By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The importance of good choices was outlined by Maria Black to area youth during a banquet Monday night that saw Katriel Alexander named the 2004 Youth of the Year.
Black, who is the Health Correspondent for Fox 13 News in Memphis, told the audience that choices are not a burden, but a freedom.
"I think it is very important to realize the freedom of choice," Black began. "My father said that in life it is very important that you are in a position to make choices. Choices give you the power to decide what you want to do. How fitting that this program be held on Dr. Martin Luther King Day. How sweet are the choices that we can make now, to leave our houses and go where we want? A choice was made back in 1957 in Little Rock when nine students, backed by the United States government, decided to go to school. They had a choice. What if they had just decided to leave it alone (and not participate in desegregation)."
Black then addressed choices that students make everyday. "You have a choice in who you surround yourself with. Surround yourself with positive people those who have similar interests and goals. You have to make a choice to fight for your grades. What that means is that you can't get a C and say 'Oh well, at least I didn't get a D.' Get in the habit of asking your teachers why they counted off for certain things and ask for extra credit to bring the grade up. Let them know you want to succeed," she said.
"See yourself in a position of power," added Black. "If you want to be rich, then visualize yourself as rich. Just don't ignore the hard work needed to get there."
Following Black, was the announcement of Alexander as the 2004 Youth of the Year. Alexander was selected from 13 hopefuls from 10 churches and local youth organizations. She was nominated by the Rising Sun M.B. Church and received a $500 scholarship to a college of her choice. Alexander is a junior at Forrest City High School and the daughter of Herbert and Kattie Alexander.
The runner-up for the award was Kevin Peacock, a senior at FCHS and the son of Cecil and Mable Peacock.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
A Forrest City Police officer who registered almost three times the legal limit on an alcohol test following a near head-on collision late last month will remain on active duty until his case is decided in court.
According to a blood alcohol report from the Arkansas Department of Health Office of Alcohol Testing in Little Rock, FCPD Lt. Frank Frymire had .22 blood alcohol level following the accident that occurred Dec. 29 on Highway 1 North near the new bypass intersection. The legal limit is .08.
The accident occurred during a nationwide "You drink, You drive, You lose" crackdown by police agencies. Local police promoted their participation in the effort.
Lt. Tommy Wicker with Arkansas State Police Troop D in Forrest City received the test results this morning.
Susan Bierbaum, director of the office of alcohol testing, said the test results were mailed to ASP Troop D on Jan. 15, but as of this morning, the Troop had not received them. Bierbaum faxed those results to Wicker this morning before they were made public.
"We received the (blood) sample in the mail on the second, and the results were mailed from here on the 15th," Bierbaum said. "The turnaround time is usually around two weeks because of all of the paperwork."
Wicker said the results will be passed on to Corporal Franklin McMillion, who worked the accident. McMillion will then meet with First Judicial District Prosecutor Fletcher Long to determine what charges should be filed. McMillion left the DWI charge against Frymire pending until the test results were completed.
Wicker speculated the charge would be DWI-accident. A court date will be set as soon as the exact charges are determined.
Frymire was traveling north on Highway 1 in his 2003 Toyota Tacoma when he crossed the center lane and struck Adell's vehicle on the left side. Adell said he saw the truck coming toward him and swerved to avoid a head-on collision. After the impact, Frymire's vehicle traveled about 200 feet before coming to rest in an unharvested wheat field.
The accident occurred about 7:45 p.m., less than four hours after Frymire's shift ended with the FCPD.
FCPD Chief Clarence McNeary said a person's metabolism determines how much and how long it takes for that person to be drunk.
Although Frymire missed a few days of work after the accident, he has resumed his normal duties and will continue working until the matter is resolved in court, according to McNeary.
McNeary commented on Frymire's arrest during the national crackdown on drunk driving. "It reflects upon the department as a whole, but you have to understand that he was off duty. He violated a state law, but as far as the department is concerned, he hasn't violated any of our rules and regulations."
"Under 'You lose,' he is a candidate, yes. Just like any other person who consumes alcohol, he is subject to the penalties and punishment of the law. There is no exception being made for him, and he will have his day in court," McNeary said. "The court will make a determination of guilt or innocence, and he will continue his duties while the matter is resolved in court.
"He has not been found guilty of anything. He was involved in an injury accident, but as to fault, I have no idea as to who was at fault," McNeary said. "If he is found guilty or pleads guilty in court, then, it would be in violation of our rules and regulations."
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Widener City Council passed a budget for 2004 with little discussion on Monday night.
The main discussion was over projected income, which is down from last year. When asked about that, Mayor Dot Halford said it happened partly because of Widener's supposed loss of population according to the most recent census -- a conclusion with which she said she disagrees. The smaller population figure translates into less state turnback.
"If I'm still mayor for the next census, I'm going to work harder, like Gary Hughes (mayor of Caldwell, where there the census showed a population increase)," she said.
This year's estimated income for the city's general fund is $40,271.01, down from $42,557.75 for 2003. In the sanitation budget, the expected revenue is $26,525, down from $27,035.83 last year. This year's street revenue is estimated at $14,926, compared to $17,640 in 2003.
An exception is the water department, where an income of $108,150 is expected this year, up from $104,500 last year.
Still, Halford said she felt better in some ways about this year's budget.
"We've got one piece of equipment for the street department paid off," she said.
There was one more item on the agenda. Stella Ponder, with
the North East Arkansas Federal Credit Union, explained the services
offered by the credit union and gave packets to anyone interested.
A St. Francis County Jail inmate was unsuccessful in his attempt to hide marijuana from jail authorities after his arrest on other drug charges Friday.
Joseph Brand Ottley, 35, of Walling, Tenn., was arrested by the Palestine Police Department Friday afternoon on Highway 261 near Palestine. According to a report on file at the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department, the Palestine officer said he smelled marijuana during a routine traffic stop and searched Ottley's 1965 Ford F-100.
Inside his vehicle, police reportedly found a cigarette package containing five marijuana cigarettes and a portable scale containing a white powdery substance resembling cocaine. The alleged drugs were sent to the State Crime Lab for analysis.
Ottley was charged with possession of a controlled substance, marijuana; possession of a controlled substance, cocaine; possession of an instrument of crime, no seat belt, no insurance and no driver's license.
After Ottley was processed at the county jail, jailers were reportedly told he was trying to hide another bag of marijuana. Deputies then performed a body search and found a plastic bag of marijuana in Ottley's rectum. An additional charge of possession of a controlled substance has been levied against Ottley.
He is scheduled to appear in St. Francis County District Court on Wednesday.
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City will take part in a program "Body Mass Index: What Does it Really Mean?" on Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., via interactive video.
According to a press release from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the program will teach health care professionals how to educate children and their families about body mass index (BMI), a measurement that helps determine if a child's weight is appropriate for his or her height. The session will cover how health professionals can improve their patients' BMI scores and recent legislation that requires schools to report students' BMI scores to parents.
The speaker will be Joseph Thompson, M.D., M.P.H., and assistant professor of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine; professor of maternal and child health in the UAMS College of Public Health; and director of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. This event is approved for one hour of continuing education credit for physicians, nurses and pharmacists.