St. Francis County voters will go to the polls to decide millage questions which were an outgrowth of the Lake View lawsuit, and also to elect several school board members around the county.
In Forrest City, Wayne Jones and Pat Flanagin are both seeking the Position 2 seat. Aubrey Jayroe is unopposed. The Forrest City School District will also vote on a proposed 1.5 mill increase, to bring the maintenance and operation millage up to 25 mills. A vote against the millage will also nullify a restructuring of debt service, which means the quorum court will have to raise he school tax by seven mills.
Voting locations in the Forrest City District are as follows: Ward 1, Christ Church; Wards 2, 3, and 4, Forrest City Civic Center; Courthouse East and West, Bonair and Tuni, St. Francis County Courthouse; Newcastle and Parrott, Forrest Chapel; Madison, Widener, Moseley and Round Pond, Madison City Hall; Colt, Caldwell, Pine Tree, Colt Community Center.
In the Palestine-Wheatley District, Vickie Hawk and Randall Holman are running for Zone 3. The district earlier this year approved the restructuring of its debt service in a special election, so there will be no millage request.
Palestine-Wheatley voters will go to the following locations: Palestine and Goodwin, Twin Assembly Church of God fellowship hall in Palestine; Wheatley, Wheatley Civic Center.
In the Hughes District, Melinda Patrick and Edward Watt are running for Position 6 At-Large, and Charles Smith and Hudie Hardaway are candidates for Position 7 At-Large. Earnestine Jackson is unopposed for Position 3. Hughes will be asking for a 0.73-mill increase, or face a 1.22-mill increase later.
Voting locations for the Hughes District include the following: Hughes, the Hughes Civic Center; Blackfish, Heth Community Center; Horseshoe, Bond's Marina.
Farmers across the Delta are listening eagerly this week to negotiations taking place in Mexico, which could impact part of the funding paid to farmers from the World Trade Organization.
In talks this week, over $200 billion a year in agricultural subsidies paid to farmers in the United States, the European Union and other wealthier countries will be discussed. More than $600 million in annual farm spending in the United States is used to bankroll cotton, rice, soybeans and other row crops in east Arkansas.
According to St. Francis County Cooperative Extension Agent Mitch Crow, any cuts in subsidies or lost funding could be devastating to farmers not only in St. Francis County, but across the Delta. Crow attributed low commodities prices over the past few years to the growing need for subsidies.
"This would just be tragic not only to St. Francis County farmers, but to farmers in all of the states across the Mississippi Delta. Commodities prices over the past two or three years have been so low, that a lot of the farmers have been surviving because of the subsidies. If they were to lose them, it would be devastating and we would definitely see a decrease in farming," he said.
Senator Blanche Lincoln joined two other southern senators on Wednesday in endorsing a proposal which will take the focus off subsidies for American cotton growers.
The proposal, announced late Wednesday by American trade representatives taking part in the negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, maintains that any discussion about cotton subsidies should also include talks about ''distortions'' by foreign textile competitors, including allegations that China has tried to circumvent American import rules.
In a letter sent earlier this week to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, the three senators, all members of the Agriculture Committee, seemed to suggest talks on cotton shouldn't even be part of the WTO's agenda this round.
''Critics of America's cotton program are dead wrong when they blame our hardworking farmers for economic problems they are facing,'' Chambliss said. ''It would be more productive for cotton growers in the United States as well as Africa if the WTO takes a good long look at all of the forces which are affecting world prices for cotton.''
Cotton subsidies to the United States came under fire when four African nations argued subsidies were being enjoyed only by the wealthy nations. But American trade representatives said that subsidies weren't the only thing hampering the foreign cotton market.
Mark Lange, president of the National Cotton Council, said a focus on American cotton would ignore abuses by several Asian countries that are harming the American market.
''Cotton subsidies can be examined and talked about in terms of disciplines, but only if there are going to be some reciprocal gains on market access,'' Lange said. ''India and Pakistan have extraordinary barriers, and China has huge rebates on exports for taxes.''
Fatiou Akplogan, trade minister for Benin -- one of the nations trying to focus the talks on cotton, said that while cotton represents 40 percent of exports for the country, farmers are receiving less money for it because richer countries are subsidizing their farmers.
Almost half of global domestic cotton subsidies are paid by the United States to its producers -- around $2.2 billion in 2001-2002. China is the second-biggest subsidizer, with payments of about $1.2 billion in the same period.
The Forrest City School District's enrollment has shown a slight decrease from this time last year, with time still left before the district has to make its first enrollment report to the state.
According to Deputy Superintendent Dr. Alice Barnes, as of the end of the day on Sept. 11, the school district had 3,996 students enrolled.
The enrollment on Sept. 11, 2002 was 4,047.
"We have to make our first report to the state by Oct. 1," said Barnes. "And usually by Oct. 1, we pretty much have our enrollment at what we can expect it to be the rest of the year. I anticipate the enrollment will be about what it was last year."
A breakdown of enrollment by grades is as follows: Kindergarten, 340; first grade, 330; second grade, 353; third grade 296; fourth grade, 302; fifth grade, 310; sixth grade 289; seventh grade, 346; eighth grade, 331; ninth grade, 320; 10th grade, 274; 11th grade, 233; 12th grade, 243.
There are also 29 self-contained students, she said. These are students with special needs who stay in one class all day.
Also, she said, "This does not include our pre-school
enrollment." Barnes said she did not have exact figures,
but said there are eight classes with about 15 students in each
class.
Drilling on a new well could begin soon, Colt City Council members learned Thursday night during their monthly meeting.
According to City Manager Bobby Clarkson, the first stage of drilling the new well is scheduled to begin later this month. Efforts to replace the wells in the city began three years ago.
The city will also be the recipient of a new storm warning system and a second fire truck thanks to a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Services Division. According to Clarkson, the city recently received a grant of $37,500, for the purchase of the two items.
"This is great for the city. It will allow us to buy an early storm warning system and a new fire truck," he said.
In other business, Clarkson told council members that the city will begin advertising for bids to paint the city's water tank.
"The tank needs to be painted inside and out, and that's what we're having done. It's just basic maintenance," said Clarkson.
The Palestine-Wheatley School Board is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, in the high school cafetorium in Palestine.
The district will present its annual report to the public during this meeting.