Stories from Friday, September 7, 2007

KinderVision, a free community service that teaches kids how to be safe, is being offered to the public during the AFAD event tomorrow in Carl Miller park in Mountain Home. The program is a comprehensive child safety education video that can be used to teach children "how to be safe" and includes a recording of the child in the video which encourages children to watch because they are in it...

Fire crews responded Friday about noon to a report of a blaze at Towne Square Mall. Fire officials on the scene said the initial investigation indicated that crews re-roofing the building, accidentally started a fire on the roof. Some of the flames managed to penetrate to the interior ceiling and walls on the third floor, but the fire was quickly extinguished by fire crews...

Col. James S. Browne formally took command of the 366th Fighter Wing, replacing Col. Anthony Rock, during special ceremonies on base Friday. The wing's flag was formally passed to Col. Browne by Lt. Gen. Norman R. Seip, 12th Air Force commander, who praised Rock for his leadership during his tour as "Gunfighter 1." Besides numerous "historic" deployments of his forces, including the first F-15 unit to be deployed to Afghanistan, the base also won the Commander's Excellence Award as the best base in the Air Force during Rock's tenure.. ...

City Councilman Mark Russell announced Friday that he will not seek re-election in 2007. Russell is completing his second term on the council. His announcement ends eight years of public service. The announcement guarantees that two new city council members will fill seats vacated by Councilman Russell and Councilman Rist in January 2008. Both councilmen ran unopposed for re-election in 2003. Rist is challenging incumbent Mayor Joe B. McNeal in the mayoral race Nov. 6...

The $34.5 million school bond went down to defeat Thursday night by the slimmest of margins, the district garnering a strong 65.1 percent of the 67 percent yes votes needed for the measure to pass. With less than 70 additional yes votes the measure would have been approved, but instead it lost by a margin of 985 yes votes to 529 no votes. A disappointed Superintendent Tim McMurtrey noted