
While Friday night crowds have traditionally been good, Thursday has always been the best day attendance wise for the Rumble. This year, the Friday schedule will be challenged by Palestine-Wheatley and Hughes, both of whom are still very much alive and well in the Class AA state playoffs.
Palestine-Wheatley will host Barton Friday night and Hughes travels to Junction City. The Rumble has always drawn solid support from both places.
Also, the West Memphis Blue Devils football team will be hosting Conway Friday night in a Class AAAAA semifinal football game, while the West Memphis basketball team will be playing in the Rumble. The basketball team, depending on how they fare on Thursday, will play at either 3:30 or 5 p.m. Friday. The football game begins at 7:30 p.m.
And finally, Pulaski Academy, which is sending it boys' and girls' basketball teams to the Rumble this year, will also be hosting a third-round football playoff game on Friday. You can also add in the Arkansas-LSU football game which will also be played Friday.
Aside from that, everything appears ready to go, according to Baxter.
Most of the teams are expected to arrive Wednesday for the traditional pre-tournament banquet that evening at the Forrest City Civic Center at 6 p.m. Following the meal, the teams will head to Mustang Arena for the Synergy Gas Three-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk competition which has become a fan favorite.
The admission to that, which will start about 7 p.m., will be a can of food to help the St. Francis County Food Pantry or a $1 donation to benefit the Forrest City Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Denham Springs, La., and Bradley Central, Tenn. will kick off the seventh Rumble Thursday at 3:30 p.m. This year's Rumble field includes West Memphis, Pulaski Academy, John Carrol, Ala., Hoover, Ala., Provine, Miss., and of course, the host team Forrest City Mustangs. Four games will be played each day.
Thursday and Friday's schedules will begin at 3:30, while Saturday's round of games will begin at 2 p.m. to allow for the first-ever girls' exhibition game to be played. That matchup will tip at 6:30 p.m., Saturday and features the Forrest City Lady Mustangs and the Pulaski Academy Lady Bruins.
Another change centers around the price of admission to the tournament, which has been levelized this year. Gone is the three-day package price. All tickets to the Rumble will be $5 per person per day, and all tickets must be purchased at the Muustang Arena gate.
Concessions will be available each day, sponsored by the Forrest City Athletic Booser Club.
Fellowship of Christian Athlete members will be selling the official tournament programs and action photos will be taken of the games and other activities during the three-day tournament.
Sara Cate Lewey will sing the National Anthem on Thursday,
prior to the 6:30 p.m., game between Forrest City and Provine,
while Courtney Buford will do the honors on Friday. Also Friday,
during the halftime of the 6:30 p.m. game, Forrest City dancer
Terry Rogers will be performing. And on Saturday, the Forrest
City sixth-seventh-grade dance team will be performing during
the halftime of the girls' exhibition game. Mallory Nelson will
sing the National Anthem on Saturday, prior to the championship
game which will start at 8 p.m.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
City council members got their first look at a preliminary budget for Forrest City government Monday night, calling for expenditures of just over $9 million.
The budget includes a 3 percent, across-the-board raise for all employees. Also proposed is an increase in salary for non-uniformed workers after a probationary period. Currently, starting pay is $6.50 an hour and increases in small increments after probation. Under the proposal, starting pay would still be $6.50, but would jump to $7.50 after the probationary time.
Bryant emphasized that the budget was preliminary. Revenue projections, which are also preliminary were actually about $100,000 less than expenditure projections, coming in at over $8.9 million.
He said there would be some refiguring of some of the numbers. He said there had been some computer problems, making it necessary to hurriedly figure numbers and that some errors might have been made.
Along with the 3 percent raise, the budget proposes some larger increases for some department heads, to bring them more in line with other heads of departments. The budget does not address Christmas bonuses, but Bryant said those would be discussed at the next regular meeting, Dec. 2.
The budget includes $9,000 for the St. Francis County Museum. Roger Breeding said he thought the museum should be getting its funding from the A&P Commission.
The budget calls for a new position in pest control. Bryant said he felt it was necessary because of concerns about West Nile virus. Breeding agreed, and said he hoped there would be more spraying. There was also some discussion about aerial spraying, but no decision was made.
There is also a proposal to add an employee in the parks department, someone who could act as supervisor in the absence of the department head. Cecil Twillie said this person should be someone recommended by the department head.
Security at the Municipal Sports Complex was also discussed. Breeding said he believes more certified police officers are needed.
"On any given night, you might have 2,000 or 3,000 Forrest Citians out there," he said. "I think we're fortunate that we haven't had a serious incident."
Bryant said his problem with security people in the past was that they didn't seem to be doing a lot. He said more certified officers were needed at the park.
Roy Hancock said it would help if security people, whether certified officers or not, would be consistent in enforcement.
