By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Questions raised at the last meeting of the St. Francis County Transportation Commission led to a meeting earlier this week between some commission members and representatives and an agency that awarded the group a $100,000 grant last year.
SFCTC chairman Buzz Haven said a story printed in the July 21 edition of the Times-Herald caused officials with the Delta Regional Authority and Gov. Mike Huckabee's office to ask several questions over the past few weeks.
"Due to a negative story that ran in the newspaper, one of our grants was called into question and we were asked to come to Clarksdale, Miss., by officials with the DRA," said Haven. "We went over yesterday and visited with them, and we laid everything on the table. They found no wrongdoing. All of our accounting was in line and they were very pleased. They think that we have something going here and look forward to continuing to work with us," he added.
Haven also produced a letter from DRA Director of Federal Programs Howard Hemphill which stated, "Following our meeting today with you, Cecil Twillie, Ebony Mills and Frederick Freeman, and our review of the documents produced, please be advised that it appears all the federal funds were spent pursuant to the application and the budget, with all supporting documents in order. In short, we have found no wrongdoing."
Haven told commission members that the meeting Wednesday should open the door for the release of the remaining two drawdowns that the commission will receive as part of the $100,000 grant.
The amount of the remaining drawdowns were unclear after new commission member Rujay Burke questioned Haven on the amounts.
It was reported in July that more than $60,000 had been drawn down from the grant with the rest of those grant funds remaining to be drawn down. Of those remaining funds, more than $30,000 is earmarked for payments on past expenses and salaries.
Last month, a motion from commission member Regan Hill to cancel all contracts with the commission failed after Hill raised several questions.
According to Haven the commission will meet again next week, primarily in executive session to discuss contract issues. However, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act states, "An executive session may not be held "for the purpose of considering employment, appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining, or resignation of any public officer or employee." In contrast, an executive session to consider general salary matters, an across-the-board pay increase or the overall performance of employees as a group is not permissible.
Thursday's meeting also served to welcome Burke and Kevin Lewey, who were appointed to the commission last month by St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City and St. Francis County 911 Committee meet briefly Thursday to ask program coordinator Linda Thweatt to look into three specific topics before the group meets again.
Thweatt updated committee members on a new computer mapping system that will be used to help emergency vehicles find physical addresses.
"I am running into problems getting our map to match up with the aerial map," said Thweatt. "We need to get a GPS (Global Positioning System). I have run across several roads so far where I could have used a GPS system. This is just the start of this mapping project, but we are at a point that we need one. Even after the mapping is completed, new roads will be built and we will need the GPS system to map those roads.
"Some places like Jonesboro have a full GPS, and it costs about $20,000," stated Thweatt. "I don't think that we have to go as far as purchasing a full system."
Committee members asked Thweatt to research the costs of such a program and present the pricing information on a GPS system at the next meeting.
Committee member Regan Hill questioned hiring extra help to identify and replace street signs that are damaged.
"In the past, I believe the county road department would go out and replace damaged signs, since they travel through the county so much and see where they are," Hill said. "However, now we have a person working under contract labor who has been doing this job. He is having health problems now, and we don't know if he will be able to return. What I recommend we do, until we know that he can come back, is find an individual who can do the job. I want to keep this process going.
"Our two goals on the committee are to improve the system of reporting emergencies and to make streets visible to the emergency vehicles. The more time that we spend replacing signs, the easier it will be for the vehicles to find where they need to go," Hills said. "I would like to make the proposal that Linda (Thweatt) speak to the Mayor (Larry Bryant) and the county judge (Carl Cisco) about hiring a person to help. We don't want to overstep our bounds, so we need to talk to them about this."
In other business, a continuing education course for radio dispatchers that was to be held in Forrest City has been canceled. The class was scheduled to be held later this year, but there was not enough interest to cover the costs of the course, according to Thweatt.
Thweatt was asked to find another class scheduled in the area so that local dispatchers could attend that course.
Two suspects have been arrested on burglary charges in connection with a rash of incidents recently in Forrest City.
Sylester Moore, 19, 304 E. South St., Forrest City was arrested by the Forrest City Police Department Wednesday night after residents of the home he burglarized on Lombardy Street saw him walking in the downtown area wearing clothes stolen from their home earlier in the day.
