Of the people, By the people, For the people
Home of subscriber
Reba Guffy
TUESDAY, July 12, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 26 / 75 cents
New police chief, water rates await council attention
Wreck on curve traps driver A 29-year-old truck driver escaped serious injury last Sunday, July 3, after being trapped in his truck for about 30 minutes. The accident occurred on Highway 92 West and French Road in Bee Branch when then Triple Transport truck was traveling west around a curve and left the road, ramping over a cul-
Severns won't face death penalty The state has formally waived the death penalty in the capital murder trial of Andrew Jack Severns. In Van Buren County Circuit Court on Friday, July 8, Severns' defense team asked for his juvenile court records. Also, the prosecuting attorney's office noted that it had completed discovery and said time toward a speedy trial should now be charged to the defense. Severns, 47, appearing in court wearing a bullet-proof vest, was ordered back to court on Oct. 31 for a pretrial hearing. He is accused of the shooting death in February of Joshua Donahue. The slaying occurred in Shirley.
vert and rolling over. The driver, complaining of back, arm and knee pain, was flown to Conway Regional Hospital. Later reports said he had no broken bones and was released within hours. The trailer was damaged and leaked some production water. (Photos by Joel French / for The Voice)
The Clinton City Council has some important issues to decide in the next weeks. The council will be asked to choose a new police chief soon. Toney Parish is retiring in early August after 19 years as Clinton's top cop. Clinton Mayor Richard McCormac said he has 12 applicants for the job. He said he plans to whittle down the list and may be ready to present his choice to the council at its meeting this week. Also on tap for the council is discussion about the financially ailing Water Department. Todd Burgess, department manager, has provided the council with his proposals for increasing revenues. The department is coming up short by as much as $40,000 each
month. Another issue from the Water Department is Highway 65 South construction. Some months ago, Burgess told the council the Arkansas Highway Department had told the city that it must move its water lines as the construction project continues. The council did not take any action on the issue. Also, McCormac said Friday, he is hoping the city, state and school district will work together to build a water fall or feature on recently cleared land on the junction of Highway 65 and 65B going up the hill by Clinton Feed store. The land is owned by the school district. The City Council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14. It is open to the public.
Report recounts ambulance theft The Clinton Police Department has filed its report on the theft July 1 of a Southern Paramedic Services ambulance from its office on Shake Rag Road. According to the report, Investigator John Willoughby was called in around 3 a.m. to investigate the theft, and was told it had been recovered at the Walnut Grove Cemetery on Highway 95 East. Willoughby said the ambulance was in good shape and nothing appeared to be taken from it.
He said as police approached the house on Highway 95 they saw someone trying to leave from the back door. Witnesses at the residence told police Taylor Coats had driven the ambulance to the residence and they would not let him in. Coats, a trustee at the Van Buren County Detention Center, was taken into custody at the residence and later admitted to taking the ambulance and escaping from jail, according to the police report.
Accident cuts power An accident near Craven's store in Fairfield Bay left some residents in the dark for a while as Petit Jean crews worked on replacing a three-phase pole. A
truck struck and broke the pole Friday afternoon, also blocking the road. Power was quickly restored. (Photo from Facebook)
Road panel starts to work
Patches are a common sight throughout the county on some chip and seal roads, like this one in the Barrens Community.
Several members of a panel appointed to advise the Quorum Court on county roads met Thursday afternoon to begin talks. One of the members, Glyen Jackson, said he would prefer good gravel roads to chip and seal roads in need of constant repair. Justice of the Peace Dale James wanted to know if it would be more cost effective in the long run to invest the money to make all
the roads asphalt instead of continuing to patch chip and seal roads over and over. Others wanted to know why the set up for chip and seal roads wasn't as good as for asphalt roads. Craig Clute, foreman of the Road Department, said the set up is the same, it's just that the asphalt is thicker. "We do the best we can with what we have," said Gary Wolf of the Road Department.
In May, the Van Buren County Quorum Court approved an ordinance that allowed the county judge to set weight limits on county roads. After a loud objection from truckers, farmers and others in the county who said that could affect their livelihoods, the ordinance was rescinded in June and county Judge Roger Hooper appointed a panel of citizens to help come up with solutions for protecting county roads.