LITTLE ROCK — Trial begins today
in Paris slaying
Opening statements and testimony begins today in the first-degree murder trial of a man accused of shooting another man outside the Paris Wal-Mart in August 2008.
Robert Lee James, 61, is charged in Logan County Circuit Court with shooting Tony Rice, 40, after finding him talking to his estranged wife in the store's parking lot.
Police said when James approached Rice with a handgun, Rice began to run but James shot at him, causing Rice to fall. James walked up to Rice and fired more rounds into Rice's head as he lay on the ground. Police found James at his home sitting on a porch swing. He is being held in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
Attorneys in the case spent the day Thursday selecting a jury of seven women and five men and two alternates, a man and woman.
Opening statements begin at 9 a.m. today before Circuit Judge Jerry Don Ramey. The trial is scheduled to run through Wednesday.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Actress to speak at Philander Smith
Actress Gabrielle Union will speak at Philander Smith College at 7 p.m. Oct. 3.
Union is an honors graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in sociology. After working as a model, she started acting, first landing small television roles that led to parts in feature films.
In 2000, Union won a major role in the movie Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst, crossing over into mainstream movies. Since then she has had appeared in television and films, working alongside actors such as Jamie Foxx and Will Smith.
She is now set to appear in the new ABC television series Flash Forward.
Union's appearance at the M.L. Harris Auditorium is part of the college's lecture series "Bless The Mic: Chopped and Screwed."
Philander Smith College President Walter Kimbrough developed the "Bless The Mic" series in 2007 to explore timely and emerging pop-culture interests.
MTV star Fonzworth Bentley and Sandy "Pepa" Denton of the female rap group Salt-N-Pepa spoke at the college last year as part of the series.
The lecture is free and open to the public. No reservations or tickets are required. Seating is first-come, first-serve. The college is at One Trudie Kibbe Reed Drive in Little Rock. More information is available by calling (501) 370-5279.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTEAuthor to explain
end of Cold War
Former Los Angeles Times reporter James Mann will speak at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service to discuss his book about former President Ronald Reagan and the end of the Cold War.
Mann wrote The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the ColdWar, which chronicles the late president's handling of the policies and politics that ended America's ongoing conflict with the Soviet Union.
The speech is scheduled from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday at Sturgis Hall, the former Choctaw Railway Station building, 1200 President Clinton Ave. in Little Rock.
The school is on the Clinton Presidential Center grounds.
Mann will sign books afterward.
Admission is free and open to the general public.
Reservations are required and can be made by e-mailing publicprograms@clinton school.uasys.edu or phoning (501) 683-5239.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Nominees sought for student awards
Arkansans who want to nominate a student for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have until Nov. 2.
All public and private middle and high schools in the country - as well as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and volunteer centers - are eligible to select a student.
The nationwide program, which honors teenagers for outstanding volunteerism, is conducted by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Nearly 4,500 local honorees are reviewed by state level judges who select 102 "state honorees," two from each state and the District of Columbia, as well as "distinguished finalists," based on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth. State honorees are announced in February. Half will be middle-school students and the other senior high students.
Each state honoree will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an allexpense-paid trip in early May to Washington for several days of national recognition events.
Ten of them - five middle school and five high school students - will be named "national honorees" by a national selection committee in May. They will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for charitable organizations of their choice.
The 2009 Arkansas winners were Daniel Johnson of Sherwood and Cammie York of Glenwood.
More information on submitting entries is available at prudential.com/spirit.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 14 on 09/25/2009