By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The remaining contracts with the St. Francis County Transportation Commission were suspended Thursday after members of the commission attempting to bring a Transportation Mall to St. Francis County met for close to two hours in executive session with project coordinator Frederick Freeman.
Through the use of a voice vote, members approved a decision to suspend the contracts of Freeman as coordinator and Ebony Mills as certified public accountant. The two contracts were the only contracts still in force. The move will now halt any additional accumulation of expenses until further revenue has been accumulated.
Questions first arose surrounding the contracts and payments in the July meeting of the commission. At that time, commission members split the vote on a decision to cancel all contracts. Later in July, two additional members were added to the commission by St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco. The two members, Kevin Lewey and Rujay Burke attended their first meeting last week.
In other business, commissioners were updated on the status of the remaining drawdowns from a $100,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority. According to Mills, the remaining balance of funding from DRA currently stands at $39,232. Invoices of close to $35,000 are remaining to be paid out of that balance. One of the remaining drawdowns will go toward the purchase of close to $10,000 in equipment, according to Mills.
Mills told commissioners that $9,770 would be used to purchase two computers, a printer and software. The commission recently ended a year-long contract for equipment with CHOCCROSS, LLC, of which Mills is the president. The contract paid CHOCCROSS $350 per month. According to Freeman, the equipment to be purchased from the drawdowns funding is new equipment and will be located in his office on West Broadway until the commission makes a decision on renting an office location.
The second request will pay for personnel, contractual obligations and equipment. The invoices outstanding do not include payments for Bobby May, who has worked as a consultant with the commission.
Just before commissioners adjourned the meeting, Burke asked that the commission have checks drawn up by the bank and he also asked that one of two signatures on any checks be those of the commission treasurer Rausch Hodges. Mills told commissioners that software had been purchased which would allow for computer generated checks for the commission.
According to Freeman, efforts had been made in the past when checks were written to contact Hodges. Freeman explained that there were three people allowed to sign any checks in the bylaws for that reason.
"I don't think that it should be mandatory that any one person have to be available to sign a check. There are times when things are moving that we have to get something done, and if one person isn't available it shouldn't hold things up. We have three people who are authorized to sign the checks and they are the commission chairman (Buzz Haven), the treasurer and the vice chairman (Cecil Twillie)."
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Because Labor Day is associated with an increase in impaired driving and alcohol related fatalities, the Arkansas State Police are putting a special emphasis on drunk driving this year.
Along with the usual beefed up patrols this year, the Labor Day weekend will also mark the beginning of the national "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose" campaign.
According to Lt. Tommy Wicker of ASP Troop D, headquartered in Forrest City, planning and staff meetings have been completed. For the ASP, the Labor Day emphasis will officially begin at 6 p.m. today and continue through midnight Monday.
"We're planning sobriety check points, we're planning expanded saturation on the major two lane highways -- Highway 64, Highway 70, Highway 1 -- all of them in the troop."
However, the "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose" campaign is already underway, having started Friday, Aug. 27. The national campaign will continue for 16 days total.
"All through that period of time, we're going to be concentrating on DWI enforcement," said Wicker.
Forrest City Police Chief Clarence McNeary said along with looking for DWI offenses, the city will also be strictly enforcing the "Click It or Ticket" policy, which aims at those who defy the seat belt law.
At any given time during the special enforcement period, local police officers and sheriff's deputies may be working independently or in unison with state troopers.
"In the coming days, the driver who may be impaired by drugs or alcohol runs a substantially higher risk of arrest," said Col. Steve Dozier, director of the Arkansas State Police, in a press release.
"I should also remind drivers who might choose to refuse a sobriety test that they may lose their license on the spot and have their vehicle impounded," Dozier continued. "I don't want anyone to spend their holiday in jail, but we just insure the safety of those drivers and their passengers who obey the laws."
The first "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose" campaign was held in 1999 and combines highly visible law enforcement with advertising.
During the holiday weekend, as well as for the remainder of the "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose" campaign, law enforcement officers remind everyone of the following:
*If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before going out.
*Take ass transit, a taxicab or ask a sober friend to take you home.
*Spend the night where the activity is held.
*Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.
*Always buckle up.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A former Hughes High School girl's basketball coach accused of exposing himself to a teenage student last September entered a plea to reduced charges of indecent exposure Thursday in Circuit Court held at the St. Francis County Courthouse.
John Bateman, 30, of Hughes, plead no contest to charges of indecent exposure, which is a Class A misdemeanor. Bateman was also ordered to seek counseling from a local facility and was fined $500. He is also responsible for covering the cost of calling in the jury. Circuit Judge L.T. Simes ordered the payment of $700 along with $50 for court costs.
Bateman was originally charged with sexual indecency with a child at the time of his arrest on Sept. 29, 2003.
According to an affidavit by the Arkansas State Police and sworn to by the Hughes Police Department, on Sept. 25, the Crimes Against Children division of the ASP received an investigation alleging indecent exposure involving a minor female victim.
The girl, who was 14 at the time of the alleged incident, claimed that in February of last year, Bateman exposed himself to her in the laundry room of the new high school gym at Hughes High School.