The budget committee, made up of all the council members, will
meet again at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, before the regular council
meeting.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A rare meeting of the minds occurred Monday as Forrest City Civic Center Commissioner Shirley Harvell and Civic Center caterer Jim Hitchcock agreed that the new contract for food services at the building should be top priority for the commission at its quarterly meetings.
While the two did not agree necessarily on how food services should be handled, both told the commission that matters concerning the contract, which Hitchcock currently holds and expires in May, should be handled quickly. According to Hitchcock, if the commission chooses to rework its contract, area caterers will need time to review the new contract before deciding whether they should submit bids.
"When the contract for the catering expires in May, I think that it is of utmost importance that you get the new contract together. Whether it's using the old contract or writing a new one, or deciding not to have one at all. This is something that needs to be done rather quickly to allow those who might be interested in trying to get the contract time to look it over and then giving yourselves time to seek bids," Hitchcock said.
While Harvell would rather not have a contract, she did concur with Hitchcock saying, "For once, I have to agree with Mr. Hitchcock. This is something that we need to look at as soon as possible. I, for one, don't see (the need in) having an on-site caterer because we, as a committee, haven't been able to determine the importance of an on-site caterer. No cities with the same size civic center in the area have an on-site caterer, and I know that we've lost the use of some out-of-town caterers because of the lack of access to water and the kitchen," Harvell said.
Commissioners voted 3-to-1 to hold a called meeting in December to discuss the contract issues with their city council representatives, Louise Fields and Brent Ponder, along with Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant.
The matter of the catering contract was one of several issues Bryant suggested the committee take up in a July letter to the commission. A suggestion from Bryant to change the meetings of the commission from quarterly to monthly died for lack of a second when no member seconded a motion from Harvell to meet monthly.
A question regarding the purchase of a new generator was answered for the commission by city council member Louise Fields, who told the commission that the mayor had been authorized by the council to purchase the generator. "I know that he has approached the council about the need for a generator out here, and we gave him the approval," Fields said.
In other business, Harvell again questioned the method with which Hitchcock submitted quarterly reports and questioned whether a letter was mailed to the mayor asking for clarification of what constituted accurate records under the contract. In his quarterly report, Hitchcock added a page, which gave his financial statement for 2002. According to Hitchcock, figures which were given at the last meeting were not correct.
"At the last meeting of this commission, it was said by Ms. Harvell that I was making $90,000 per quarter, and it was erroneously reported in the newspaper. The figures that I have given you show that it was more like $90,000 for the year, and I just wanted to clear that up. City hall should have the same information that I have just given to you," Hitchcock said.
Members could not agree whether to table the issue of the letter
to Bryant, which went unanswered according to Commission Chairperson
Delores Morelon, and deadlocked at a 2-to-2 vote to table the
issue.
Dear Kids,
Christmas is right around the corner, and it's time for good little girls and boys to send their letters to me, telling what they want for Christmas.
If you'd like to have your letter published in the Times-Herald, make sure you get them to the paper before Dec. 17. Letters may be hand-delivered to 222 N. Izard in Forrest City, mailed to P.O. Box 1699, Forrest City, Ark. 72336-1699, or e-mailed to fctimes@thnews.com
All Santa letters received at the paper will be forwarded to me, here at the North Pole. So be nice and not naughty, and get those letters sent. And remember, I'm watching.
Love, Santa
Most of last week's selected Professor Pigskin football games went as expected, but there were a few well-placed upsets along the way.
Several Pigskin players got close to winning the cash prize with just three misses, but that wasn't good enough as Edward Euwing held off Sayre Gaskin to win the $50 by coming closest to the actual score in the Arkansas-Mississippi State "tie-breaker" game.
Both Euwing and Gaskin missed two each, but it was Euwing coming within 22 points of the actual score. Arkansas won the game 52-6 and Euwing's guess was 41-17.
There are only two weeks left for this year's contest, so guess wisely.
This week's list of selected games can be found inside today's Times-Herald.
An Illinois woman unpacking her car outside a room at a local motel was robbed Monday afternoon.
The Forrest City Police Department reported Doris E. Whitaker, 62, of South Elgin, Ill., was getting her things out of the car about 3:45 p.m., at the Best Western Motel on North Washington when a black male subject approached her from behind and placed a choke-hold around her neck.
According to the report, the suspect told Whitaker, "Don't scream, or I will kill you." He then reportedly grabbed her purse, which was still over her shoulder. The victim reportedly exchanged a brief tug-of-war with the suspect before he pulled the purse away and fled on foot to a nearby car. Police said the victim ran after the suspect, but fell down.
Police reported the purse contained an estimated $850 in cash along with a cell phone, keys and credit cards.
The suspect is described as five feet, nine inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a black shirt and pants, and fled in a red car with mud caked over the license plate.