By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Gov. Mike Huckabee recently recommended to the Delta Regional Authority that the Eastern Arkansas Enterprise Community in Forrest City receive $75,000.
The money, if received, would go to purchase equipment for the EAEC's Rural Business Development Center.
Dr. Robert Cole, speaking for EAEC, said the grant wasn't a sure thing, but the governor's recommendation was an important step.
"What the process is, you make pre-application to the Delta Regional Authority (in Clarksdale, Miss.) and they do a review of your pre-application and determine if you are eligible," said Coleman. "It then goes to the governor for his recommendation. The governor has a committee to review it, and then he makes his recommendation.
"The number of recommendations always exceeds the amount of funds that are available," Cole cautioned.
He said the EAEC should now be invited to make a final application.
According to Cole, the need for a business development center grew out of the EAEC's business loan program.
"When the loan fund was opened and put into operation, we already had the feeling" that a small business development center was needed.
"Many people wanted to set up small businesses," he said. "And they may have even already been in business. But many did not have a business plan. So when they started coming to us to get small business loans, we started having them go through the process of developing a business plan."
The problem was, according to Cole, that there were so many different places that new entrepreneurs had to go.
"There was not a one-stop service," he said. "We had to send them to get a business plan and send them there to et training. Finally, we got some organizations to work with us and get everything in one place."
He said the EAEC's building on Airport Drive still has about 2,000 square feet that needs remodeling.
"What we'll do is have some small office spaces for people to use on a temporary basis. We'll have a secretary. And they'll have access to equipment."
If the grant is received, it will go to purchase computers, a phone system, copiers and other items.
"We don't have all the nuts and bolts worked out, but we know what a business development center offers and we will try to offer as much as we can over time," said Cole. "And of course, you need equipment to do that."
Although the EAEC is already providing some services, Cole said it is hoped that a fully-functional small business development center will be in place early in 2005.
"Since 2000, we've helped about 17 business ventures and actually financed 11, and created, probably 100 to 115 jobs...The whole thrust of it is to support small businesses and, we hope, to create some job opportunities."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
An early evening accident on Interstate 40 Wednesday claimed the life of a Louisiana man and sent a passenger in his vehicle to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis.
According to a report from Arkansas State Police Troop D headquarters in Forrest City, 44-year old David Headrick, of New Lano, La., was killed after the 2003 Freightliner he was driving burst into flames upon striking a 2002 Peterbilt driven by Javier L. Bejarano of El Paso, Texas. According to the report, both trucks were eastbound on I-40 near the 251 mile marker east of Forrest City, when Headrick's truck rear-ended Bejarano's vehicle, which had slowed due to traffic congestion.
According to an eyewitness to the accident, the heroism of another interstate traveler may have saved the life of a passenger in the Headrick vehicle.
Dale Dowton of Memphis, who was behind the accident said, "I was right behind the truck that burst into flames when the accident happened, and there was a man driving a white truck beside me when everything happened. The man in the white truck drove through the flames and got out of his truck and ran through the smoke to get to the passenger side of that big rig," said Dowton, who was also traveling eastbound on I-40 when the accident occurred.
The passenger in the Headrick vehicle, Patsy Headrick, also of New Lano, La., was transported to the Med in Memphis where she is in critical condition. The body of David Headrick was transported to the Arkansas Crime Laboratory in Little Rock. Firefighters from Forrest City, Palestine, Widener and Caldwell responded to the accident which closed a portion of I-40 Wednesday evening, causing some traffic to be rerouted through Forrest City.
While the school year is over, Mustang 17 has just started rolling on wheels, that is.
Through the assistance of a Community Technology Center grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Forrest City School District has been able to add some technology features to its push to increase technology awareness, school performance and test scores for students.
The final major thrust of the program is activation of a "mobile technology center."
A number of activities have been conducted throughout the year through utilization of the $324,000 grant.
"The school district has done a great deal this year to help students improve scores in standardized tests," Steve Murray, teacher at Forrest City High who also directs operations of Mustang 17 and is CTC project director, said. "In addition, a district-wide after-school program has been conducted, as well as programs in off-campus centers. We have worked in conjunction with all of these efforts."
Murray said that the most unique aspect of the program was the mobile lab, but a number of other activities were done to help in the instructional effort.
"We did some original programming for test preparation," he said.
Brittany Moore and Joshua Pierce went to all of the after-school sites and did video of the activities. Videos were combined into master tapes and compact discs and shown during the year on Mustang 17 TV. At the same time, release items from the tests were put into presentation format and put on compact discs.
"The discs and tapes can be used at later dates," Murray said, "and we can add to them. Brittany and Josh really did a good job with them."
Also throughout the year, Homework Hotline, which is shown four nights each week live on Mustang 17, was bolstered by the CTC grant.
Instructors in the program were Mary Allen, Deb Chapman and Karen Busby, all teachers in the Forrest City Schools. Working with production were Amber Nelson, Valarie Morrow and Brian Pierce.
"If you look at numbers," Murray said, "the staff fielded almost 2,000 homework problems. We also helped bring testing assistance to hundreds of students. But an equally major part of the program is just now coming to life technology."
