By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Airport Commission agreed Monday to enter into an agreement with members of the Master Gardener program for beautification of the entrance of the Forrest City Municipal Airport.
Nancy Jarratt, a graduate of the Master Gardener program, said one of the projects the group is interested in involves beautifying entry points to the city.
"We're an entrance to Forrest City, too," said Jarratt, who is also a pilot, referring to the airport. "We will do all the work, we will do all of the maintenance. All we ask of you, since we are not a fundraising group, is to pay for the plants and water them."
Hutcherson Flying Service, the company that manages the airport, has expressed an interest in funding the $1,077 being requested for plants, and to do the watering.
After some more discussion, the commission voted unanimously to accept the offer.
In other action, the commission agreed to extend the lease of the Civil Air Patrol. The current lease expires on Dec. 31 of this year.
Lt. Col. Joseph Jenson, vice commander of the Arkansas Wing of the CAP, attended the meeting.
"The building (a hangar) is the envy of the Arkansas CAP," said Jenson. "Everyone would like to have it."
Jenson spoke about the rescue work and other services performed by the CAP, but he emphasized the cadet program. He said the program needs to do more, and he said the local squadron (East Arkansas Composite Squadron No. AR113) at present has only three cadets. He said a goal has been set for the squadron of 10 cadets by the end of this calendar year, and 20-to-25 cadets by the end of this school year.
The commissioners voted to extend the lease for another five years, beginning Jan. 1, 2005, at a rate of $1 per year.
The commissioners also heard an update on projects currently under way at the airport, from engineer Dan Clinton.
He said the new security fence is about 90 percent complete. Also, the foundations are in place for both the Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPIS) and the Runway End Identifier Lights (REILS).
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Job descriptions were finalized and some raises were given Monday following a brief executive session of the Forrest City Public Library Board.
Board members have been meeting in executive sessions for the past few months regarding personnel matters, specifically job descriptions.
After opening the meeting to the public, board members accepted the resignation of Candace Clay who had been named child services assistant and shelver at last month's meeting. Carolyn Sanders, who was named a shelver last month, accepted the child services assistant title, along with a 50 cent per hour raise.
Board members also approved a raise for library director Sarah Jumper. Jumper was named the director last month after having served as a co-director. The board unanimously agreed to raise Jumper's salary to $11 per hour.
In other business, Jumper updated board members on some recent projects at the library.
"We have received our compact discs that are replacing microfilm copies of back issues of the Times-Herald newspaper," said Jumper. "I really think this is a great thing. It is much better than the microfilm machine, and it is very easy to access."
Board member Brad Beavers asked if Jumper felt a training class for the public was needed to teach people interested in the new archive system. Jumper stated that she felt the staff could instruct people as they reviewed the discs.
Jumper also updated the board on the recent Halloween Storytime and another event that will be held on Monday. "The Halloween Storytime went very well. We had over 40 kids attend. We will have a special storytime on Monday, Nov. 8., at 6 p.m. It will be a Polar Express Storytime, and we will have someone read the Polar Express. Broadway Cinema is sponsoring the event, and the Polar Express movie is going to be shown there soon."
Before adjourning, board chairperson Robin Jayroe asked members about the possibility of having a local organization do landscaping at the library.
"The Master Gardeners are looking for beautification projects to do around town," said Jayroe. "I am a member of the Master Gardeners and what we do is provide the manpower to complete the project. We don't have any money to purchase the materials; that is up to the owners of the property. Most of the time after we do a project, we hand it back to the owners and they do the upkeep, but since this is the library, we (Master Gardeners) might be able to do the upkeep. I wanted to ask the board if we are interested in this before I moved forward with it."
The board agreed to have Jayroe bring more information about the program, including any necessary paperwork, to next month's meeting.
The Times-Herald today begins its 134th year of continuous publication.
The oldest established business in St. Francis County, the Times-Herald has been owned by the McCollum family for 61 years. This newspaper is one of only two daily newspapers remaining in the state which are family-owned.
In marking today's anniversary, we are also pleased to announce a project that has partnered the Times-Herald with East Arkansas Community College and the Forrest City Public Library, said Publisher Weston McCollum Lewey. "During the past year, we have worked with officials at EACC and the library to convert old editions of the Times-Herald, which were previously available only on microfilm, to compact discs. This allows for easier access to past editions of the newspaper. Now, the information that was once accessible only through use of a microfilm reader can be accessed with any computer."
