Text The Times.

Text The Times.

Did we ever hear what happened to the punk that brought the gun to school? [ Editor’s Note: I know that he was charged with Possession of a Firearm on School Property and Possession of a Defaced Firearm. That’s likely the last we will be able to report on the incident, since the individual arrested was a juvenile. Incidentally, a fellow ( who was not a juvenile) was arrested last Thursday for having a gun on school property in West Memphis. I have included his mug shot for posterity]

*** To my dear editor…please print the tax information you printed the other week…please

[ Editor’s Note: I’m going to assume you’re referring to the sales tax breakdown. As I indicated before, it’s a little more complicated than what I’m about to lay out here, but basically, when you buy something, you have your base sales tax. In Arkansas, it’s 6.5 percent ( 1.5 percent for groceries). Crittenden County has an additional sales tax of 2.75 percent. So, anything you buy in the county will come with a 9.25 percent sales tax. Now, each city also collects a sales tax. Here are the tax rates for all of the cities in Crittenden County that collect a city sales tax: Anthonyville ( 2 percent), Crawfordsville ( 2 percent), Earle ( 2 percent), Gilmore ( 2 percent), Jennette ( 1 percent), Marion ( 2 percent), Sunset ( 3 percent), Turrell ( 2 percent), West Memphis ( 1.5 percent). There may also be additional tax, depending on what you are buying. For example, if you eat at a restaurant, you will also pay an additional tax, usually called a “ hamburger tax” ( even if you order the chicken strips), of 1 percent. Other items, such as alcohol, tobacco, gas, hotel rooms, etc., have additional taxes as well. You may have heard of the “ Sin Tax” or “ A& P tax,” for example. Also, there is no tax on prescription medications]

*** “Well I’ll be.” I’ve got to tip my hat to the honorable high sheriff-Mike Allen for coming to the aid of a neighbor in distress. He could’ve done like others I know (wink wink) – pointing fingers and casting aspersions on the city’s leaders, what a breath of fresh air for a change. If everyone worked together for the betterment for all citizens of this county, can you imagine how wonderful it would be? It would bring tears to a glass eye. Will you lose readers if you keep reporting positive news? I hope not. [ Editor’s Note: I’ll presume this is in regards to Sheriff Allen’s decision to chip in for the Earle Police Department’s duplexor for their radios. Indeed, it was a very nice gesture on the sheriff’s part. Lord knows that department can use every advantage it can get. I agree with your sentiment about everyone working together. If we could set aside our differ-ences, and perhaps more importantly, our egos, there is a lot this county could accomplish. As far as reporting positive news, we certainly do our best. If there’s something good going on and we’re missing out, I’d love to hear about it]

*** Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have more festivals in West Memphis? [ Editor’s Note: I’m sort of torn on this one. Don’t get me wrong… the idea of having more festivals sounds great. I remember the heyday of Livin’ on the Levee, and it was always fun. But, I just get the feeling that where West Memphis is as a community, there might not be that spirit of come- together- ness that would be necessary to make it work. The city actually holds a number of one- day festivals, including the Chili cook- off and Gumbo Fest ( which is coming up soon) and I’ve never seen what I would call a massive amount of participation. What sort of festival would draw a crowd? Perhaps an event that celebrated the city’s musical heritage, but the handful of concerts that the city has held at the RiverPAC haven’t drawn, so I don’t know. Marion has seen success with Esperanza Bonanza. And for a one- day deal, the Hometown Crawfordsville celebration has become a pretty big deal. As much as I’d like to see West Memphis host a major multi- day festival of that kind, I don’t know if it’s worth the financial risk to put it together and see it fail]

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