Bloggers, I know it’s been a while since my last post, but things have been pretty busy the past couple of days with regular newspaper work. Remember, this is a one man show. And I’m the man.
Archive for March, 2009
Patience, please
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009File this under ‘beyond sick’
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit couple accused of trying to cremate their slain 2-year-old son on a barbecue grill and then collecting his welfare benefits have pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors.
Twenty-eight-year-old Joseph Miller pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and 23-year-old Nickella Reid pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and welfare fraud.
Police found the remains of 2-year-old Deuntay Miller while investigating the 2007 scalding of the couple’s 1-year-old son, Nicholas.
Reid faces up to 15 years in prison at her April 7 sentencing.
Miller faces up to 50 years at his April 16 sentencing. Before the plea deal he had been charged with first-degree murder and if convicted would have faced life with no possibility of parole.
Lowery’s eminent domain bill makes progress
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas House committee has endorsed a measure that would allow cities and counties — in rare circumstances — to condemn an industrial plant, in the hopes of encouraging the sale of the plant to a willing buyer.
Backers of the bill by Rep. John Lowery of El Dorado say the measure can keep workers in their jobs and keep plants from sitting idle. The bill is targeted at Pilgrim’s Pride, which has idled its plants in El Dorado and Clinton, leaving hundreds of people out of workers.
Supporters say the measure would be used to help leverage the sale of a plant — not so a city or county can run an industrial plant.
The bill passed Wednesday from the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee and now heads to the House floor.
Easing into Monday
Monday, March 23rd, 2009Everyone in Louisiana is still jubilant about the deal reached between Pilgrim’s Pride and the state; however, there’s no new word yet on our local plant.
I’m heading to the Rotary Club at noon to cover Bob Johnson, trainer, handler and rider of “Charlie O,” the mascot mule for the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
An interesting article about Google Earth came across my desk this morning: The folks in Europe are hopping mad because of invasion of privacy claims.
How do you feel about having your home on the WWW for all to see? Mine isn’t on there. The Google trucks didn’t make it out to the sticks.
Click here for more.
Friday, March 20th, 2009
Pilgrim’s Pride has agreed to sell its Farmerville, La., complex for $80 million, according to a company source.
It appears that the state put up $40 million, along with $40 million from California-based Foster Farms.
The transaction is subject to the parties entering into a purchase agreement, as well as the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott Rodino Improvements Act and approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Tetra plant in Parkers Chapel still on track
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
The Talk Business blog out of Little Rock has a feature today on the new $100 million Tetra Technologies plant going up in Parkers Chapel.
And the news is good. Construction is ahead of schedule.
Chemtura Corp. and 26 of its affiliates, which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday, are contractually bound with Tetra to process calcium chloride and brominated products for energy production, the blog notes.
But Chemtura’s misfortunes aren’t expected to negatively impact Tetra, according to Tetra’s CEO.
“Although it is impossible to predict the outcome of contractual arrangements as a result of the bankruptcy filings, we do not believe that Chemtura’s filing will have a material impact on our operations,” said Tetra CEO Geoffrey Hertel. “However, Tetra has contingency plans for the procurement of alternative feedstock supplies.”
The plant will employ 50 permanent workers.
Click here for more.
County fighting for Pilgrim’s plant
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
**NOTE** I’ve made a couple of changes to this post as new information has come in.
I just got back from the Union County Quorum Court meeting, and I’m working on a story now.
The basics: Union County Judge Bobby Edmonds will travel to Little Rock next week to testify in front of the Arkansas Legislature on behalf of Rep. John Lowery’s eminent domain bill, which, if passed, would grant authority to cities like El Dorado to take over plants that close, then sell them, all in the name of economic development.
Edmonds also told quorum court members that he believes the company may not have reported the state’s offer to bankruptcy officials in the proper manner.
You may remember that the state, along with an unknown group of prospective buyers, made an offer for the El Dorado plant earlier this month.
The offer was rejected but has since been resubmitted, according to Don Wales, CEO of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, just in case it didn’t receive proper attention the first time around.
On April 14, a Union County delegation will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to testify in front of a bankruptcy commission. Wales, El Dorado Mayor Mike Dumas and another person who has yet to be named are expected to tell the commission just how devastating the loss of Pilgrim’s Pride would be to this community.
Meanwhile, Louisiana officials are still flirting with Pilgrim’s Pride to negotiate a price for the Famerville, La., complex. The company rejected a previous $60 million offer last week.
Click here for more.
Old man Manson
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Click here for the related story.
JAMES CLEMONS, GUILTY, CAPITAL MURDER
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009James Clemons has been found guilty of capital murder in the 1992 stabbing death of El Dorado florist Billy Ponder. A Union County took just a couple of hours to deliberate this afternoon.
Clemons has been sentenced to life without parole.
Look for more in Thursday’s News-Times.
Lovers of old junk take note
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
In lieu of a Chidester Stagecoach Festival this year, organizers say they are planning a “super yard sale” on April 4 along Arkansas 24 between Camden and Prescott.
Those wanting to participate but who do not live on Arkansas 24 are invited to set up along the highway inside the Chidester town limits.
More information is available by calling Mary Steed at (870) 685-2420 or (870) 685-2755.
Long John Silver’s coming to El Dorado?
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
It’s not that we haven’t had two here already. We have. They failed. But Wallace York, general manager of Long John Silver’s Restaurants, Inc. in Texarkana, Texas, is testing the waters here with his mobile LJS trailer.
He’s set up several times around town, including today at the El Dorado Shopping Center on North West Avenue.
York said he is currently searching around town for a permanent location to build a new LJS store.
Want to know what’s wrong with our country?
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009People actually get worked into a frenzy about things like this.
Biking impossible in city
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
A caller told me while ago about a bicycle rider who hit his vehicle yesterday as he was turning onto Newton Street from Hillsboro.
The bike rider was at fault; however, in the rider’s defense, there is virtually no way to ride your bike in this city without taking your life into your hands, endangering yourself and motorists.
The caller said the biker was uninjured and refused to stop. Police were called, but no report was filed.
The caller said that he has had numerous problems with bikers along Hillsboro who don’t follow traffic rules, running red lights and stop signs, etc. If you are biking, remember that you must follow the rules of the road, just as you would in an automobile.
And if you’re in a car, try to be mindful that there are folks on bicycles trying to make their way around the city. Hopefully everyone will follow the rules and no one will get hurt.
City leaders could solve many of these issues by installing bicycle lanes on major thoroughfares throughout town and better educating motorists about bicycle riders. Bike lanes are an important part of a thriving progressive city. It’s just a thought.
We need more Twitterers
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009Between Editions is on Twitter as “betweeneditions” all one word. If you aren’t familiar with Twitter, it basically shoots you tiny bits of information about stories or news events that we are covering here or at the News-Times.
Sign up. It’s free and kinda cool.
I believe we have five followers so far. I want more!
Italian restaurant to open downtown
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009Sources tell me that the restaurant will set up in the old Einsteins location, formerly Randolphs, though that business quickly failed. More information is expected later. No opening date has been announced.
