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Local/Regional News

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• FC Man Killed In Crop Duster
• A Forrest City man was killed yesterday (Wednesday) when his crop dusting plane crashed in a field near Wheatley.
  
  The St. Francis County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim as 27-year old Michael Poe.  The sheriff’s office received a call from state police around 7:30 last night stating that a plane had crashed in a field on the north side of I-40, about one mile north and west of Wheatley in southwest St. Francis County.
  
  Authorities say Poe was spraying the field with pesticides in preparation for planting.  Federal aviation investigators were scheduled to examine the crash site sometime today (Thursday).
  
  
• Woods Offered Superintendent Job At FC
• The Forrest City School Board has decided to offer the superintendent’s job to Dr. Jerry W. Woods of Jackson, Tennessee.  That decision came late last (Wednesday) night, and the vote was unanimous.
  
  Dr. Woods was one of three finalists for the position as recommended by McPherson & Jacobson, the company hired by the district to find a replacement for Lee Vent.  The other two finalists were Joye Hughes and Dr. Alice Barnes Rose, both of Forrest City.
  
  Dr. Woods is an associate professor of Special Services at the University of Tennessee at Martin Graduate School of Education.  He has served as superintendent of the Clinton City Schools and Covington City Schools.  He also has experience as principal, instructional supervisor, and special education teacher, all at schools in Tennessee.  He has degrees from Lambuth University, University of Memphis, and University of Mississippi.
  
  After making the offer to Dr. Woods, the school board went back into executive session to finalize terms of the contract. Dr. Woods asked to review the contract terms; he told the board he would give them his final decision tomorrow (Friday).
  
  
• Nasser Accepts Hughes Superintendent Job
• The Hughes School District officially has a new superintendent for next year.  Current Hughes Superintendent Charles Jones, who’s set to retire at the end of June, says Dr. Ray Nasser has accepted the job:
  
  (mp3 audio)
  
  The Hughes School Board officially offered the superintendent’s job to Dr. Ray Nasser back in early February of this year. Dr. Nasser verbally agreed to take the position, but didn’t sign a contract with Hughes until after he was no longer being considered for the top spot in the Forrest City School District.
  
  Dr. Nasser previously served as assistant principal at Forrest City High School for six years back in the 90’s. Over the past three years, Dr. Nasser served as superintendent at Crawfordsville, then at Marion after the two districts consolidated.
  
  
• Fires Damage Business And Residence
• A Forrest City business sustained significant damage in a fire early this morning (Thursday).  Forrest City firefighters were dispatched to Arkansas Electrical Outlet at 1735 E. Broadway in Forrest City just after 2:00 this morning. The structure was fully engulfed in flames when firemen arrived.
  
  Twenty-three firemen battled the blaze for about three hours before extinguishing the fire. The business sustained about 40 percent total fire damage and smoke damage throughout the structure.   The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.
  ---
  Investigators suspect that a lightning strike may have started a house fire north of Palestine early Wednesday morning.
  
  The Palestine Fire Department and the St. Francis County Sheriff’s Office responded to the fire on SFC road 221 just before 3 a.m. Wednesday.   The structure was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. The structure was completely destroyed, but firemen were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes.
  
  No injuries were reported. Firemen were on the scene for about 3 ½ hours.
  
  
• Two FC Men Arrested For Drugs
• Two Forrest City men were arrested on felony drug charges Wednesday.
  
  A Forrest City officer on routine patrol spotted an SUV with four occupants parked near the Quick Mart at Washington and Mississippi Streets around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. The area is considered a high drug trafficking area.
  
  After questioning the occupants, the driver, 30-year old Wardell Campbell, admitted to having marijuana and turned over a baggie containing about 9.8 grams.  A passenger in the SUV, 20-year old Steven Machen, was also found to be in possession of 13.1 grams of marijuana.
  
  Both men were arrested at the scene on felony possession charges.
  
  
• Sheriff Warms Of Check Scam
• Phillips County Sheriff’s investigators are warning area banks to be on the lookout for counterfeit checks.
  
  Detective James Mayfield reports that 35-year old Lashawnette Davis of Helena-West Helena was arrested Wednesday after cashing two counterfeit checks for over $7,000 at a local bank. Davis stated that she received the checks in the mail; one from Liberty Financial Securities out of Pittsburgh, PA., and a second from Pump Energy from Houston, TX.
  
  Davis said that letters accompanying the checks instructed her to cash the checks and send half the money back to the respective company. Davis reportedly signed the checks using a fake social security number at the bank.
  
  The investigation is continuing.
  
  
• Weather Better Beginning Friday
• Our weather situation has gotten better: the flash flood watch has been cancelled, the chance of heavy rain has diminished, and we may have several rain-free days beginning tomorrow.
  
  There is still a low pressure system moving through the region today, and this will trigger a few scattered showers and perhaps a thunderstorm or two.  Most of the rain will be in south Arkansas. The front will move through tonight and give us clearing skies with north winds.  Friday should be a great day with partly cloudy skies and highs in the lower 70s.
  
  We will still have a series of disturbances moving through the region over the next several days, but it looks like precipitation will be limited.  For now, the forecast is showing variable cloudiness with very little if any rain.  We will also see a warming trend with highs in the lower 80s over the weekend.  We should hit the mid 80s by Monday.
  
  The long-range forecast shows a more significant front reaching our area late next week.  This could bring us a good chance of rain by next Friday or Saturday.
  
  
• Funeral Notices
• Funeral services for Mildred Peoples, age 84 of Forrest City, are Saturday (5/17) at 2:00pm at the United Christian Missionary Baptist Church with burial in Forrest City Cemetery.  Clay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.  Visitation is Friday from 1-5pm at the funeral home.

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