Fire razes church in Batesville area
Fire destroyed a 46-year-old church early Monday morning in the Southside community just south of Batesville.
Southside Fire Chief Jeremy Loggins said the blaze was first reported at the Southside United Methodist Church on Magnolia Road shortly before midnight.
Fifteen firefighters poured more than 50,000 gallons of water on the church, but the fire gutted the brick structure. No firefighters were injured.
Loggins said investigators were to inspect the damage Tuesday to determine the cause. The chief said it appeared the fire may have begun in a gas heater unit in the church's attic.
Roger Hook, who became the church's pastor in July, said members have already talked about rebuilding and had bought land adjacent to the 3,300-square foot church building a week ago.
"In the midst of difficulty, there is opportunity," Hook said. "The church building has a lot of memories held by our people. There's a good spirit, and we will rebuild."
Hook held services there Sunday morning, but there were no evening services.
"It's very difficult to see," he said of the charred remains of his church. "Eleven hours after our last service, our lives have changed."
The Southside School District will allow members of the Southside United Methodist Church to meet in a school building Sundays until a new church is built, Hook said.
-- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
U.S. accuses man of not filing taxes
A North Little Rock man was charged Monday in federal court with five counts of willfully failing to file income taxes on more than $700,000 worth of income for the tax years 2007 through 2011.
Gregory Warren, 52, was charged in a criminal information with separate counts for each personal tax return that wasn't filed in those years, according to a news release from Chris Thyer, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Christopher A. Henry, special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation unit in Nashville, Tenn.
According to the officials, Warren received taxable income of $199,165 in 2007, $228,291 in 2008, $108,198 in 2009, $80,336 in 2010 and $100,985 in 2011, for a total of $716,975 earned in those five tax years, but he didn't file returns reporting any of it.
"The IRS Criminal Investigation Division takes tax violations very seriously," Henry said in the news release. "It is important for the American taxpayers to have confidence that when they file and pay their taxes, their neighbors and co-workers are doing the same."
Court documents available Monday did not list an attorney for Warren.
The statutory penalty for failure to file income tax returns is up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
-- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
7-day mail service sites announced
The U.S. Postal Service announced Monday it will be delivering packages seven days a week through Christmas Day to select cities throughout Arkansas.
"The Postal Service ships more packages to more places than anyone else," Little Rock Postmaster Cindy Lyons said in a news release.
The following Arkansas cities will be included in the Postal Service's Sunday delivery efforts: Alexander, Austin, Batesville, Beebe, Benton, Bentonville, Blytheville, Cabot, Camden, Conway, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Greenbrier, Harrison, Hot Springs, Jacksonville, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Lonoke, Mabelvale, Marion, Maumelle, Mountain Home, North Little Rock, Paragould, Pine Bluff, Rogers, Searcy, Sherwood, Ward, West Memphis and White Hall.
The Postal Service is expecting growth in its package business this holiday season, which it attributes to "continued e-commerce growth and improvements to its Priority Mail product line."
-- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Fire district faces same-sex lawsuit
OZARK, Mo. -- A civil liberties group says it's suing the Ozark Fire Department for denying spousal benefits to an employee married to someone of the same sex.
The Springfield News-Leader reported the lawsuit comes after a lesbian fire captain sought benefits for her spouse, whom she legally married in California.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed the suit Monday, naming the Ozark Fire Protection District. The ACLU wants Andi Mooneyham to be offered the same benefits as her counterparts.
In September, the Ozark Fire Protection board of directors decided it didn't have the authority to change the department's policy. The board's attorney said the state's constitution doesn't allow the action because it defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
A message seeking comment was left with the board's attorney Tuesday.
-- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
City sets vote on ordinance tweak
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- An ordinance that adds sexual orientation and gender identity to Springfield's nondiscrimination ordinance will go before voters in April.
The Springfield City Council voted Monday evening to table one proposal that would have repealed the ordinance and another that would have placed it on the ballot. Under the city charter, tabling the proposal for 30 days automatically places it on the April municipal election.
The councils voted in October to add the protections in housing, employment and public accommodations. That voted prompted a referendum effort to repeal the ordinance.
The protections won't be enforced pending the outcome of the election.
-- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NW News on 11/26/2014