By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Early voting began this morning in a special election in which people are being asked to shift some of the funds raised by a county-wide solid waste tax.
The election takes place Tuesday, Aug. 3. Early voting will take place Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. at the St. Francis County Clerk's office, located in the county courthouse, and will continue through Aug. 2. Early voting has been used by more and more people every year since it was introduced.
Polling locations for Aug. 3 have been announced.
The election may be confusing to some voters, for two reasons. First, it is not seeking a tax increase. Second, it only affects Forrest City, but the entire county has to vote on it.
The election seeks to transfer money from Forrest City's share of the 1 percent county solid waste sales tax. This would amount to $125,000 a year, for four years, making a total of a half-million dollars.
The transfer of funds was requested by the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce. It will be used, according to a spokesperson for the Chamber, to recruit new industry into the area and also to hire an executive director/industrial recruiter for the Chamber.
"In the past few years, all of the cities in this area that have had new industry had some type of election where the people voted for economic development," Chamber President Randy Pearson told the Quorum Court at it's April 20 meeting, at which he requested the election. "Everything I'm hearing tells me something big is going to happen for this area soon."
Because the tax is a county-wide tax, the entire county has to vote on it, even though it only affects Forrest City.
"Since the people are the ones who voted to implement this tax, they're the only ones who can change the tax," County Attorney Fletcher Long told the court during the same April 20 meeting. "It just needs to be understood that this is not a new tax, it's only going to be moving money from one place to another."
The funds would be allocated annually, beginning this year and continuing through 2007.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Two people were arrested Friday after returning to the business from which one of them allegedly stole a check and later attempted to cash it.
Several officials representing local banks contacted St. Francis County Housing Authority Executive Director Gary Chapman Friday morning to report that a female subject had tried to cash a $500 check on that agency.
According to Chapman, the 17-year-old suspect, who may be charged as an adult in the case, is believed to have taken a blank check from the agency's bookkeeping office on Wednesday and first tried to cash the check on Thursday.
"She made an attempt to cash it Thursday, but the bank, knowing the check required two signatures and that the one on the check was not mine, refused to cash it and questioned her about the check," Chapman said. "She left the bank Thursday, but went back to three different banks on Friday and that wouldn't fly either."
After she was unable to cash the check, the female suspect, who was working with the SFCHA on a program through the Department of Human Services, but was off on Friday, went to the business' headquarters located at 116 S. Izard St., to reportedly borrow money from a friend.
Chapman said he was on the telephone with local bank representatives when he realized the suspect, who was being described to him on the phone, was in his office at 116 S. Izard St.
After contacting local police, Chapman said the suspect and an acquaintance were arrested. She is charged with second-degree forgery and theft of property. She was released on her own recognizance to her mother. A second suspect, DeShawn T. Jones, 20, 725 Redwood Dr., Forrest City, was arrested with the juvenile and is also charged with second-degree forgery and disorderly conduct. Both were scheduled to be arraigned in St. Francis County District Court this afternoon.
Chapman said the suspect had worked in his office for about a month and basically performed clerical duties. "She was fulfilling an obligation she had in order to receive public benefits through DHS, Chapman said.
Jones was not employed at the SFCHA, but allegedly accompanied the suspect as she attempted to cash the check.
Area school boards will kick off a full week of meetings tonight throughout St. Francis County.
The Forrest City School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the administration building.
Although the leadership at Lincoln Middle School for the upcoming school year is not listed on the agenda, Superintendent Lee Vent said this morning that some individuals have contacted the school district and asked to speak at the time designated for people to address the board. The board allows individuals to speak for three minutes, but the board does not respond to those comments at the same meeting.
According to the agenda, board members are expected to discuss applicants for school choice, a proposed budget of expenditures, funding for Special Olympics and student athletic insurance.
Under personnel matters, the board will review resignations and retirements, along with classified new employment.
The Palestine-Wheatley School Board will meet at 6 this evening in the high school cafetorium in Palestine.
