By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
School superintendents and other educators from a wide area came to Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute Thursday for an open house and to discuss what the school has to offer.
"We invited the superintendents, high school principals and high school counselors from a 75-mile radius of the campus," said Burl Lieblong, president of CRTI.
"And what we're attempting to do is let them see what we have here on campus to teach, and let them see how we could adapt that to something for them. With the new standards, they're having to have all these course offerings. And some of the small school districts can't meet the standards."
There are also restrictions on how much time a student can spend traveling to and from a particular class -- a problem for which Lieblong said CRTI has at least a partial solution for far-flung schools.
"We can put a mobile unit there and use some of their space, and have it where two or three schools can come to that one school, and we can send an instructor," he said. "I heard one superintendent say that next year, students have to have six and a half hours of instructional time in class, and that doesn't include time spent riding in a bus."
Lieblong said the school has used mobile units like that before, sometimes with industry. He said that the mobile units have been used to teach pneumatics, hydraulics, electrical, heating and air for industry. He and the mobile unit concept could be applied to public schools as well. According to Lieblong, it all started with a mobile machine shop, but has been expanded since then.
"The only thing that kept us from (doing more) then was money," Lieblong said. "And so now we've got some units and we've got availability for some more that we can rededicate to this purpose."
"We have had them configured before. Like, we have 20 desks in front of the mobile unit, and in the back we'd have -- in one particular instance, we had small lathes and mills for a machine shop. We can do the same things with computer repair and networking. We can do the same thing with electronics," he continued.
"We're trying to see what their needs are and show them what we can do. And this (the open house) is just an ice-breaker to let them know how we can help them meet those standards. That's what we're trying to do."
By KENDALL OWENS
Several Forrest Citians turned out last night to welcome home Maj. Rex Jones, who has spent over a year serving in Iraq.
More than 20 people were waiting for Jones as he arrived at his home about 8 p.m. Thursday night.
According to Beth Bridgforth, a family friend, the celebration was one way of showing support for one of the city's soldiers.
"Last night's 'welcome home' reception was an outpouring of love and appreciation to Major Rex Jones for his dedication and commitment to protecting America's freedoms. The entire Jones family -- Rex, Mary, Tori and Zach -- are such assets to our community," Bridgforth said.
Jones' wife Mary said that the welcome left the Major stunned.
"It was the most heartwarming welcome that he could have had. He was just stunned. He was a little bit tired and worn out, and when we came around the corner and he saw the signs and all of our friends and church members standing there waiting to welcome him, it just left him speechless. It was a nice welcome home for him after everything that he's been through," said Mary Jones.
Jones was one of 45 other Army reservists who returned to loved ones in Arkansas after spending more than a year in Kuwait and Iraq. He is a member of the 468th Chemical Battalion, which arrived at Little Rock's Finkbeiner Army Reserve Center shortly after 4 p.m., following a 450-mile bus ride from Fort Hood, Texas.
The unit was mobilized in February 2003 for training at Fort Hood and was sent to Kuwait in March 2003, then to Iraq in August.
Jones serves as chaplain at the Federal Correctional InstitutionForrest City.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The East Arkansas Enterprise Community (EAEC), Inc. is hoping to help prevent tobacco use among teens and children with the group's annual Kick Butts Day.
Tobacco Free Kids and Stamp Out Smoking, or SOS, along with the Kick Butts Day event are all part of the EAEC's Breathe Easy Initiative Program, and are designed to help people quit smoking or to stop people from starting. Arlene Freeman, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for EAEC, said the key is to catch potential smokers early.
"In Arkansas, 34.7 percent of high school students smoke, and 7,800 kids become daily smokers every year," said Freeman. "We want to bring those numbers down by focusing on prevention (of tobacco use in children). Adults know or should know the dangers of smoking, but kids might not. Advertising tells children that tobacco use, smoking especially, is 'cool' or 'popular'. Our goal is to show them that not using tobacco is cool, not smoking."
But how do they compete with tobacco advertising?
Freeman says the EAEC is advertising also. "Getting the word out to children is not our only goal, but it is our biggest. Kick Butts Day is a big part of that. We host several events throughout the year, but Kick Butts Day is in its ninth year. This month, we have held the event in Cross and Lee counties (which, along with Monroe and St. Francis, is part of the four counties the EAEC services). We will have a balloon release at Forrest City High School on Tuesday, April 6, at 1:30 p.m. for St. Francis County. The release is to congratulate all who have stopped smoking and encourage those who are trying to quit."
According to information provided by Freeman, EAEC partners in this events are greatly appreciated. "Our partners in the event include: Arkansas Women on the Move, New Hope for Today Christian Center, Forrest City High School, Our House Community Center, Boys 2 Men/Girls 2 Women and the Good Hope Freewill's Project Exposure. They have all helped us so very much, and we couldn't do what we do without them."
Funds for the EAEC are provided by the Minority Sub-Recipient Grant Office at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. For more information about Kick Butts Day or the EAEC, contact Arlene Freeman at 870-630-2005.
An amended budget and the abolishment of the Forrest City Civic Center Commission are two of the subjects up for discussion when the City Council meets at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, April 6.
The ordinance amending the budget is on second reading, and includes raises for city employees to be paid retroactively to the first of the year.
The controversial ordinance to abolish the Civic Center Commission will be on third reading and possible passage. Commission members have spoken against the proposal. The commission has been in a protracted struggle with the civic center's caterer.
Also on the agenda is third reading on two more ordinances, one to adjust fees for out of town fire and rescue runs, and the other to classify penalties for repeated mistakes or malfunctions in alarms as civil penalties.
There will also the introduction of a revised zoning code recommended by the Forrest City Planning Commission.