Ft. Smith School Receives Grant

Belle Point Alternative School in Ft. Smith is one of three Arkansas schools that is receiving a grant.  The State Department of Education announced July 1 that Belle Point will receive a federal School Improvement Grant in the amount of $1 million.  The other two schools are Baseline Elementary School in Little Rock and Osceola High School.  Each school has been classified as a 'priority school'.

They had to go thru a competitive application process showing how improvement models approved by the federal government, would be implemented.

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U. S. Marshals Museum Set Date For Descendants Day

July 25 has been set by the U. S. Marshals Museum for its third Descendants Day.  The event is to give residents of the community an opportunity to share their stories, photographs, documents and other artifacts.  According to curator of collections and exhibits for the museum, Jessica Hougen, they hope to hear from descendants of U. S. Marshals, Deputy Marshals, posse and outlaws in an effort to share the heritage that the region has with the U. S. Marshals Service.

The Descendants Day is a drop-in event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the foot of the Garrison Ave Bridge at the Frisco Station.  A short talk will be given at 1 p.m. by author Robert Ernest.  Admission is free.  Food will be available for purchase from local food trucks.  The first two Descendants Day were held in 2004 and 2007.

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More Funding Needed For Ft. Smith Trails

The Ft. Smith Board of Directors is presented annually a Capital Improvement Plan by the Ft. Smith Parks Commission for approval.  Trail development is a high priority this year, accord- ing to Chris Raible, Parks Commissioner.  However, the Parks Commissioners will have to come up with ways to add more funding for the project.

Even though voters passed the renewing of a 1% street tax in May, they did not approve the diverting of 5% of that tax for multi-use trails.  According to the City, the $3 million trails spending plan would have increased to $8.4 million if the 5% had been approved.  One of the things the Commission is considering to help with funding is to delay the future Belle Grove Community Center and neighborhood playgrounds.

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Charleston Man Claiming Self-Defense In Shooting

Thomas Roy Barnes of Charleston, who is accused of killing his nephew, is pleading self-defense.

On June 9, Joey Strickland, Barnes' nephew, went to Barnes' home after the two has been arguing several times that day on the phone regarding rent money.  Barnes went to the ga- rage where his nephew was, after which Barnes' wife, Brenda Barnes, heard cursing, then gun fire.  She was told by her husband that Strickland kept coming towards him, so he shot him.

Thursday an arraignment was held in Ozark.  According to Joseph Self, defense attorney, after hearing testimony from Brenda Barnes and two character witnesses, Barnes' bond was lowered from $500,000 to $30,000 by Circuit Court Judge William Pearson.  As of Thursday, Barnes was still in jail.

His trial is set to begin on December 16 at 9 a.m. at the Franklin County Courthouse in Charleston with Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons.

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Unemployment Assistance For Disaster Victims

As of July 1, people in nine Arkansas counties, who may be eligible for disaster unemploy- ment assistance, can file claims.  Included in those are Crawford and Sebastian Counties.  Claims can be filed at the Department of Workforce Services office in Ft. Smith.  The help is for those that became unemployed due to the severe weather between May 7 and June 15 if they do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits, such as self-employed people.  Accor- ding to the Department, benefits are provided for a period of up to 32 weeks.

An applicant should bring government-issued photo identification, a Social Security card, the name and address of the person's last place of employment and documents verifying their income.  The agency will work with people who lost required documents due to the disaster.

According to FEMA, people whose homes were damaged by severe weather in the nine coun- ties can apply for disaster assistance by calling 800-621-FEMA.

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Ft. Smith Attorney To Run For Circuit Judge

Attorney Shannon Blatt, a life-long resident of Ft. Smith, announced her bid to run for Sebastian County Circuit Judge.  According to a release from her office, Blatt stated "If elected, this position will allow me to continue helping families, the community and the judiciary to move in a positive direction."  Also stated was that she has practiced law in Sebastian County for more than 17 years.

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Ribbon Cutting For New Casino

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Wednesday in Roland at the New Cherokee Casino.  Principal Chief Bill John Baker spoke at the event.  He said "This is obviously a quality pro- ject and property that will be maintained and will give an experience as good as any exper- ience you could get in Las Vegas."

There are 850 gaming machines, card tables, two restaurants and a concert venue located in the new casino.  250 jobs were created because of the new facility.  The $80 million resort- style hotel is expected to open in the fall and will bring the number of people employed there to 550.  The size of the entire facility will be 170,000 sq ft.

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