The state/region in brief

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Posted: August 4, 2009 at 6:31 a.m.

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MOUNTAINBURG — Section of U.S. 71 will reopen today

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department plans to reopen a section of U.S. 71 today.

A flood-damaged section of U.S. 71 about two miles north of Mountainburg had been pinched to one lane when heavy rain in late June caused an additional piece of the highway to slide down a hill. On June 24, the Highway Department closed the road entirely and detoured traffic onto other highways.

The Arkansas Highway Commission in April agreed to pay $681,000 to APAC-Arkansas Inc. of Fayetteville to repair two slides on U.S. 71. The slide in June at the site near Mountainburg increased the cost of repairs by $602,000.

- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

University names

5 Sturgis Fellows

Four Arkansas students and one from Mississippi have been named Sturgis Fellows for the incoming freshman class at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

The $50,000 Sturgis Fellowship is UA's oldest fellowship and covers tuition, fees, room and board, as well as discretionary funding for professional journals, academic conferences and study abroad excursions over four years.

The 2009 fellows are Preston Caldwell of Batesville; Bobby Howard of Mountain Home;

Christopher Peterson of Ocean Springs, Miss.; Katie Soerens of Fayetteville; and Lydia Thompson of Bentonville.

Sturgis fellows must pursue a major in Fulbright College and complete the scholars program within the Fulbright College Honors Program so that they can graduate with honors.

The fellowship was created with a donation from the Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust.

- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Cabot man killed in 4-wheeler crash

MOUNTAIN HOME - A 32-year-old Cabot man died after crashing an all-terrain vehicle as he sought a stronger cell-phone signal from the top of a hill, the Baxter County sheriff's office said.

A news release from the sheriff's office identified the victim of the accident early Saturday afternoon as Michael Millican.

Millican's mother, Donna, told deputies that her son got on the four-wheeler to travel to the top of a hill near a home at Norfork in an attempt to obtain a better cell-phone signal. She said she found her son a short time later, lying on the ground with the vehicle overturned.

Millican was taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center, where he later died, the release said.

- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hot Springs seeking

'zany' parade logo

HOT SPRINGS - The World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade is looking for a new logo that "captures the zany playfulness" of the annual event, and the rules are almost as long as the parade route.

The Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau is offering $500 and "other great stuff" to the winner.

The deadline for submitting an entry is Dec. 1. The winner will be announced Dec. 7.

The winning entry will become the official logo for the First Ever Seventh Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade, which will be held March 17, 2010, on Bridge Street.

Entries must be submitted by e-mail. A complete list of the rules and submission guidelines are available from Leysa Lowery, a member of the parade's organizing committee, via e-mail at leysa@hotsprings.org

Rules also will be posted on the bureau's Web site, hotsprings.org.

- THE SENTINEL-RECORD

Report: Crash caused by inattentive driver

OKLAHOMA CITY - The inattention of a tractor-trailer driver led to a wreck on the Will Rogers Turnpike that killed 10 people, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said in a report released Monday.

Investigators looking into the June 26 wreck in far northeast Oklahoma said troopers spoke with the driver, 76-yearold Donald L. Creed of Willard, Mo., at the scene and that Creed, while still in his vehicle, "asked if he had hit someone."

The inquiry showed no attempt by Creed to brake or take evasive action, no apparent problems with his brakes or steering and "strong evidence" that cruise control was in use.

Authorities have said Creed's rig slammed into a line of cars that were stopped because of an earlier crash.

Missouri authorities have said Creed had a clean driving record and had his commercial driver's license renewed in April. Steve Dillard, vice president for corporate sales development for Kansas City, Kan.-based Associated Wholesale Grocers - for which Creed was driving - declined to comment Monday.

According to the report, while at the scene, Creed "stated that vehicles had driven underneath him while he was parked." Troopers noted that "Creed had no visual obstructions" and could have seen at least 2,400 feet prior to impact.

The Ottawa County district attorney will decide whether any charges should be filed.

The crash killed Shelby Hayes, 35, of Frisco, Texas; her husband, Randall Hayes, 38;

their son, Ethan Hayes, 7; and Shelby Hayes' mother, Cynthia Olson, 55, of Crossroads, Texas.

Other victims were Oral Hooks, 69, Earlene Hooks, 63, Antonio Hooks, 42, and Dione Hooks, 41, all of Oklahoma City; and Ricardo Reyes, 39, and Ernestia Reyes, both of Phoenix. The Reyes' 12-year-old daughter, Andrea, was injured in the crash.

- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Oklahoma shooting victim identified

PORTER, Okla. - Authorities said a man who was found dead beside a rural Wagoner County road near the Arkansas River has been identified.

A passing motorist noticed 22-year-old Scott Ryan Greene's body next to the dirt road near a fishing area southwest of Porter around noon Saturday.

Officials say the Broken Arrow resident died from a single gunshot wound in the upper torso. They are awaiting a medical examiner's report to determine if the shooting was a homicide or suicide.

A Ruger 9mm pistol was found at the scene and is believed to be the gun used.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is working with the sheriff's office in the case.

- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 08/04/2009

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