By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
While most citizens were glad to hear that mosquito spraying is now going on more than three nights a week, some are still concerned about possible mosquito habitats.
That becomes especially true when that mosquito habitat is the lot next door, where the grass continues to grow and grow, and nothing is being done about the problem.
J.C. Rice, head of Forrest City's Pest Control Department, said his office has gotten some calls about yards which are overgrown.
"We're running behind on them, too," admitted Rice. "That's part of our job, and I've got several around town I'm trying to get written up."
Rice said there are legal procedures to be followed when a yard gets overgrown -- for instance, over 12 inches.
"What we have to do is find the property, get a legal description along with the name and address of the owner," Rice said.
The owner is notified by certified letter, which gives seven days to do something about the yard.
"After that seven days, we can cut it or mow it or whatever -- clean it up -- and then charge it to the owners of the property," he said.
Rice repeated that there are several pieces of property which are in the process of being written up.
"We get calls every now and then, and whenever I get a call, I go out and check it out," he said. "Besides that, I try to make the rounds as I'm working around town and try to write those places down in my notebook.
"I try to keep up with them, myself. But when people call me it actually helps me out," he said.
Rice said some people are hesitant to call because they don't want a neighbor to be mad at them.
"I never ask for a name, and even if they tell me, I don't tell anybody," he said.
Mosquito spraying began this year on three nights a week, but has been expanded. There has also been a campaign to put larvicide in standing water. People are also encouraged to deal with items which might allow water to stand. That could mean anything from dumping water out of old tires -- or better yet, getting rid of the old tires -- to frequently changing the water in pet's water bowls and birdbaths.
Rice also encourages anyone who knows of some standing water that hasn't been treated to notify the pest control office.
The number is the same as the mayor's office, 633-1315.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A 47-year-old man arrested in Jacksonville Thursday may be a second suspect in a series of motel and truckstop robberies along Interstate 40.
According to authorities with the Jacksonville Police Department, 47-year old Michael Boyd was taken into custody Thursday on charges of criminal impersonation and theft in connection with robberies of motel guests in Jacksonville in which perpetrators posed as police officers to gain access to rooms, money and identification belonging to the guests.
Last week, 41-year-old Curtis L. Murdock of Malvern was taken into custody in Little Rock on charges of several counts of criminal impersonation of a police officer and robbery, after striking seven times since December at motels and truckstops in Wheatley and Shell Lake.
Murdock's arrest on July 12 came after he had allegedly robbed a Wisconsin couple at the Super 8 motel at Shell Lake that same morning. Murdock allegedly took more than $500 from the couple after telling them that he was a narcotics officer and needed to check their money for drug residue.
This morning, Capt. Charley Jenkins with the Jacksonville Police Department said that no link had been made in the two cases, but that the Boyd case is still under investigation.
"This case is still under investigation, so there isn't much information that I can give you. We have not been in contact with the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department yet, but we will attempt to contact them," Jenkins said.
According to Jenkins, the department has contacted authorities in Carlisle after they arrested men suspected of similar crimes. Jenkins was not aware of the circumstances behind the Murdock arrest, but said his department would definitely contact the SFCSD after learning of the similarities in the cases.
"The robberies definitely sound similar, and we will be getting in contact with St. Francis County to see if there is any connection," Jenkins said.
Murdock is being held in the St. Francis County Jail on a $100,000 aggregate bond. St. Francis County authorities said that Murdock escaped the scene of last week's robbery with the use of an unnamed accomplice.
According to Neighbors, in Arkansas, similar robberies had occurred at truckstops and motels in Marion, West Memphis, Lonoke and Jacksonville, in which the descriptions of the perpetrator matched Murdock. He is also suspected in a similar robbery in Waverly, Tenn., just north of Nashville.
Neighbors was not available for comment this morning.
Rausch Hodges, a Forrest City native, announced today his candidacy for the Position 4 seat on the Forrest City School Board.
Hodges, 44, is a graduate of the Forrest City School District, and continued his education at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Hodges graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service In Dallas, Texas. He is a licensed funeral director and embalmer at Stevens Funeral Home in Forrest City where he has been employed for the past 22 years.
In addition, Hodges is a member of the East Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees, and is an elder and treasurer at Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church where he attends with his family. He is also a member of Gideons International.
He and his wife Sandy have two children, Mary Hoshall Hodges, 14, and Billy Rauscher Hodges, 8. Mrs. Hodges is employed with the Forrest City School District. Their daughter is a student at the Forrest City Junior High School and their son attends classes at Central Elementary School.
"I am a product of the Forrest City Public Schools, and I feel this is a great opportunity to give back to the community," Hodges said, in announcing his candidacy. "Our schools should be something for the entire community to be proud of, and I look forward to working with the school administration."
Three people have filed for seats on the Widener City Council. They are the first people to file for council seats to be decided in the Nov. 2 general election.
Versie Pitts will seek reelection for the Position 4 seat on the council. A challenger for Pitts' position, Holly Sanders, has also filed. A candidate for the Position 1 seat, Rodney Burgess, had also filed as of Thursday.
Mayor Dot Halford of Widener said that in her city, aldermen could file both in the party primaries and as independents. "Two years ago, I had a Democratic opponent and then had an independent opponent in November," she said.
Incumbents and challengers alike of the five city councils in Caldwell, Madison, Hughes, Colt and Palestine must file in the St. Francis County Clerk's office by Wednesday, Aug. 4.
The Forrest City Planning Commission is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at city hall.
Commissioners will consider three items under new business.
Denny Jarratt will request an eight-foot variance from the required 10-foot setback to construct a carport on the west side of a residence at 233 Virginia Circle.
Ricky and Alice Kellum, along with Thomas and Jennifer Hughes, will request that property at 1509 and 1527 N. Division be rezoned from residential to commercial in order to sell the property as commercial land.
Bill and Jeanne Boschert will request commissioners approve a conditional use permit to place a 12-foot-by-56-foot modular building in the McCutchen Addition to be used as an alternative school.
The meeting is open to the public.
There are sevens days left to cast an early ballot in the special election that will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 3, and 50 residents have taken advantage of early voting so far.
The issue facing voters is whether or not to allow Forrest City to transfer $125,000 of its portion of the countywide solid waste tax to the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce to be used for industrial recruitment and to hire an executive director. The $125,000 would be given to the Chamber for four years. The move would not result in a tax increase.
St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith said this morning she hopes early-voting numbers will top 150 when the process ends Monday, Aug. 2.
Early voting is being held Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Smith's office in the St. Francis County Courthouse.