Text The Times.

Text The Times.

Recently while traveling on AR highway 77 to visit a friend in Clarkedale, I observed a Jericho police officer parked on Whitewood drive. The officer was using his radar and clocking vehicles traveling north bound coming from the James Mill area. Whitewood is not in the Jericho city limits and the vehicles he was clocking were in the county and not in the Jericho city limits. Just how much longer are we going to gave to endure the RADAR TRAP that funds the 6 man police department with 3 police cars for a town of less than 180 residences, that has no or very few commercial business and a very small tax base. I always thought that there was a limit on the percentage of revenue a town could raise from traffic enforcement. Maybe it is time for your paper to do some investigative reporting of the finances of this town and how large a percentage of their revenue comes from traffic tickets. Enough is enough.

[Editor’s Note: Been there, done that. In the June 12, 2017, edition of the Times, we ran a story about prosecutor Scott Ellington “taking a closer look” at the speed traps in Jericho, Parkin and Sunset. As far as I know, it didn’t go any further than that. But to your point, it is most definitely a problem and if you do get a ticket, I would definitely fight it in court]

*** Is the city of West Memphis waiting on someone to get killed before a red light is installed at the intersection of College Bld and the service road that Tractor Supply is on??? Yesterday, I passed by there and there were 8 cars on the service road waiting to get out onto College Blvd.

[Editor’s Note: While that is, indeed, a problem area, judging from the list of traffic accidents the MPO puts out every year, it’s at least fourth or fifth on the list of places in need of a traffic signal around here. I seem to remember there were plans to put one there at one time, maybe in 2015 or so, but I haven’t heard anything recently, and these plans are always changing. Going that way to get to softball games or to the college fairly often, I agree with you. That intersection is dangerous, primarily, in my observations, because those big rigs just do what they want and it’s up to other motorists to work around that]

*** Thank you to all the kind cat people who helped feed the gray and white kitty living in the WM Walmart parking lot. We were finally able to catch and vet him only to find out he was positive for feline leukemia. With the help of lots of cat contacts we were able to place him in a home with another feline leukemia positive cat. I am sure a few WM cat people are wondering what happened to him.

[Editor’s Note: As a cat person (stuck with my wife and daughter’s dog), I like this story! There are a few “company cats” around here, including the one at Colton’s and another at True Value that immediately come to mind. I never knew Walmart had one. Glad he was able to find a home!]

*** I was happy to see the history of Arkansas and especially the first one on February 13. There were many things I did not know….include more history of all colors… February 20th paper… I learned a lot!!! [Editor’s Note: I’m glad you enjoyed the special Black History sections. I especially enjoyed putting the one on local folks. I hope you picked up the theme of “Then, Now & Forever” that we were going for. As a former history teacher, one of the things that we were told to stress to our students was “seeing yourself and your place in history.” With that in mind, it’s important that people, of all colors, as you say, understand that everything that has already happened (good and bad) has gotten us to where we are now, and the things that we do now (good and bad) will lead us and shape the history of future generations. I hope you will read the special Black History Month piece Clayton Adams wrote that is in today’s paper on Page 7. It’s a long read but it’s worth it. We will also have another local Black History section later this week in the Wednesday Mid-Week print edition]

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