According to the report, the alleged victim claimed she had been told "you don't kiss and tell," and said she was afraid to tell anyone for a while.
Investigator Peggy Poole with the ASP/CACD interviewed the alleged victim on Sept. 26 and took a tape-recorded statement. In the taped statement, the girl spoke of other alleged harassing behavior on the part of the coach.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chris Morledge said that the prosecutor's office and the victim's family both wanted Bateman kept out of the classroom and Thursday's plea agreement will cause that to happen.
"The family's main concern was that this man never be allowed to teach again and the prosecution felt that he does not need to be in the classroom. By pleading no contest and being found guilty, state law will prohibit him from working in education in this state again," Morledge said.
Bateman will also be placed on the state's sexual offender list, according to Morledge.
"His name had already been submitted to the list following the finding by the CAC division. He was given 30 days to appeal the decision, but once he entered his plea it basically overruled any appeal," Morledge said.
In other court action Thursday, a 47-year old Widener man accused of sexual assault plead guilty to a reduced charge of sexual misconduct. According to reports from the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department, Morris Davenport, 47, of Widener, was fined $250 for his guilty plea.
A Colt man facing several drug charges plead guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to a three-year suspended imposition of sentence. Kenneth Dilks, 46, of Colt, also was fined $500 after charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver (marijuana), simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms and possession of drug paraphernalia were merged into one count.
Ten businesses in Forrest City have been cited for allegedly selling alcohol to minors, according to the Forrest City Police Department.
According to the police report, on Thursday, officers were contacted by a special agent of the Alcohol Beverage Control Unit from Little Rock. The agent asked the assistance of the police, to write a summons to those who were in violation of the law.
The operation began at about 5 p.m. and continued until about 9 p.m. The police report stated that attempts were made to purchase alcoholic beverages at 12 locations, and buys were made at 10. The officers said they believed the two businesses at which buys were not made had been tipped off.
The following businesses are alleged to have sold alcohol to a minor:
Red's Liquor Store on North Washington, BP Amoco on North Washington, Exxon on North Washington, Flash Market on Deaderick Road, Wal-Mart on Deaderick Road, Food Giant on North Washington, Northside Liquor on Barrow Hill Road, Handy Foods #1 on South Washington, Handy Foods #2 on West Broadway and Sterling Liquor on West Broadway.
All of the alleged violators were given a court date of Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
Unemployment in St. Francis County was 10.4 percent in July, according to figures from Arkansas Workforce Labor market Information.
The July figures show that St. Francis County's July unemployment was actually an improvement of the 11.5 percent recorded in June, and was also better than the 11.9 percent recorded in July of 2003.
This July still gave St. Francis the ninth highest unemployment out of Arkansas' 75 counties.
According to the figures, during July, St. Francis county had a civilian labor force of 12,925, with 11,575 working and 1,350 not working.
The state's highest unemployment was 14.2 percent, recorded in Mississippi County. Fourteen counties had unemployment of 10 percent or higher during July.
The state's lowest unemployment was in Benton County, which recorded a jobless rate of 2.5 percent. Five counties had unemployment below 4 percent, and 19 had unemployment of 5 percent or less.
Unemployment in surrounding counties during July was as follows: Cross, 11.4 percent; Crittenden, 8.8 percent; Lee, 11.4 percent; Phillips, 13 percent; Monroe, 8.3 percent; Woodruff, 12.8 percent.
The return to work on Tuesday from the Labor Day holiday weekend will also roll in the beginning of early voting in county-wide school elections slated for later this month.
Early voting in the Sept. 21 school board elections, which would normally begin on the Monday two weeks prior to election day, is being pushed back a day due to this weekend's holiday. According to officials in the St. Francis County Clerk's office, voting will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 7, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the vault in the clerk's office. The clerk's office along with all other county offices will be closed on Monday in observance of the holiday.
Forrest City City Hall will also be closed on Monday along with state and federal governmental offices. All governmental agencies will re-open on Tuesday.
The garbage pick-up schedule for next week will see some changes according to officials with King Disposal, the company that handles garbage collection for both St. Francis County and Forrest City. County residents scheduled for collection on Monday will have a one day delay with garbage pick-up on Tuesday. In Forrest City, residents whose garbage is normally collected on Thursday will have one more day before taking the trash to the curb with collection pushed back until Friday.
The Forrest City Airport Commission has moved its regular meeting from Monday, Sept. 6 to Monday, Sept. 13, because of the Labor Day holiday. The meeting will be at 6 p.m.
Also, the Forrest City Airport will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Installation of visual aids will be taking place.
New appointments to the Forrest City Civic Center Commission will be among the agenda items when the City Council meets in regular session Tuesday, Sept. 7.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in city hall.
The Civic Center Commission's membership has been the subject of discussions over several months, and at the last council meeting, Mayor Larry Bryant said there would be some new recommendations.
Other business includes a resolution to accept a grant from the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics to remodel the Forrest City Airport terminal facility. The council will also be asked to pass a resolution allowing the mayor to apply for a matching outdoor grant from the state Department of Parks and Tourism.