"People often ask questions related to genealogy, and by having this information available on compact discs, those people seeking this type of information can have their questions answered quicker and easier," said EACC Learning Resource Center Director Art Berman. "Sometimes people ask about accidents, and this will also make it easier for them to access information such as this." FCPL Librarian Sarah Jumper added, "This partnership shows our commitment to local residents by providing them with easier access to historical events. Not only can the old newspaper pages be viewed on a computer screen, but copies of pages can also be printed for a nominal fee."
The compact discs can be viewed at either the LRC on the EACC campus or at the public library.
Berman said anyone wanting to view one of the discs should make a request at the circulation desk for the time period they are researching. "You do not have to be a student or have a library card to view these discs," Berman added.
A similar process is also being implemented at the public library. "We'll have at least one terminal set up for viewing the archive discs," said Jumper. "You do not have to have a library card to view these CDs."
Neither the public library nor EACC will allow the discs to be checked out. However, anyone who is interested in having a copy of a disc viewed at the library or the college may contact the Times-Herald to purchase a copy of the CD. These copies are available for $15 each.
"We feel this partnership is a benefit to not only us, but the entire community," said Lewey.
The Arkansas Department of Health is providing a checklist for individuals who plan to seek flu shots on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
In St. Francis County, the shot clinic will be set up in the Main Exhibit Building at the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds. There will be 630 adult doses and 80 perservative-free pediatric doses available locally.
All the shot clinics statewide are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. The flu shot will cost $15, for anyone not enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or the Vaccines for Children program.
Only those in high-risk groups may receive the vaccine. At the clinic, anyone who is eligible for a shot but who is unable to stand in line can have a family member or friend stand in for them.
High risk groups include people 65 years of age and older, children ages 6 months to 23 months, adults and children 2 years of age ad older with chronic lung or heart disorders including heart disease and asthma, pregnant women, adults and children 2 years of age and older with chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes) including persons with HIV/AIDS, residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, children and teenagers 6 months to 18 years of age who take aspirin daily, health care workers involved in hands-on care to patients and household members and out of town caregivers under the age of 6 months.
Persons who should not receive influenza vaccine for health reasons include persons with a severe allergy (anaphylactic allergic reaction) to chicken eggs and persons who previously had onset of Guillain-Barre syndrome during the six weeks after receiving the vaccine.
The AHD also offers tips for helping to prevent the spread of the flu: Avoid close contact with people who are sick, and whenever possible, stay at home if you are sick. Wash your hands with soap often and use a hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. If you smoke, try to quit.
Other tips include: Cover you mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough and put used tissues into the trash. In the home, frequently clean surfaces that are touched often, such as telephones, remote controls, door knobs, etc. If you develop influenza, there are antiviral prescriptions and medications on the market that can help lessen the symptoms.
For those wanting more information, there is a Health Department Hotline, The number is 800-651-3493. The hotline will operate today until 8 p.m.
Chalk up another victory for the ladies.
Nancy Herbert missed only one game in last week's Professor Pigskin to claim the $50 cash prize.
Herbert missed the Salem-Earle high school football game but was perfect on everything else.
Several readers missed just two of the selected games but it wasn't good enough to dethrone Herbert, who becomes the seventh woman in nine weeks to win the money.
This week's Professor Pigskin can be found inside today's issue of the Times-Herald.
Property tax collections in St. Francis County have shown an increase over last year of around $163,000.
According to Chief Deputy Collector Emily Holley of the St. Francis County Sheriff and Collector's office, last year's collections were $6,140,108.70, with $1,296,074.29 in homestead credit, for a total of $7,436,182.99.
This year, collections were $6,262,569.33 with homestead credit collections of $1,336,795.99, for a total of $7,599,365.32.
The difference is $162,182.33.
Students in the Forrest City School District and Palestine-Wheatley School District will get a four-day weekend as the doors close in both districts Thursday and Friday.
According to officials in the FCSD, school is out for the annual Arkansas Education Association Convention. PWSD officials said that while students won't be in attendance Thursday and Friday, teachers and administrators will attend teacher development workshops.
Projects by private individuals made up the bulk of the building permits issued in Forrest City during October, according to the mayor's office.
The total value of the projects was $290,700, bringing the year's total to $5,688,082.
Two commercial projects received permits, including new storage at Mini Storage of Forrest City at 4818 N. Washington, valued at $15,000, and new roof and paint for St. Luke Church at 233 N. Broadway, valued at $5,000.
Residential projects included one new home, three remodeling projects, two carports, two fire damage repair projects, one roof repair project and one siding project.