The nature of Mustang 17 is television production, which generates a great deal of attention from Forrest City High School students, Murray said.
"Students seem to enjoy doing things to make television programming for Mustang 17," he said. "Almost everything we do involves technology, and much of it is the latest in digital mass communication.
"One of the things this grant seeks to do is develop an interest in technology, and we're using video production as a spring board."
Television studio equipment, such as digital video cameras and monitors, were purchased, along with editing and production equipment and software.
Placed in the center at the high school, as a part of Mustang 17, were eMac computers which have video editing capability, along with the software and hardware to produce video, CDs or DVDs. Placed at the off-campus centers, including the Cyber Café, were Apple iMac computers with LCD monitors and CD burners. All of the computers are networked through the latest in wireless technology.
"Students are not only exposed to the best in video production technology," Murray said, "but it is also among the best available anywhere. For example, in the lab at Forrest City High School, we have the 'world's fastest desktop computer' (according to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs), which is the Power Mac G5 with dual two gigahertz processors. In the mobile lab, we have the dual Pentium Xeon 2.5 gigahertz processors as the hub.
"In our area, not everyone gets to see such advanced technology. With our labs, and the mobile lab, at least a lot of people can see the latest and greatest, and some will get a chance to use it."
While television stations have mobile studios, and educational institutions have mobile learning labs, there weren't many models for mobile studio labs. Additionally, Murray said, "we didn't have enough money for something big and fancy."
"Tom Machen (with Machen Ford in Forrest City) came to the rescue," Murray said. "He located a very good used van, and helped us get an extended top for the ceiling height we needed."
Technical Assistant Brandon Williams took charge of van re-construction, gutting the inside, rebuilding it for high-tech things to come, then securing the equipment in the van.
The large computer in the mobile lab supports inputs for up to 8 video devices cameras, computers and digital video recorder/players. For each input, the system has a monitor, plus composite monitors on the computer's dual screens.
The smaller computers in the 15-passenger van have flat screen plasma monitors, and there are robotic, remote controlled cameras, all working together to make the mobile lab a television studio, complete with a small interview area.
"It's small for a lab," Murray said, "but the lab can be extended to any place within 200 feet of the van with video cabling and wireless networking."
Murray said the CTC staff will be busy this summer with programs at summer activities in various parts of the district, and CTC staff member Jasmine Stephens will be conducting programs at the Cyber Café on South Rosser Street in Forrest City.
The mobile lab programs will be limited to just a little over an hour per session, and will allow children in the third grade and up to produce television programs.
"We hope some of these programs will be shown on Mustang 17," Murray said. "This generates an interest in technology, and gives students skills they can use later in school."
Murray said that summer children's programs or Vacation Bible Schools interested in a visit from the Mobile Technology Lab may call 261-1859.
Mustang 17 is the school district-operated television station that is shown on East Arkansas Video cable company. It is also shown on Classic Cable that serves Madison, Widneer, Hughes and Horseshoe Lake. When the transmitter works, it is also shown on Curtis Cable.
At the heart of the mobile center is a computer that utilizes the VT3 switching system, known widely in the video broadcast industry as the Video Toaster in its earlier days. In the Mustang 17 studio, the Trinity switching system is used.
Editing stations inside the van will be Apple's Powerbook G4 laptops, supporting 17-inch LCD Monitors.
"Mobile center participants will be able to everything that we can in our center at the high school," Murray said. "They can make a news program, add commercials, do overlays, switch to a remote then back to the studio. They can create and run PowerPoint presentations, or take still pictures and use them.
"Participants will learn some basic skills and find out some of the things technology can really do, outside of looking up things on the internet."
Technology has made a number of advancements in the Forrest City School District since Lee Vent became superintendent, Murray said. All of the schools in the district are networked, and there are hundreds of computers in the schools. The district also has a compressed video distant learning center, and Mustang 17 is a modern, fully digital system.
"The technology centers are the next logical step in our effort to help our students be prepared for what awaits them in the world of work," Murray said.
Forrest City Junior High School officials are looking for volunteers as they work with the Forrest City Wal-Mart Supercenter on a beautification project scheduled for Saturday, June 26.
According to a press release from FCJHS, work will kick off on the school's two courtyards at 6 a.m. on June 26, and volunteers are needed. "Wal-Mart has chipped in, and they're going to provide us with many of the flowers and the furniture that we're going to use out there. What we're primarily looking for are volunteers to assist us with the work that has to be done," said FCJHS instructor Chaney Murray.
Both courtyards will have themes, according to Murray, with one theme already selected.
"We know that we're going to have a Japanese theme for one of the courtyards, but we're also looking for input on the other one. We want the community to be involved in this, and any input that they can give us. Also, any help will be appreciated," she said.
Volunteers for the event will be served hot dogs and soda, and there will be live music and a concession stand.
"Folks don't have to feel like they have to come out and stay all day. We'll get everything started at 6 a.m., and work until we get it done. We just want to see the community come out and get involved," said Murray.