By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Last week's winter blast left area motels searching for space and area wrecker services searching for rest.
According to officials at several local motels, the inclement weather forced travelers who normally would have proceeded to their destinations searching for a place, any place, to lay their heads. Mary Lou Thomas, general manager with Holiday Inn, said that resting place included the banquet room at the motel.
"We were totally full from Wednesday night on. People started thinning out some on Friday as they tried to get where they were going for Christmas, but it got to the point where we had to open our banquet room and get people quilts and pillows just so they had some place to sleep. We were just packed out," Thomas said.
An official at Days Inn said that while the busiest times are behind them, customers began to pile back in last night on their way back home.
"We were booked solid last week, but this morning when I came in, we were booked solid again with people on their way back home. At our busiest point, we had a lobby full of people and when people tried to book a room on the Internet, they would lose rooms because someone had just gotten it in front of them. We had people sleep in our lobby because there just wasn't anywhere else for them to go," said Virginia Luker with Days Inn.
The situation at the Hampton Inn, was best described as hectic, according to Crystal Osborn.
"I was working the front desk by myself Wednesday and Thursday, and at one point I had 15 people standing in front of me trying to get a room and all four lines ringing at the same time with people trying to book reservations from their cell phones. I was just swamped and ended up having to tell people to try to book reservations using the 1-800 number or the Internet. We even had employees who had to sleep in our back room because they couldn't get home. We've still got people coming in from accidents this morning. It has just been hectic for us," said Osborn.
The ice and snow that kept many drivers in Forrest City home for the weekend slowed traffic on Interstate 40 but did not stop it, which kept area tow truck services overloaded during the Christmas holiday.
According to Jimmy Dale Poe with Diamond D Wrecker Service, the combination of accidents and the Christmas holiday was almost too much to bear.
"It was crazy. It really got difficult for me being a Dad at Christmastime but still having to go out and work and having all of the accidents going on, but we were able to manage," said Poe.
The work end of the equation was so time consuming that Poe said drivers eventually had to take a break just to get themselves physically able to continue doing the job.
"We got to the point where our bodies just couldn't take it anymore and we had to stop taking calls for four or five hours just so we could try to get some rest. In some shaded spots we would get people out of a ditch and back on the road and get everything cleaned up and before we could leave the scene there would be three or four more vehicles back in the ditch," Poe said.
Drivers were not the only people putting in extended hours last week. One employee at White Motor Company said that she worked 44 hours in a 48 hour period.
"It really was crazy, in two days I worked 44 hours last week and it was that way for most of the weekend. We're still pulling people out this morning, but you really need to hear the stories from the drivers," said Jody Clarkson.
According to another official with White Motor Company, drivers were not available this morning because vehicles were beginning to get mired in the mud left behind due to the thaw.
Tow truck operators were not limited just to St. Francis County or Arkansas State Police Troop D.
According to Dale Jones with Triple J Wrecker Service, he even traveled to Lonoke on a call. Jones also cautioned drivers that the clearer roads don't necessarily mean it is safe in all spots.
"We were kept busy all weekend, and I even had to go over to Lonoke on one call Wednesday night. It took me six hours to get back on that one. It's even had us going this morning. People need to still be cautious on some of the on ramps and overpasses where the ice isn't melting as fast as it is on the interstate. I had a call at 3 o'clock this morning on a car that lost control as it was going on an on ramp and ran into the back of a semi," Jones said.
According to numbers from Arkansas State Police Troop D headquarters in Forrest City, there were 161 accidents reported in Troop D as of 3 p.m. Sunday. That included one fatal accident in Crittenden County. Those numbers did not include accidents reported to the Forrest City Police Department or the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department. There was no report available on the number of wrecker calls made during the storm.
St. Francis County charities will be able to give a little more next year after receiving more than $25,000 as part of the state's Emergency Food and Shelter program.
