By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
A man who allegedly tried to run from a Wheatley police officer was shot in the leg Saturday afternoon outside a motel where he had been staying.
Suspicious behavior by the man is believed to have led police to his motel room at the Rest Inn, located just off Interstate 40 in Wheatley, about 4 p.m. Saturday.
St. Francis County Sheriff's Department Investigator Herbert Neighbors is investigating the shooting that occurred outside the motel.
According to Neighbors' report, Wheatley Police Chief Dallas Brogden, 61, drove to the Rest Inn after receiving information that Kenny George, 31, of Marked Tree, was staying there. George reportedly had been taking the license plate off his vehicle when he would arrive at the motel and would place it back on the vehicle when he would leave.
Brogden contacted the sheriff's department for a registration check on the license plate, and found the tag did not match the vehicle on which it was being placed. In addition, Brogden was told that George was wanted in Poinsett County for probation violation and in Monroe County for theft of property.
According to the report, Brogden confronted George outside his motel room, and after identifying himself as a police officer, told George he was under arrest and to turn around and face the wall.
Brogden told Neighbors George then struck him on the left side of his head and started running west on foot. According to Neighbors, Brogden said he fired a warning shot in the air and told the suspect to stop, but when he kept running, Brogden shot the suspect in the right leg.
"The suspect ran about 80 more feet west of the motel and fell," Neighbors said. "Brodgen took the suspect into custody and applied a pressure bandage to the suspect's leg and transported him to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City."
George and Brogden were each treated and released at BMH-FC.
George is charged with second-degree battery and felony fleeing.
Wheatley Mayor Larry Nash said Brogden will remain on active duty while the investigation is continuing.
Neighbors said once he completes the investigation, he will turn that information over to the prosecuting attorney's office for further review.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A committee formed to study the possible purchase of two pieces of land by the City of Forrest City held its first meeting Monday, and basically said more information was needed.
The properties are Snyder's, a scrap metal business, and 501 Logistics. The properties are adjacent.
The property was offered for sale at the last city council meeting. At that time, there were two sets of feelings expressed. One was that the property is an eyesore. The other was a concern over who would be responsible for cleaning the property if expensive environmental concerns were discovered.
Some of the land has been used for illegal dumping, and the owners of the land have said they had nothing to do with it.
A committee was formed -- of three city council members and three citizens -- to study the issue, and the members' concerns remained the same Monday.
Earnestine Weaver, one of the committee members, said the area should be cleaned up, whether Forrest City purchases the land or not.
"Even if the city doesn't purchase it, there has to be some way that it can be cleaned up," she said. "It's been there for years. It's just an eyesore, it's a mosquito trap. I wish we could buy it, but even if we don't, we should be talking about cleaning it up."
Terry Vienna, owner of 501 Logistics, was at the meeting, and said he could give them some information concerning his land. He said it is 15.67 acres in size, and has a building covering 67,500 square feet. He said he was not sure of the exact dimensions of the Snyder property.
Vienna said that if the city did not buy the property, there is a chance that it could be sold to another commercial concern, which might make the property even more of an eyesore.
Cecil Twillie, a council member who chaired the meeting, said the environmental concerns at this point are great, and said he would want soil samples taken to see if there are any problems.
There has been no discussion of price. Twillie asked committee member Steve Hollowell, also a member of the city council, to make a study of what similar pieces of ground are going for in other towns, to come up with a ballpark figure. The members agreed to meet again in two Sweeks, which will be July 12, at 5 p.m.
The city council members on the committee include Twillie,
Hollowell and Roy Hancock. Hancock was not at Monday's meeting.
The private citizens on the committee include Weaver and Linda
Wade. Twillie said Henry Peacock has said he would like to serve
on the committee.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Two firefighters with the Forrest City Fire Department received a prestigious award at the Arkansas Convention of Firefighters when they were named 2004 Co-Firefighters of the Year by the Arkansas Firefighters Association.
Frank Ferrell and Jimmy Sandage of the FCFD share the honor, and recently spoke about their award. Captain Johnny Ruffin nominated the two for consideration.
Sandage, a nine-year veteran of the department stated that this was his first nomination.
"I was really honored when I heard that I won," said Sandage. "This was the first time that I had been nominated and to win was really great. There are a total of 17,000 firefighters in the state. While not all of them where nominated, there are a lot in the state, and to be one of two chosen feels great."
Sandage also discussed his career. "I love the job," he said. "I really like being able to help people, and I enjoy preventing fires and saving lives."
Ferrell also said he was very honored. "I was honored, most definitely," commented Ferrell, a 13-year veteran of the FCFD. He also added that his inspiration in becoming a firefighter came in the early 1980s.
"I had a neighbor, Anthony Flint, who was a Forrest City Firefighter," recalled Ferrell. "It was about '81 or '82 (when Flint was with the FCFD), and when I would hear the fire whistle blowing, I would meet him at his truck. My job is exciting, and I love to feel the adrenaline rush. It is the best job on the planet."
FCFD Chief Dan Curtner said he is very proud of his entire department, especially Ferrell and Sandage. "I am very proud that the co-firefighters of the year came from my station," stated Curtner. "They both do an outstanding job every day, and this is a way for us to recognize them for that. I was tickled to death that we could nominate them and that they won. I can't say enough about the job that Jimmy and Frank, and all of the men at the station do."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Joe Young's resignation from the St. Francis County Election Commission may have been short-lived after members of the Democratic Central Committee refused to accept his resignation during a DCC meeting Monday.
