By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A 73-year-old Palestine man walked away from an accident this morning at the same railroad crossing in Palestine which claimed the lives of two children in March.
Palestine Police Chief Todd Baggett said the victim, Carl Hankins, was the step-grandfather of Angela Pate and Billy Pate Jr., the victims of the March 10 accident. Baggett said that Hankins, who was traveling southbound on Arkansas Highway 261, had his vehicle too far into the crossing when a Union Pacific train, which was headed west, collided with his Buick Skylark.
"He was really lucky to get out of this," said Baggett. "He just pulled his car a little too far into the crossing and the train hit his front end.
"If there is such a thing as a good accident, this was one," said Jimmy Dale Poe, with the Palestine Fire Department. "When we got to the scene, he was already out of his vehicle and walking around," he said.
In March, 16-year-old Angela Pate, and her 9-year-old brother Billy, were hit by a westbound UP train at the same intersection, which does not have crossing guards. The siblings were on their way to school in Palestine when the accident occurred, and both were airlifted from the scene. Angela Pate, who was a 10th grade student at Palestine-Wheatley High School died the day after the accident at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. Her brother died the following day at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis.
According to Palestine Mayor Willetta Carroll, city officials have attempted to get guards for the crossing, but to no avail. When asked about progress towards getting the crossing, Carroll said, "Did you see one up there? We still haven't gotten anywhere. We're continuing to try to get the state to install the guards, but we just haven't been successful. We've talked to several people, but so far, we just haven't been able to get anything done."
Officials with the Arkansas Highway Department in March said there have been two fatal accidents at the Hwy. 261 crossing in the past 15 years. Carroll said that there have been eight deaths at the crossing since 1949.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Friday will mark the first time that St. Francis County and Forrest City have hosted the Arkansas Delta Byways (ADB) Delta Awards. The event will be held at the St. Francis County Museum and the Forrest City Civic Center on Friday, Oct. 3, beginning with a social hour at 5 p.m. at the museum and continuing at 6 p.m. at the center.
The ADB is a non-profit tourism promotion association recognized by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. It is the official tourism and promotion association for 15 counties in the Delta including St. Francis County. The other counties that the ADB represents include Arkansas, Chicot, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips and Poinsett.
The fourth annual awards banquet honors groups and individuals that have helped the tourism industry in their areas. Laura Mazzanti, director of the SFC Museum, has been named one of the three finalists for the Outstanding Member Award, which is given to an active member of the ADB for significant contributions to the organization and for promoting tourism in the region. According to Mazzanti, this is not the first time the SFC Museum or its staff has been nominated.
"We have been nominated in at least one of the nine categories that the Arkansas Delta Byways give awards for four years," commented Mazzanti. "The nominations are made by the Delta Byways Board and other people involved in tourism in the region. The members of the board from St. Francis County are myself, Peggy Wright and Jackie Beane. Peggy and I are also co-chairs of the board. A screening committee narrows the nominations down to three."
According to information provided by Mazzanti, there are eight categories in addition to the category that she is nominated in. They are: Media Support, Hospitality Award, Entrepreneur Award, Tourism Support Award, Festival/Event of the Year, Boot Strap Award, Promotional Award, Cultural Heritage Award and Tourism Person of the Year.
Mazzanti said that, "The biggest deal about the banquet for me and the museum is that we have a chance to show the 150 Byways members and people in the tourism industry that will attend on Friday night what St. Francis County and Forrest City has to offer. We will hold a social hour before the actual banquet at the museum. At the social hour, we will showcase an exhibit by Peggy Wright and Dr. Brady Banta. It is called 'Arkansas Delta Agricultural and Community in Transition, 1920-1980: An Oral History'." Mazzanti stated that it is an oral and photographic traveling exhibit done by the Arkansas State University Delta Studies Center and includes 106 interviews with people who experienced various aspects of the delta during that 60-year period. She also added that the interviews include Mayor Larry Bryant and Otto Kirkpatrick, both of Forrest City.
"The exhibit starts that night, and the public is welcome to come out and take a look. It will be free until Thanksgiving," said Mazzanti.
Lastly, Mazzanti expressed thanks for local support of the banquet. "We are very pleased with the support we have received from both St. Francis County and Forrest City. We will have a good showing of attendance from local groups, including the Forrest City Advertising and Promotion Commission, the Forrest City City Council and the St. Francis County Cultural Foundation. Without their support, this would not have been possible."
Social hour will be at 5 p.m. at the Museum. A silent auction
will be held at 6 p.m. at the Forrest City Civic Center and dinner
will follow at 7 p.m. According to Mazzanti, the award presentations
should begin at about 7:30 p.m.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
With 5,000 pounds of Boston butts, 210 gallons of baked beans, 720 pounds of cole slaw, 4,200 iced drinks, 300 loaves of bread and 50 cases of BBQ sauce; Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute is prepared to feed an army at their 16th annual Vo Tech BBQ on Friday.
According to Jimmy Davis, head of Video Production Service for CRTI, the event has the same purpose that in did when it began in 1988. "This is the only fundraiser we hold for the school as a whole," said Davis. "The BBQ was founded because of the high price of textbooks. Many students would enroll, but could not afford books until a Pell Grant or other financial aid sent them a check. The BBQ allows each student to start school with their needed books. The students then pay the school back for their books when they receive their financial aid."
But why a BBQ? According to Davis, the idea came from another organization. "The East Arkansas Wildlife Association would hold a BBQ and it was popular at the time. They had discontinued the event and we thought we would kind of pick it back up. We also have some great barbecuers that work for the school so it all seemed like a great idea.
"I would like to think that the BBQ has become sort of a tradition in the area. We enjoy the event each year and we hope that people enjoy attending each year," added Davis.
Another tradition at the event is the door prizes. As of Wednesday afternoon, almost $22,000 worth of door prizes had been received by the school. Davis stated that there are more prizes that will be coming in as late as Friday afternoon.
Serving will begin at 5 p.m. and will end at 9 p.m. Tickets are available from any employee or students of CRTI and at the front entrance of the school. Advanced tickets are $6 and will be sold until 3 p.m. of Friday. After 3 p.m., tickets will be $8. According to Davis, another advantage of purchasing advanced tickets is that they will be eligible for all drawings of door prizes during the four hour event.
A tractor-trailer hauling television components to Sanyo Manufacturing overturned Wednesday night as it was making an exit off Interstate 40 in Forrest City.
Arkansas State Police Corporal Kelvin Stewart this morning said the accident occurred about 6:45 when the eastbound truck attempted to take the 241 northbound exit enroute to the factory.
Concepcion Contreras, 36, of El Paso, Texas, was driving the 2002 Freightliner when she failed to negotiate the curve and overturned. She and a passenger, whose name was unavailable, were both taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where they were treated and released, according to Stewart.
Contreras is charged with careless driving.
Stewart said none of the components spilled onto the roadway, but crews are at the scene today trying to remove the trailer.
A similar accident occurred last September when an 18-wheeler carrying $700,000 in supplies to Sanyo flipped onto its side on Highway 1 north near the I-40 overpass.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City is offering a special discount on first-time mammograms to women 35 and older on Oct. 18.
Breast cancer can affect anyone at any time, so Baptist Forrest City is urging all women to become more aware of ways to defend their health and to remember that early detection is the key to fighting the disease.
An estimated 211,300 new invasive cases of breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States during 2003, and an estimated 39,800 will die from the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cancer site among American women, second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths, and breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women ages 40-59.
To make an appointment to receive this special discount, or for more information about mammogram options at Baptist Forrest City, call (870) 261-0229.