Moore was picked up and taken to the FCPD where he reportedly admitted his involvement in the burglary.
A second subject was also questioned in connection with the burglary on Lombardy, but has not been arrested at this time.
According to a press release, officers recovered most of the property that was stolen from the Lombardy residence, which included an X-Box game console, after executing a search warrant at Moore's home.
Moore is charged with residential burglary in connection with the Lombardy Street burglary.
On Thursday, the FCPD arrested Sylvester Williams, 19, 2508 Teakwood, on burglary charges stemming from incidents at homes on North Izard Street and Fernwood Drive.
Police executed a search warrant at Williams' home this week and recovered a stolen pistol from under a mattress where Williams was sleeping when police arrived.
Williams is charged with two counts of residential burglary, theft of property over $500 and a probation violation. He is currently on probation out of St. Francis County Circuit Court.
Moore is also being charged with residential burglary, theft of property over $500 and a probation violation in connection with the burglary on North Izard Street. Moore is currently on two five-year probations out of St. Francis County Circuit Court. Both Williams and Moore were out on bond from other felony arrests since receiving their probation sentences, according to FCPD Criminal Investigation Division Lt. Dwight Duch.
Duch said the investigation into these crimes and other crimes that may be connected is still on-going, and more arrest are expected.
Another arrest has been made in connection with counterfeit bills that have been passed in Forrest City and St. Francis County in the past few months.
According to a report on file at the Forrest City Police Department, Bruce Hoselton, 32, of Colt, was arrested Thursday morning for three counts of first-degree forgery and a parole violation. FCPD Criminal Investigation Division Sergeant John Riggins said the three charges of forgery are connected to another forgery arrest made on Monday.
"Hoselton's arrest is in connection with the arrest the department made on Monday of Charles Kennedy III (20, 74 SFC 316, Forrest City)," stated Riggins. "Both Hoselton and Kennedy had bills that have serial numbers that match counterfeit bills passed in Forrest City and in several areas of the county. Both arrests are part of the same investigation."
Kennedy was also arrested for three counts of first-degree forgery, which is a class B felony.
Riggins added that the investigation involves the FCPD, SFC Sheriff's Department, Wynne Police Department and the United States Secret Service. The investigation is continuing.
Forrest City Bank has announced that Dr. Dale L. Morris, a local optometrist and businessman, has been named to the board of directors of the bank.
Morris, a partner in Lifetime Visions Center, is a graduate of Arkansas State University and Southern College of Optometry, O.D.
Forrest City Bank Chairman John R. Stipe stated that Morris is a proven leader and has the community of Forrest City at heart. He has been involved in Lions Club and Rotary where he received the Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2001. He has also served as president of the Forrest City School District's board and the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce. He is currently a member of the board of trustees at East Arkansas Community College and is president of the board of trustees of Baptist Memorial Hospital of Forrest City, and serves on the board of Baptist Health System in Memphis.
Morris is a member of numerous professional organizations and is currently president of the Arkansas State Board of Optometry, committee chairman of the Southeast Council of Optometry Exhibit, Convention Chairman of the Arkansas Optometric Association, and a member of the American Optometric Association.
Morris received the Arkansas Optometric Association Distinguished Service Award and was named Optometrist of the Year by the Arkansas Optometric Association in 2002 and the Arkansas Paraoptometric Association in 2004.
Dr. Morris and his wife Patricia have two sons, Dr. Christopher D. Morris and Matthew G. Morris. Dr. and Mrs. Morris are members of the First Baptist Church of Forrest City.
Hughes will be among 32 communities in Arkansas to share in $24.8 million worth of USDA Rural Development grant money.
A total of $37,500 was allocated to the city for police and fire equipment. Hughes Mayor Donnie Mooney stated that with some money from the city itself, several projects will be completed with the grant.
"The city is adding $12,500 to the grant to make it a total of $50,000," said Mooney. "We are going to purchase a new police car and six air packs for our fire department. Another project will be making the city hall (which also houses the Hughes Police Station) wheelchair accessible.
"We are glad that the city has been approved for the grant," added Mooney. "We need the new patrol car badly and our fire department will be glad to have the air packs. The Forrest City Police Department has been letting us borrow some of their packs and we are grateful for that, but the firefighters will be glad to have their own packs."