Young told members of the group that he would continue to serve on the committee, if approved by the state Democratic committee.
"The committee made the decision not to accept my resignation, and I will respect that decision and continue to serve," Young said.
"We've been able to do some good things on the committee, and hopefully we will continue to work to improve the election process in St. Francis County," he added.
However, because Young had resigned, he would have to be reappointed by the state to the election commission, although he will remain a member of the DCC. Young, along with the names of four other male DCC members, have been submitted for approval from the state chapter for the seat on the election commission. The other four nominees are Frederick Freeman, Ed Chauvin, Maceo Hawkins and Lamar Bridges.
In other business, committee members officially elected Chauvin as the committee treasurer and JoAnn Mitchell as secretary.
The committee also heard from St. Francis County Election Coordinator Judy Armstrong who discussed changes to the DCC district lines. Armstrong asked the committee to consider amending the current lines when they re-district to move a group of residents in precinct 27-3 from a Pine Tree polling location to Palestine.
"We thought that we had this done before, when the county did its re-districting, but it wasn't done. Those folks would really be better served voting in Palestine because they're three miles from Palestine and nine miles from the Pine Tree Experiment Station where they're supposed to vote. This will only affect about 10 families," Armstrong said.
Ronnie Crider, who was appointed to the DCC last night, said that more families should be included in the area in an attempt to have it mirror the Palestine-Wheatley School District.
"As it is right now, it doesn't really make a lot of sense because the folks out there live in the Palestine-Wheatley School District but have to vote in Pine Tree. I know the area that you're talking about, and there are about 37 people that will be affected, but when you do that you need to look at other areas near there that are not voting in Palestine, but are in the Palestine-Wheatley School District," Crider said.
Armstrong also told members of the committee that efforts are underway to find a different company to print the ballots for future elections after problems leading up to the May 18, preferential primary caused early voting to be delayed by a week. According to Armstrong, a meeting is scheduled for next week with officials from a company in Memphis.
"We're supposed to meet with a man from Memphis next week who is going to take a look at our ballots and our ballot styles to see what he can do. If it works out, it will be great because if there are any problems then he's just an hour away and we can get things taken care of faster. I can also show him how we do this because that's where we had a lot of problems with ES&S. The guy that worked with us this year was new and wasn't familiar with how our ballots had to be done," Armstrong said.
Changing the company that prints the ballots will not affect the computerized chip used in the machines for counting the ballots. That will still have to come from ES&S.
Young also commented on the issue. "We're working on this trying to get everything right, but it really doesn't matter what we do, there are always going to be some people complaining. And now we can't seem to satisfy the people in Little Rock and especially this one person in particular. They want all of the i's dotted and the t's crossed and they're asking for a lot of information and we just have to get it for them."
The discussion took a partisan turn when committee member Earnestine Weaver commented on the matter.
"Let's not beat around the bush, we know what's going
on and who is pushing this. When you've got people writing letters
to the people in Little Rock every time you turn around, they
have to ask questions just to find out what's going on over here.
It's just another effort by Satan's helpers to tear down the Democrat
Party, and that's why we have to be strong and be willing to fight,"
Weaver said.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Marion Berry, Democratic congressman from District 1 in Arkansas, said Monday that a reform in prescription drug prices is only an election away.
"We still have the problem of the American people -- all Americans, not just senior citizens -- being overcharged for prescription drugs, and we're still struggling with that," Berry said.
"Eventually we will win that battle, and I would make this commitment -- you give me a new Congress and a new White House, and I promise you we'll change it. But right now, whether that happens or not remains to be seen."
Berry said the drug cards recently issued to many senior citizens "have worked for very low income people. They are getting some benefit. But it's just been nothing more than an attempt to make people think they are getting some benefit, when actually they are not."
Berry said he has introduced legislation to allow the government to negotiate with drug companies over Medicare costs.
"We expect some kind of legislation between now and the end of the session, which will probably be in early October," he said. "But whether or not it will do what we really need it to, I really don't know."
Berry said he believes his remark about "a new Congress and a new White House" could be realistic.
"It's in the realm of possibility," he said. "But politics is a work in progress at all times."
Berry admitted that developments in Iraq could have a lot to do with it.
"Of course, we have handed control of the country back over to the Iraqis, whatever that means. Let's hope that turns out to be something positive," he said.
Berry said his biggest problem with Iraq is the way the United States acted unilaterally.
"We have gotten ourselves into a distressed relationship with much of the rest of the world," he said. "I wish that were not true, but it is. And now you see Iran beginning to flex its muscles, and North Korea. These are the things that renegade countries do, when they think you've got your hands full That's why we have to have the cooperation of the international community."
Berry was asked about proposals to amend both the state constitution and the U.S. Constitution to prohibit gay marriage.
"My thought is that marriage is between a man and a woman, and I support a constitutional amendment that would clearly define that," he said. "It's as simple as that. And I think it's a sad commentary on the state of our society that we even have to talk about it."
Berry said he recalled a book he read about Harry Truman.
"The two things he never lost faith in was one, the spirit of the American people, and two, their willingness to do whatever it takes to be successful. And we face a lot of problems right now. But I am absolutely convinced that given the opportunity, we can and will continue to be a successful nation."