By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
While most made it through the cold rainy weather last night okay, one of St. Francis County's four-legged friends needed a helping hand this morning.
Forrest City Animal Control Officer George Cochran spent much of the morning, along with Vernon Manley and members of the Forrest City Street Department, wading in a creek near Edgewood trying desperately to free a horse that had fallen into the creek overnight. The horse is owned by Linda Carney.
"I got a call this morning about the horse, and I came out because I know the owner. We tried getting her out before we called the city, but we couldn't," said Manley.
According to Carney, a native of Forrest City, the assistance she received was one of the reasons she moved back to the area.
"I grew up in Forrest City and the people have always been willing to help when needed. Jean Guarr, with the Forrest City Area Humane Society, was out last night trying to help find her and then this morning Vernon left his shop to help. It's that type of spirit that I just love about Forrest City," said Carney.
Working to save the horse, Cochran missed an appointment he already had scheduled. "I was supposed to be at a meeting this morning, but this came up and it's much more important. It's nice to help folks out, and this time we were able to save the animal too," Cochran said.
City Works Department Supervisor Les McMillin said he was also happy to go out and help this morning. "I grew up on a farm with cows and horses, and anytime you see a situation like this it just tears at you. I'm glad we were able to get out here and get the backhoe in here to get her out," he said.
Once the backhoe arrived, it took the crew just over an hour to free the horse, which had one rear leg that had been buried in the muck up to her thigh, free. According to Cochran, the horse, which had been given a shot for pain, appeared to be in good condition once it warmed up enough to stand.
"I'm just glad that we were able to get her out. She has a six-month old colt that's not ready to be weaned, and he hadn't been able to eat all night," Cochran said. "I'm just happy it all worked out."
The St. Francis County Museum, with the help of a grant from the St. Francis County Community Foundation, is developing an oral history program in which local schools will also participate.
Although the oral history will cover all segments of the community, it is hoped that the first presentations will be ready during February, which is Black History Month.
"Oral history is the systematic collection of living people's testimony about their own lives," said Brenda Fort, business manager of the museum. "It is not only a powerful way to document American history, but also serves as a tool for the preservation of our county's history. Through the use of classroom oral history, and by taking an active part in the documentation portion of this project, students will get a better understanding and appreciation of the past and the people who experienced it."
The grant proposal states that classroom oral history bridges the gap between curriculum and community, bringing history home by linking the world in the textbook to the student's own community.
"Although textbooks teach students American history, many students have grown to find the stories they tell as boring and repetitious, and feel the stories behind them take place in distant lands," said Fort.
The oral history program will bring textbook history into perspective for the students, and help make it personal, she said.
"Students need to be aware of the abundance of history which can be found in St. Francis County, information that is currently not available to them," Fort said. "Students are not taught that during the Civil Rights Movement, 14 area residents participated in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee by promoting voter registration of African-Americans throughout the South and participating in sit-ins, the Freedom Rides and Freedom Summer.
She said it is also little known that during Dr. Martin Luther King's visit to Memphis, the Scott Bond Hotel in Madison was the only facility west of the Mississippi that would accommodate African-American travelers.
"Nor or they taught of the many decorated World War I and World War II veterans, such as Frank King and Otto Kirkpatrick -- who is a life-long resident of Forrest City," she added. "This project will not only afford students the opportunity to learn about many of the historic events that transpired in their own county, but to experience it through the eyes of those who witnessed it. They will not only become involved in research within their families and community, but this project will also enable them to identify with their own heritage."
The museum will work with area schools by contacting and scheduling interviews for the project, and make sure all participants understand the purpose of the interviews and how they will be used. The museum will make sure a legal release is signed, assist with the development of interview questions, provide training to students on how to conduct an oral history interview, and provide assistance to the classroom on the day of the interview.
Topics which may be covered by the oral history project may include, but are not limited to, family history, community history, school and church history, history of local buildings, social history, history of a main street, history of an immigrant family, history of traditions, the community at war, or history of a particular ethnic group.
After the interviews, data will be transcribed from tape to the museum's computer files. A transcribed copy will be provided to the participating classroom and a copy, along with the tape recording, will be placed in the museum's archives for future reference and study. Ultimately, a booklet will be published to be distributed to all county schools.
The digital camcorder needed for the project, and which the grant will help buy, will allow audio-visual interviews, which can be transferred directly from the camera to the museum's computer and recorded o DVDs, which will be distributed to the participating schools and placed in the museum's archives.
"The progress and success of this project will be measured by the amount of classroom participation it generates," said Fort. "It is anticipated that one to two sessions per month will be scheduled at any given time. We will rely on feedback form the teachers and students to determine its effectiveness."
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Advertising and Promotions Commission this week reviewed a proposal to renew its advertising in the Arkansas Delta Byways brochure.
Although the commission did not seat a quorum, the proposal, presented by Mike Dandurand with Cranford, Johnson, Robinson, Woods, a marketing and communications firm in Little Rock, was still considered.
Dandurand asked that the members consider renewing the amount of $1,750 for a full-page ad in the brochure, which promotes tourism in the Arkansas Delta.
He also told them of an another option to promote the city, called facility sheets. According to Dandurand, the sheets are placed in hotels and motels and promote various events and activities that Forrest City has to offer. He stated that for 10,000 facility sheets, the cost would be $500. He also provided a price for both the ad in the brochure and 10,000 facility sheets at $2,250.
The issue was tabled until next month's meeting.
Commissioners also heard from Dr. John Alderson of East Arkansas Community College regarding a proposal he made last month regarding the first phase of tourism study for the area.
This matter was also tabled.
A man wanted on warrants by the Star City Police Department was arrested while driving a stolen truck through Forrest City early today.
The Forrest City Police Department reported an officer checking the buildings at East Arkansas Community College just after 1 a.m. observed a 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup drive from an area behind the college to Newcastle Road.
The officer followed the truck, and after running a routine check on the license plate learned the vehicle had been stolen.
Shawn Lewis, 22, initially gave police a false name before his true identity was revealed. He is charged with obstruction of government operations, no driver's license and theft by receiving over $2,500. He is being held in the St. Francis County Jail on warrants from Star City. Those warrants were issued after Lewis failed to appear in court on a drug charges.
St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith says charges or fees for registering to vote, while not illegal, are not necessary.
"On Monday, Feb. 9, I received a fax from the office of Secretary of State Charlie Daniels regarding an Internet site that has been charging individuals a fee to register to vote," Smith said.
"The fax also included a statement from Attorney General Mike Beebe stating that these people (the ones doing the charging) are not doing anything illegal by charging a fee to help people register over the Internet," Smith said, adding that it is "not necessary for anyone to pay for the privilege of registering to vote.
Anyone desiring to register to vote may contact the County Clerk's Office or they may go to www.sosweb.state.ar.us for more information. "Please feel free to call my office at 870-261-1725. We will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have," Smith said.