Text The Times.

Text The Times.

I just got through reading yesterday’s paper on the subject about the hospital. Yes, I’m very saddened that the leaders of our community is thinking of getting into letting it go to be a Arkansas Department of Community Correction Treatment facility. When our Veterans are in need of housing, they gave their lives to fight for our country!! And once again we turned our backs!! Over 300 rooms that can give homeless Vets a bed and bath and turn the Baby ward into a Doctor’s office for their treatment. And we wonder Why Our children do not want to go into the Armed Forces? They see how we treat them. [ Editor’s Note: I once hear someone say, “ Nothing that comes before the word ‘ but’matters.” Now, I’m 100 percent with you. It’s a shame that we have men and women who have served our country that don’t have access to shelter and care that they very much deserve…

BUT, it’s not like Woody Wheeless or the Quorum Court turned down an offer to turn the old hospital into a Veterans’ facility. It wasn’t an option. The VA said they were not interested. They are the ones with the money and the staff and the plans. The county can’t just say, “ OK, we’re turning this building in to a VA center, or senior home, or Commuity Center. Those things have millions of dollars in operating costs, oversight, staff and other expenses. There’s wishful thinking, and then there’s the reality that if the ACC proposal fails, the building will go vacant]

*** Charter school Marion??? Great idea!!! Just wish my oldest grandson could attend until he was a senior so he could get out of the Marion School District Zoo!! [ Editor’s Note: I’m all for giving children the best possible opportunity for an education, but I am now and will likely always be a proponent of public education. Just my opinion, of course, but when it comes to truly preparing a child for the world in which they will have to live and function, the public school system seems to serve that in a more adequate manner than any other option. I don’t know much about Connections Charter School, other than they currently operate an online K- 8 virtual school, so I can’t really speak to their agenda. And to your “ Marion School District Zoo” quip, I challenge you to find a school district that compares to Marion, West Memphis or Earle in socioeconomic and demographic terms that achieves what those schools do, year in and year out]

*** Subject: Could ACC jobs pay too much? I am totally flabbergasted that an elected official would make such remarks. This could be the reason Crittenden County does not get any new industry as it could possibly require other entites to pay more. Let’s keep the folks knocked down here in “Good Ole Ville.”

[ Editor’s Note: Hopefully you read the article, wherein the argument is not that anyone wants to keep anyone “ knocked down,” but rather that the ACC facility could take local police officers off the force, already struggling to stay fully staffed, and cost local cities extra money in training and certifying new officers]

*** Tracy Catt. I can not imagine anyone wanting to keep highter paying out of our communities. If a police office can get a higher wage as a corrections officer and provide a better living for his family so be it. What you are saying is no different than saying west memphis police officers are getting paid too much because their department will draw officers away from smaller communities right? Higher paying jobs is what this country needs! Raise our population up out of poverty don’t hold them in poverty by refusing jobs with higher wages and benefit packages.

[ Editor’s Note: Again, this was not in any way an attempt to keep higher paying jobs away from the community, just addressing the reality that local police departments could very likely incur the burden of replacing staff, a task that is very costly and time- intensive. I’m in favor of bringing the ACC facility here, but I always value Councilman Catt’s take on issues and have to think his concerns are valid]

*** I’m running for mayor of earle, im tired of the foolish games! [Editor’s Note: Well, best of luck. However, thanks to the county’s interpretation of the recall procedures, you’ll have to wait a while.

I’tll be a couple of months before they’ll accept the recall petition, then there’s the wait for a vote to be scheduled, and then the vote itself would have to be against the current mayor, and then a special election would have to be scheduled… so, again, best of luck in 2024, or whatever]

*** Why doesn’t the queen of Earle simply renounce her crown? She has completely forgotten all of the Hail* she raised as councilwoman. The things she does are the same things she contested time and time again against previous administrators. I would like to just wake up one morning and hear news of something positive that she is doing for the city and its residents instead of being a self-serving egomaniac. And for the record… Dating back to the resignation of our last acting Chief… If she would have arrested the councilwoman as the mayor wished, she would have had to arrest the mayor as well… She was as much to blame for the altercation following the meeting. RECALL NOW!!! [ Editor’s Note: Yeah, on that recall… see above]

*** Yes, I also saw at Crittenden Memorial Park all kinds of broken vases on tomb stones and cracks everywhere. Even on my personal grave stone. It’s a disappointment, just as the New funeral home. [ Editor’s Note: I will again voice my expectations that spring will bring with it a thorough cleanup of the cemetery. I don’t make any correlation between the cemetery and the funeral home ( aside from the obvious connection, of course)]

870-225-1456

Here’s what everyone is talking about this week: