Weyerhaeuser sells DQ&E and four other short lines
WEYERHAEUSER IS IN THE PROCESS of selling five short line railroads, including the De Queen and Eastern/Texas Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad, to Florida-based Patriot Rail, according to company officials. Officials from both companies said the transaction should be finalized later this year once government regulators approve the sale.
After almost two years on the market, Weyerhaeuser officials have said plans are being finalized to sell the affiliated De Queen and Eastern Railroad/Texas Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad (reporting mark, DQ&E/TOE) as well as four other short line subsidiaries owned by the company.
Florida-based Patriot Rail Corporation recently entered into negotiations for five of Weyerhaeuser's short line railroads and is now in the process of completing the transaction. Neither Patriot Rail, which is one of the world's largest short line and regional railroad companies, nor Weyerhaeuser have released the transaction's financial details.
Company officials said the pending sale will have to be reviewed by government regulators before it is finalized. Weyerhaeuser officials expect the sale to be finalized sometime in the fourth quarter, at which time they plan to release financial details of the transaction.
"The company is not disclosing the financial details of the sale because [the sale] is to close in the fourth quarter and we have issues to work out with regulators before then," said Richard Chapman, the public affairs manager for Weyerhaeuser's Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas operations. "Once the sale is completed and finalized, we feel we can disclose the sale amount."
The DQ&E/TOE was put up for sale after Weyerhaeuser sold its Valliant, Okla., container-board unit to International Paper in 2008.
To read the complete article, please see the July 29 edition of The De Queen Bee.
Jul 28, 2010, 10:05
DQ man pleds guilty to weapons violations in federal court
Jamie Don Baker of De Queen pled guilty to a federal weapons violation in federal court on Monday, July 26, in Texarkana.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) as well as members of the South Central Drug Task Force, the Arkansas State Police and the Sevier County Sheriff's Department, descended on Baker's home earlier this year after receiving a tip through a child-abuse hotline stating possible drug and firearm violations in the home.
Although Baker was not arrested at the time, agents did find a fully-automatic conversion piece for a rifle and an unspecified type of explosive. A large amount of firearms and ammunition were also confiscated.
To read the complete article, please see the July 29 edition of The De Queen Bee.
Jul 28, 2010, 10:16
Paying tribute by giving back to the community
SHERRIE AND PATRICK GRANT of the Faith and Deliverance Center in De Queen have made their church into a center for numerous outreach services.
It is nothing unusual to hear of a church giving back to its community and helping those in need, but one church in De Queen has begun to broaden its services to meet those in the community who it feels are being left behind.
With their needs in mind, the Faith and Deliverance Center has in its three years of existence become a virtual wellspring of assistance programs. Whether its members go door-to-door distributing watermelons or provide victims of spousal abuse with a place to stay, the church has exercised these services and others as part of its ministries.
"I believe there are many in the community whose needs are not being met," said Bishop Patrick Grant, pastor and founder of the Faith and Deliverance Center. "It is urgent for us to develop programs and services so we can help them despite who or what they are and the mistakes they have made."
In so thinking, Grant said he was able to develop a church that is untraditionally diverse in its make up. Blacks, whites and Hispanics fill the aisles of the Center in numbers very proportional to the make up of the whole community, while business owners and former drug-users sit next to each other. Perhaps the church's most efficient program is what Grant calls the Jail House or Joshua Ministry.
To read the complete article, please see the July 29 edition of The De Queen Bee.
A LACK OF FUNDS is one factor forcing the Sevier County Humane Society to close down, at least temporarily. Members hope they will be able to adopt out the human society’s many dogs and cats before then.
For 14 years the Sevier County Humane Society has provided a glimmer of hope for animals previously facing grim circumstances. Unfortunately, for a while after 2010, this will no longer be the case.
Over the course of the humane society's existence, there have been three presidents and numerous volunteers to serve its cause. The first and third president died of cancer, and Karen Mills was the second for 10 years. When the humane society was first formed, she allowed it to place the animal shelters on her property. Inadequate when the shelters were first put in, they are now seriously deteriorated and in need of replacing.
While the Mills still hope to build their dream of a new shelter, they will have to find foster families for about 30 dogs right now. Both Karen and her husband have had health issues, and due to lack of funding, the shelter is being forced to close, at least temporarily.
To read the complete article, please see the July 29 edition of The De Queen Bee.
