The St. Francis County Election Commission will conduct a recount of the votes cast in the recent primary.
The recount is scheduled for Thursday, May 27, at 5:30 p.m. at the courthouse.
Joe Young, commission chairman, said the recount is not in response to a specific complaint by an individual, but the commission is doing this on its own authority, which he said it has the right to do by law.
"We didn't get the results of all of the precincts, and I just don't feel comfortable not knowing the results from all of the precincts," Young said.
Young also said he did not expect the outcome of any of the elections to be changed in Thursday's recount. "Ed (Ed Adams, the person who operated the voting tabulator) assured me that the totals from last week were correct, and I really don't think that any of the outcomes from the election are going to change," he said.
According to Young, there was a problem with the totals from some precincts, which came down to either the ballot or the programming in the vote tabulator, "and I want to find out what it is."
Young said this will not be a hand count, but a re-running of the tabulator. "I'll just feel better when we find out" where the problem is, Young said.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Citizens from St. Francis and Cross counties will have the opportunity tonight to publicly voice their opinions on the regional airport concept during a public hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Colt.
Officials with Garver Engineers, the engineers for the regional airport project, are expected to attend tonight's hearing at the Colt Community Center to take statements from citizens on both sides of the issue.
Garver Engineering was selected last June by members of the Delta Regional Airport Authority to develop a master plan for the proposed airport from three possible engineering firms. In April, officials with Garver presented a feasibility study on the issue to members of the DRAA at a meeting at Forrest City City Hall.
The next stage in the process for the airport concept will be the development of a site selection matrix which will be followed by the site selection and the development of a master plan for the facility. An environmental assessment will then be done on the proposed site with programming and construction to follow.
The proposed airport would have a 5,000 foot runway with the potential to expand to 6,000 feet, and would accommodate C-II class aircraft.
A committee of individuals from both St. Francis and Cross counties was created last year to study the idea of a joint airport shared by both counties. While no location has been selected for the facility, officials have indicated that a centralized location along Arkansas Highway 1 near the Colt area would best serve the needs of both communities.
The results of tonight's public hearing will be presented to officials with the Federal Aviation Administration before the next stage of development so the effort to build the airport can begin.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
St. Francis County taxpayers will have a day longer than usual to beat the deadline for getting their personal property assessed.
They will also be able to assess during evening hours on Thursday.
The deadline for assessing personal or business personal property is normally May 31. However, that date falls on Monday, which is also Memorial Day, and the courthouse will be closed. For that reason, people can assess as late as Tuesday, June 1.
"People can come in (the Assessor's Office) on the day of June 1, any time before closing, and be assessed without penalty," said County Assessor Craig Jones.
In addition, the Assessor's Office will be open this Thursday, May 27, until 7 p.m.
"That's convenient for taxpayers," said Jones. "A lot of people don't have time to come in after they get off work. It's hard for some people to make it."
To make it even more convenient, people can assess their personal property with a telephone call.
"We not only allow people to call, we encourage them," said Jones. "In fact, most people won't come by the office. Most will just call us from the house."
The telephone number of the Assessor's Office is 261-1710 or 1-800-203-0211. The office is located in the St. Francis County Courthouse.
After June 1, there is a 10 percent penalty for late assessment. Jones said the Assessor's office has no choice but to impose the penalty on those who are late.
"We are mandated, by law, to put that penalty on the person's tax bill," Jones said. "I don't like putting that penalty on there, and taxpayers don't like the penalty. But we have to do it. We have to sign a form every year, stating that we do that. It's not a fun thing to do, but we have to follow state regulations."
Besides, he added, "It is a penalty you can avoid. That's why we're trying to get the word out, so people won't have to pay that penalty."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
One leaky roof at the St. Francis County Courthouse is seeing more repairs while the roof at the St. Francis County Jail may soon see a complete overhaul.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, repairs are currently being made to a section of the roof that he hopes will help extend the life of the roof covering the southern portion of the courthouse.
"We did some work last year that got us through the winter pretty well, and for the most part, we've narrowed down the area where the leaks can be coming from and we're hoping to get the last portion of that done with this work. We've gotten this end of the building pretty much taken care of and this will give the roof a little more life," Cisco said.
While the roof over the courthouse is being repaired, Cisco said bids could be let soon to replace the roof at the jail. According to Cisco, county architect Bob Beavers has completed bid specifications for the work, and those are being reviewed.
"We've gotten all of the information from Bob Beavers and we're looking it over right now. I expect to let bids on the jail soon because that roof needs to be replaced. The courthouse roof is doing okay right now, but we have to get something done about the jail soon, and that's our main priority," Cisco said.
Last fall, officials let bids for construction on both the courthouse and jail roofs. The decision was later made to reject the bids and patch the courthouse roof and re-let bids with new specifications.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Principals and administrators in the Palestine-Wheatley School District could see a change in the way their contracts are formatted after a recommendation from District Superintendent John Manning at Monday's meeting of the P-W School Board.
According to Manning, 12-month certified employees in the district have been working on a 190-day contract and then signing a 50-day contract for the remainder of the year. His proposal will implement a positional pay scale for those administrative employees who work throughout the year.
Also on Monday, board members approved a pair of recommendations from Manning which will implement a new student policy.
By a 6-0 vote, board members agreed to a new policy for transfer and home-schooled students, and also approved a new search and seizure policy for the district.
Board member Dorothy Smith questioned the policy, which originally called for a "school-official" to be present for any searches or seizures. At the recommendation of Manning, the policy was amended to read that a school administrator and witness must be present for any such activities.
Board members also gave final approval of the unused sick day proposal that Manning introduced at the April meeting of the PWSB, and approved of the hiring of Jo Patterson as a certified teacher in the district. The board also agreed to move instructor Heather Hawk from classified employment to certified status.
Two men were arrested on drug charges Monday night after a state trooper observed them driving a vehicle with a broken windshield.
John Wesley Stidham, 25, 540 SFC 361, Forrest City, was driving south on Highway 1 near its intersection with Division Street when his Chevrolet Corsica was stopped by an Arkansas State Police trooper about 8:20 p.m., according to an arrest report on file with the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department.
The trooper reported Stidham's windshield was broken all the way across the front of the car and a side mirror was missing from the vehicle.
According to the report, when the trooper approached Stidham, he noticed a "strong odor of burnt marijuana in the car and a blunt on top of the stereo."
A search of Stidham revealed 6.2 grams of methamphetamine in the front pocket of his pants along with 16.4 grams of marijuana in his sock and 121.8 grams of ephedrine in the leg of his pants.
During a search of the vehicle, police also found two gallons of Coleman fuel and a package of lithium batteries.
Stidham is charged with driving while intoxicated, drugs; defective equipment, refusing the drug test, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent, possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.
Joseph William May, 19, 293 SFC 336, Forrest City, was a passenger in Stidham's vehicle. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.