By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Despite an early glitch that almost turned the three-stage Mightymite into a two-stage race, the 21st edition of the annual triathlon will wind its way through Forrest City on Saturday.
Earlier this year, Mightymite organizers faced a brief road block when they were told Village Creek State Park's Lake Dunn -- the traditional starting point for the race -- would not be available due to park maintenance.
That caused a delay in the early registration process since most of the Mightymite participants use the event as a qualifier for other triathlons. The Mightymite is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event. A two-stage race, sans the swim part, would not have worked.
But as the old saying goes, "that was then and this is now."
Organizers and the Corps of Engineers at Lake Dunn have since worked through the logistic problems, and the race in its traditional form is set to be run Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m.
The triathlon starts with a 1/3-mile out-and-back swim from the boat ramp at Lake Dunn in Village Creek State Park. The 13-mile bike ride on Highway 284 will take the competitors along Crowley's Ridge on winding Highway 284 before reaching East Arkansas Community College.
The participants will finish the race with a three-mile run to the Forrest City High School Football Stadium.
As of today, the list of Mightymite entrants stands at 275.
Mightymite coordinator Andrew Holliday said that most of the triathletes may wait until Friday, the day before the race, to register, and he and Mightymite Director, Wyndell Robertson expect a full field.
"We are getting from 15-to-20 registration forms in each day, and if this pace holds, plus the ones who register Friday, we should start the race with about 325 people," Holliday said.
Packet pick up will be held Friday, July 16, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at East Arkansas Community College, located at 1700 Newcastle Road.
On Saturday, late packet pick up will be available at the bike run transition station at EACC from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m,. and at the VCSP transition station from 7 to 7:30 a.m.
Last year, the Mahmood twins -- Rehan and Imran of Memphis -- won the overall men's title while Kirsten Winkler of McKenzie, Tenn. was the overall female winner. As of Thursday, neither the Mahmood twins or Winkler were registered to run this year's race.
In fact, the only previous Mightymite winner registered was Erik Leamon of Conway who won the race in 2001.
The Mightymite field is limited to 500 participants.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the Forrest City Housing Authority heard an update Wednesday on how the project at the Turner Circle apartments is progressing.
The project includes knocking the top floor off some buildings and remodeling the bottom floors.
"The contractor has been on hold for a couple of weeks," said Janet Duncan, director of the Housing Authority. "He's been waiting for the trusses to come. And they got here. When they're over there, they're working very fast."
She said good weather should also help the work.
According to Duncan, there are already some people living in completed apartments at Turner Circle.
On another matter, the members voted to submit the Housing Authority's Annual Plan, a requirement for each year. Duncan said there is a copy of the plan at the Housing Authority office for anyone to review.
"We've had a public hearing, we've had resident meetings, we've had a staff meeting. This is our sixth year to do this in this manner," she said.
The plan also includes how money is expected to be spent next year, but Duncan said the numbers in the plan would not reflect a final figure.
"We're not going to get the exact amount, but that's what they tell us to base the plan on. Usually, we'll hear from them about September. They'll tell us how much money we're going to get, and we'll adjust the budget to match that amount."
She said basically whatever they get will be spent on the ongoing Turner Circle project.
Duncan also presented the most recent auditor's report, in which there were no findings.
She also informed the members of a sometimes controversial regulation concerning community service, which she said has been included and then removed by Congress before. It is currently included again.
"It involves the community service regulation, that HUD has put upon us -- I shouldn't say HUD, I should say Congress," Duncan said. "All public housing residents must do eight hours a month of community service."
There are exceptions. A public housing resident is exempted from that regulation if he or she is employed, disabled, elderly or a full-time student, according to Duncan.
"Who does that leave?" asked Authority member Debbie Jackson.
"The people that are basically doing nothing," answered Duncan. "We have to monitor that program and find something for them to do. That in itself has created an extra job. We've had to bring in classes and things for them to attend at the community center. They want us to evict people who don't comply with this. And I can't afford to evict them. I'll help them find a way to do community service."
She continued, "We had it at one time, and then they took it back and said stop, and then they brought it back in. There has been controversy over it. It'll come off again, I'm sure. I just don't know how long. Public housing residents are the only people who have to do this. So there's a war on about it."
In other action, the board approved Krystal Barrett, the only applicant, as the recipient of the Housing Authority scholarship.
The members also unanimously voted to name Arthur Bean as chairman of the Authority. His term will be for one year.
An incumbent in one of the two positions open on the Forrest City School Board has filed for reelection.
Rev. Ronald Williams is seeking reelection for the Position 3 seat on the board.
Gordon McCoy's Position 4 seat is the only other position on the FCSD board that will be decided at the Tuesday, Sept. 21, election.
Four other seats are up for grabs throughout the county.
In the Palestine-Wheatley School District, both Zone 4 representative Ronnie Crider and Zone 6 representative John Henry Parker are up for reelection. In Hughes, Jimmy Bain, who holds the Zone 5 seat, and Melinda Burch Patrick, who holds the Position 6 seat, will see their positions up for reelection.
Williams is the first to file during the period. Interested individuals may file the proper paperwork at the St. Francis County Clerk's office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The filing period ends on Monday, Aug. 9.
Making a U-turn in front of a police officer helped land a Madison man in jail Wednesday afternoon following a brief chase with Forrest City police.
An officer on routine patrol in the area of Turner Road reportedly saw the 1991 Ford Crown Victoria driving erratically on several streets in the Turner Road area, and when the officer attempted to stop the vehicle about 2:15 p.m., the driver, Cavion Antonio Parchman, 23, fled to a residence on West Broadway where he wrecked his car into a pole.
The officer reportedly saw Parchman run into the residence at 816 W. Broadway, but when he followed the suspect into the home, he was met by a group of individuals who denied Parchman being there.
However, a brief search of the residence found Parchman hiding in a bedroom closet.
At the Forrest City Police Department, Parchman told officers he had taken pills in an attempt to kill himself. Paramedics were called to the FCPD, and after examining Parchman, he was taken by a police officer to the hospital where a drug screen was performed with negative results.
After being released at the hospital, Parchman was booked on charges of four counts of violation of the Arkansas Hot Check Law, fleeing in a vehicle, fleeing on foot, improper turn, running a stop sign, driving on a suspended driver's license and two counts of failure to appear.
Parchman was released about 7 p.m. to the Marianna Police Department.