By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
After receiving a letter this week from Mayor Larry Bryant, the president of the Forrest City Area Humane Society said the organization is encouraged about the prospects for a new shelter.
"For sure, we're ready," said Jean Guarr, president of the Humane Society. "Of course, this is a city project, but we are definitely ready for the city to start letting bids. It would be great if they could take advantage of this fall weather we're having."
Alderman Roger Breeding had presented a letter at Tuesday's city council meeting, calling conditions at the present animal shelter "deplorable" and asking that the city move ahead with the construction of a new shelter on donated land off Mallory Road.
At Tuesday's meeting, Bryant said he has not been the hold-up in getting the shelter built. He also stated earlier this year that the shelter the Humane Society wanted would cost more to build than the $100,000 which has been appropriated to do the job.
While Humane Society members would help with the care and feeding of animals in the shelter, the shelter would be a city facility. In September, the Humane Society notified the city that it would no longer take care of the animals at the existing shelter, located on Farr Street near the city shop.
While not much has happened on the new humane shelter, Guarr said she hopes there may be some movement now.
The letter from Bryant to Guarr agreed with some points made by Breeding, including an easement to allow for entrance from the new bypass, and seeking donated services from contractors to help keep down costs.
"We're certainly going to try for it," Guarr said, referring to the easement. "We've been working on it and we believe we can get it. Mayor Bryant has a thing about not driving on gravel with city vehicles. But my father was the same way. The fact that we can get an approach that can easily be blacktopped will make a difference."
She also said the Humane Society has been asking for help from local contractors as the mayor suggested.
"We had asked for help, two or three months ago, from some contractors of various kinds," she said. "But nobody wanted to commit to anything. But now they'll know that the city is on the verge of letting bids and something is going to happen. We've been doing this over two years now, and we've asked some people, and they've said they could help us if things would get started."
She said the members of the Humane Society are ready to go back to work.
"I think some of our supporters can see that the time is here and that this is going to be done," she said. "Certainly the members are going to do everything we can to make this the best shelter for the town and for the animals, and at the best price to the city. This could very well be our final hurdle."
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Growing class sizes were discussed during the quarterly meeting of the Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute's Board of Directors Thursday night.
CRTI President Burl Lieblong told board members that because more students are attending classes at the school, the campus is enduring additional costs for instructional materials.
"I am not overly concerned right now about us being right at capacity in some classes," said Lieblong. "And by the number of phone calls we have had, I expect we will continue to be right at capacity in some classes. The biggest issue is materials with the increase in attendance. In our welding class, we pay one price for the pipe for them to weld. We sell it back as scrap metal for pennies on the dollar. The instructor says that they try to cut the pipe shorter because of the amount of students needing materials, but you can only cut it so short or you can't get a good weld."
Lieblong was asked if the recent influx of students was due to several industries in the area laying off workers or shutting down. "I can't say exactly how many are people are from industries in the area, but there are some dislocated workers. A lot of young people from Crittenden County and other outlying areas are also coming in."
Lieblong did mention that a tuition increase might be needed, but suggested waiting on any increase until after the first of the year.
In other news, the board voted unanimously to give a complete waiver of tuition to members of the Arkansas National Guard and Reserve to the institution, matching what East Arkansas Community College recently approved during their board meeting.
Recently, a resolution had been passed by the Arkansas House Interim Committee on Aging, Children and Youth and the Arkansas Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth, encouraging schools to grant the wavier, but schools are not required to do so. No time limit was set for this wavier at either the EACC or CRTI meetings.
The board was also presented a financial breakdown of the annual Vo-Tech barbecue. The breakdown showed that the net income of the event was $12,382.18, up from $11,035.86 in 2003.
A schedule of parades that the CRTI Santa Claus float will participate in was also released. The float will be in Wynne on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m.; Forrest City on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 4, the float will be in Palestine at 6:30 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. it will be in Brinkley; Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in Cherry Valley; and on Friday, Dec. 10 in Marianna at 7 p.m.
The next meeting of the board is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 1 p.m.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A housing subdivision being developed by two local businessmen is adding six new homes in Forrest City with plans for more.
The East Oak subdivision, located on Highway 70 East, near the eastern edge of Forrest City, is being developed by Kem Merrell and Randy Pearson.
According to Merrell, the subdivision has 15 lots with one two-and-one-half acre lot which could hold two homes. The subdivision already has two completed homes which face Highway 70 East and two more scheduled to be completed within the next month.
"We started out with two houses when that property was annexed and those homes have been sold and occupied. Now we have two more houses that are close to completion. Both have been sold, and one will be occupied next week. The other one is scheduled for next month. We have a total of six going up in that area right now, but we plan to put 16 in the subdivision and the one lot with two and half acres could actually hold two homes," Merrell said.
While Merrell is happy to see the subdivision taking off, he did express concerns about future housing development in Forrest City.
"Since we are in the city limits, we had to put in the sewer and do all of the infrastructure work, and for some wanting to do a project like this, that could be a problem because you have to do everything at one time to meet city codes. It just makes it difficult for the developer. I would like to see the city take a look at this and maybe we could see more developments popping up in Forrest City," he said.
According to Merrell, the lots are selling for $15,000 to $22,000 each, and while the two newest homes are being built for Forrest City natives, the remaining four homes are receiving a lot of interest from employees with the Federal Correctional Institution-Forrest City.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The St. Francis County Election Commission is joining the commissions of several other counties, in telling the secretary of state's office "It's in the mail," when talking about hard copies of the general election results.
St. Francis County is one of 11 counties from which the secretary of state's office has received certified results in electronic form through its Website. However, paper copies are also needed.
Frederick Freeman, chairman of the St. Francis County Election Commission, was contacted this morning, and said the paper copy was on its way.
"It has been sent," he said. "It was forwarded on. I understand they are having some mail problems. We've done everything we can do -- let me put it like that."
He said that by receiving the information electronically, the secretary of state's office knows the work has been done. "All they need now is a hard copy."
Janet Miller, deputy secretary of state for elections and communications, was quoted in an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette story as acknowledging that mail is running behind.
Election Commissioners in Arkansas and Columbia counties also said the results had been mailed. In Cleburne County, the results were late in being sent because a commissioner had been hospitalized.
There is a rush because Secretary of State Charlie Daniels has to have paper copies of the certified results from all 75 counties in Arkansas before results of the Nov. 2 general election can be certified for the state.
Counties besides St. Francis which have sent in the results electronically but from which the paper copies have not been received include Calhoun, Faulkner, Hot Spring, Lawrence, Lincoln, Logan, Nevada, Stone, Woodruff and Yell.
Counties from which neither electronic nor paper results had been received as of Thursday include Arkansas, Cleburne, Columbia and Craighead.
The paper results were due Nov. 12, according to the article. According to Miller, the statewide results are supposed to be certified no later than Monday.
A Forrest City man is on his way back to the Arkansas Department of Corrections after having his parole revoked in St. Francis County Circuit Court action Thursday.
Cedric Glaze, 22, 203 Roosevelt, Forrest City, was sentenced to six years in the ADC after Judge Harvey Yates revoked his parole in connection with an October incident.
On Oct. 6, Glaze was arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and third-degree battery. Glaze was placed on parole after an April 2003 incident where he repeatedly threatened a Forrest City woman verbally, through letters and with painted messages on her apartment. He was charged in the April 2003 incident with third-degree battery, five counts of aggravated assault, felony fleeing, third-degree escape and criminal impersonation. Those charges were later amended to third-degree battery and criminal impersonation.
Along with the six-year prison sentence, Glaze was fined $500 and received an additional five-year suspended imposition of sentence