According to a press release from the Arkansas Congressional Delegation, St. Francis County will receive a $25,033 grant from EFS, which is a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funds will be used to help individuals and families with non-disaster, temporary emergency needs.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco said he was pleased with the announcement after seeing funding cut during the past few years.
"It's great to see that we've gotten an increase in funding. For the past couple of years we've seen funding cut, and this is the most that we've gotten in awhile. I think we saw a cut to $18,000 two years ago, and it went up a little more for this year, but our local charities should appreciate it."
The grants will be given to 60 of Arkansas' 75 counties. Surrounding counties also received EFS grants. The counties and the amounts each received is as follows: Crittenden, $35,291; Cross, $15,472; Lee, $10,051; Monroe, $6,117 and Woodruff, $9,599.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Last week's winter storm did more than make it harder for the average citizen to get from Point A to Point B -- just ask folks who haven't had their garbage picked up yet.
Garbage trucks weren't able to get around any better than anyone else. And the storm, which coincided with a holiday, has meant that people's garbage pickup has been a day or more late in Forrest City. That, however, is changing, according to Joe King of King Disposal, Inc.
"We did (last) Thursday and Friday pickups yesterday (Monday)," said King. "And today we're working on Monday's and Tuesday's pickups."
King said Thursday and Friday pickups were taken care of first because they were missed last week.
He said that on Wednesday, the company will work on finishing up Tuesday's pickups and catching up on Wednesday's.
"And we'll be doing Thursday's and Friday's pickups on Thursday," he said.
He said that is the plan, provided the weather doesn't turn bad again. And according to King, ice doesn't seem to be in the forecast.
"That will be the determining factor. But I've looked at the weather report and it looks pretty good," he said. "So we hope to have everybody picked up by Thursday afternoon."
Last week's frozen precipitation, which was almost all pure ice without snow in Forrest City, caused problems in a schedule that was already tightened by the holiday.
"Last Thursday, we were unable to go anywhere," said King. "And the landfill was closed Friday (which was Christmas Eve) and didn't reopen until Monday."
King is asking everyone to get their garbage carts to the curb as early as possible.
"We're going to start early and work late," he said.
He added that King Disposal expects to be caught up and will not make runs on Friday -- which is New Year's Eve -- this week.
Some residents, along with taking their garbage carts to the curb, have also simply carried their post-Christmas trash -- mainly consisting of boxes and some wrappings -- and left them in a pile beside the carts. According to King, picking up that sort of trash is the city's job.
"The city usually takes care of that," he said.
Leslie McMillin of the Forrest City Street Department agreed that the city would be taking care of that.
"We're picking that up," said McMillin. "We're out now, picking up boxes from around garbage cans and stuff. We're trying to get everything caught up."
He said city crews were hoping to get all the boxes picked up before it rains, which could make a bigger mess.
Forecasts are calling for a chance of rain later in the week.
"We're going to start early and work late."
Joe King, King Disposal
A preliminary autopsy report shows that a Palestine man found dead outside his home last week died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
A neighbor found the body of Curtis G. Caskey, 45, on Tuesday near the front steps to his home at 215 Hudspeth St., according to St. Francis County Sheriff's Department Chief Investigator Glenn Ramsey.
Caskey's body was sent to the Arkansas Crime Lab. Ramsey said the report shows that Caskey was shot once in the chest with a shotgun and a contact wound was found on his body.
Ramsey said this morning that additional evidence is also being sent to the crime lab for analysis.
However, because a weapon was not found at the scene, the death is currently still being investigated as a homicide. Investigators also discovered a suicide note inside the home and it is being checked for authenticity.
A man who walked out of a holding cell while being booked on a drunken driving charge on Christmas Day was arrested Monday upon entering a local business.
The Forrest City Police Department arrested William Hoskins, 62, of Kensett Monday afternoon in time for him to appear in St. Francis County District Court on charges of second-offense driving while intoxicated, disorderly conduct and careless driving. He is also charged with escape.
According to a report on file at the FC Police Department, Hoskins was able to open the door of the holding cell after which he walked out of the police station before being freed on bond.