MENA POLICE REPORTS

August 13

A report of possession of controlled substance was taken at the Executive Inn.

A report of theft was taken at a residence on Jannsen Avenue.

Christopher Brown, 48, and Emily Holden, 23, were both charged with Theft of Property at Walmart.

August 14

A report of child neglect was taken at a residence on Meadow Brook Drive.

August 15

A death investigation report was taken at a residence on Gann Street.

A report of forgery was taken at EZ Mart.

Deborah Ervin, 47, was charged with DWI, Driving on Suspended License and served with a warrant after a traffic stop on Highway 71.

A report of possession of stolen property was taken from a walk-in complainant.

August 16

Donn Stewart, 57, was charged with Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct, and served with a warrant after a disturbance at Murphy USA.

William Parsons, 27, was served with two warrants after a disturbance call on Morrow Street.

August 17 No report

Augusts 18 No report

August 19

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Leonel Lozano, 38, was charged with DWI, Possession of Open Container Containing Alcohol in a Motor Vehicle, No Drivers License, No Vehicle Insurance and No Vehicle Registration after a traffic stop on Highway 71. per second download speed and 20 for upload. By U.S. standards, 100 Mbps is fast internet speed, but it is not the fastest you can get. The 100:20 is what is currently available for grant funding.

In quorum court meetings earlier this year, Ellison had broached the subject, encouraging residents to participate in the statewide survey. The Arkansas State Broadband Office (ASBO) had an online Digital Skills and Opportunity Survey as part of the state’s larger planning process to address Arkansas’ digital skills gap and to better understand the various segments of the state’s population to affording and using highspeed internet.

Ellison encourages residents to participate in ASBO surveys. In a letter he submitted on July 3, he expressed that Polk County has a need for better internet connections with broader coverage. Although his office has been working on the problem for a few years, he’s hoping to have an opportunity to incentivize the right ISPs to compete for service in our area.

Ellison and the PCBI are hoping to make internet available and affordable to everyone in the county, regardless of how far out someone may live. One of the things discussed at last Thursday’s meeting was improving the local survey specific to Polk County. Once PCBI is happy with the result, that survey will be available online and in The Pulse.

The survey should take no longer than a minute or two to fill out. The purpose is to provide documentation that Polk County is way underserved with broadband coverage and to develop a plan to secure part of the $1 billion-plus funding coming to Arkansas from the federal government.