Fuel lamp blamed in fire fatal to man
FORREST CITY - Authorities said a kerosene lamp appears to be the cause in a house fire that killed a Forrest City man.
The Forrest City Fire Department said Lloyd Hardrick was killed in the fire Wednesday afternoon.
Fire Chief Johnny Ruffin said the home was packed floor-to-ceiling with various items, which made it difficult for firefighters to make their way through the home.
Authorities told the Times-Herald that it took several hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. Ruffin said Hardrick was dead by the time firefighters reached him.
Ruffin said it appears the fire was caused by a kerosene lamp that tipped over, but authorities are still awaiting a final determination of the cause.
Hardrick’s body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory for an official cause of death.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESSLab identifies man who died in blaze
SEARCY - Authorities have identified a body found inside a Judsonia home after a weekend fire as that of the 80-year-old resident, a White County sheriff’s deputy said Thursday.
The victim of the early morning fire April 20 was Robert Leggett, based on identification by the state Crime Laboratory, Chief Deputy Phillip Miller said.
The laboratory identified Leggett based on the serial number on his pacemaker, Miller said.
As of Thursday afternoon, he said, authorities did not suspect foul play.
“We’ve done an investigation just to cover all our bases,” Miller said.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE2 Civil War markers get panel’s approval
Civil War historical markers for Jackson County and Benton County have been approved by the Arkansas Civil Sesquicentennial Commission as part of the war’s 150th commemoration.
The Jackson County marker will be at Jacksonport State Park and will note the 1862 shelling of Jacksonport by the CSS Maurepas. The Jackson County Historical Society is sponsoring the marker.
The historical marker in Benton County will be placed at Rogers City Hall to note Camp Halleck and Union troop activity at Osage Springs in 1862. The marker is sponsored by the Rogers Historical Museum.
More information on the marker program or other events sanctioned by the commission is available online at arkansascivilwar150.com.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
LR’s Peabody set for Marriott change
The four-star-rated Peabody Little Rock hotel will become a Marriott on Wednesday, Gretchen Hall, chief executive officer of the Little Rock Conventionand Visitors Bureau, said Thursday.
Hall also said that the ducks - the Peabody’s signature brand - will take their last march in Little Rock within the next week.
She said the ducks will move out by Wednesday, but she said she does not know where they will go or the exact date of their last waddle through the lobby.
The hotel’s staff and management began the transition to a Marriott earlier this month as all employees were trained on new policies and on a new rewards program and reservation system, which will go live next Wednesday.
Maintenance workers began the physical transition Wednesday, starting with changing the building’s sign on the Arkansas River side.
In December, the Advertising and Promotion Commission signed an intent agreement to lease the hotel to Fairwood Capital, a Memphis-based investment company that started negotiating to acquire the hotel’s lease in June. Fairwood settled on the Marriott brand and the Little Rock Board of Directors approved it, also in December.
Little Rock owns the land and improvements where the hotel is located.
The hotel is connected to the city’s convention center on Markham Street.
The lease will last for 40 years, with the option to renew for two additional 25-year terms.
Renovations are still in the design phase, and construction will likely begin at the end of the year, Hall said. The transition plan allows for about 18 months to finish remodeling the hotel.
-ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTEJoplin ballfield lets disabled swing bat
JOPLIN - Disabled children in Joplin will finally be able to play in a summer baseball league when a new field built just for them opens today.
Games will get under way today for The Miracle League of Joplin, which will allow anyone age 5 to 20 to play on a field with a flat, rubberized surface that helps prevent injuries.
During the games, each player will bat once an inning, all players are safe on the bases and every player scores a run.
The games will be played on Will Norton Miracle Field, The Joplin Globe reported. The 18-year-old Norton died while driving home from his high school graduation when he was pulled from his car by the May 2011 tornado.
The Miracle Field was proposed by Jenny Hocker, a Rotary Club member, and it was paid for by donations that Rotary clubs received after the tornado.
“There is so much heart and soul that has gone into building the field, we can’t wait to get the kids out there to play ball,” said Cameo Harrington, spokesman for the league.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/27/2013