Under new business, the PWSD Board will review a parent facilitator stipend, the Arkansas Department of Education's accreditation report for the 2003-04 school year, student handbook revisions and the proposed budget for the 2004-05 school year.
Also on tap for this evening is the Widener City Council. This meeting will begin at 6 at city hall.
On Tuesday, the Forrest City Advertising and Promotions Commission will meet at 2 p.m. at the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce office.
At 4:30 p.m., the St. Francis County Transportation Commission has scheduled a meeting in the St. Francis County Courthouse. The meeting will be held in the quorum court's meeting room.
The Caldwell City Council will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at city hall, and the Forrest City Water Commission will hold its monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the water department.
At 6 p.m., the St. Francis County Quorum Court will hold its regular monthly meeting at the courthouse
The Forrest City City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday to continue discussions surrounding a possible catering contract at the Forrest City Civic Center.
A proposed contract has been given to council members for review, and there has also been a suggestion that a second kitchen be added to the facility.
In other business, the council will hear second reading of an ordinance adopting a planning area boundary for the city. There will also be third reading of an ordinance amending the existing zoning code to reflect changes which have taken place since the code was adopted in 1996. The amended code will include a new zoning map.
Burglary was just too much for one local criminal this weekend, so before leaving the school in which he had allegedly broken into, he took a nap in the nurse's office.
That's where he messed up.
Police officers were called to Lincoln Middle School Sunday morning in reference to a burglary. Upon arrival, they found Shawn Warren, 40, 133 1/2 Division St., Forrest City, asleep on a bed in the nurse's office where they handcuffed him and carried him to jail.
Leodis Williams, an employee with the Forrest City School District, notified police about 6:30 a.m. that a burglary had occurred at the school at 149 S. Water St.
According to the report on file at the Forrest City Police Department, officers noticed a window had been broken and a door near the lunchroom was open. While searching the area enroute to the principal's office, officers found Warren asleep on a bed.
Superintendent Lee Vent said the information he had received on the burglary this morning revealed that Warren had allegedly climbed over the building and into the inside courtyard where he reportedly broke into the nurse's station.
Warren is charged with commercial burglary, carrying an illegal weapon, obstruction of government operations. He was scheduled to be arraigned in St. Francis County District Court this afternoon.
Police said Warren "consistently refused to give information and refused to be fingerprinted." He is also on parole, and his parole officer was notified of his arrest, according to the police report.
A teenager riding his bicycle to the store was injured in a hit-and-run accident near a busy intersection in Forrest City Friday evening.
The Forrest City Police Department reported Robert Fields Jr., 17, 1323 Jones St., Forrest City, was riding his bicycle west on Linden Road near its intersection with South Washington Street when he was struck by a red vehicle that he described to police as either a Dodge Neon or a Ford Focus. He also told police he did not see the driver of the vehicle.
The accident occurred about 5:30 p.m., but was reported to police about an hour later after Fields was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City by his mother for treatment. He was treated and released at the hospital.
Fields told police the vehicle struck his bicycle, causing him to flip. He suffered lacerations to his face, arms, hands, chest and legs.
A Forrest City man was arrested just before midnight Sunday after allegedly fleeing from a Lee County residence that was being searched for drugs.
The St. Francis County Sheriff's Department was notified about 11 p.m. that Michael Dean Williams, 45, 93 SFC 721, had left a residence on Highway 121 near Holub's Crossing when Lee County officials, along with members of the First Judicial District Drug Task Force, arrived there to serve a warrant.
According to Lee County officials, officers found a methamphetamine lab inside an old school bus on the property that was being searched.
SFC Deputies found Williams at his home, along with his vehicle in which they also discovered a mobile meth lab in the trunk. Inside the trunk, police found anhydrous ammonia, ephedrine pills and drug paraphernalia.
Williams is charged with criminal attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to manufacture, possession of anhydrous ammonia in an unlawful container and possession of ephedrine with intent to manufacture.
He is scheduled to appear in St. Francis County District Court Wednesday afternoon.