Monticello Live

U.S. Representative Mike Ross toured the SeaArk Marine boat plant in Monticello, Tuesday afternoon, and visited with members of their staff and management.

Included in the tour was the viewing of a rough terrain crane, which will be used to load and unload boats. The crane was purchased with assistance of a Federal Maritime Administration grant.

SeaArk Marine has been in business for over 51 years and supplies vessels to all branches of the U.S. Military, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, Fish & Wildlife Agencies, state agencies, commercial oil companies, municipalities and many other commercial and government entities.

U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry , Vic Snyder and Mike Ross  yesterday announced that Arkansas will receive $584,747 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for public health efforts to help reduce obesity, encourage exercise and improve nutrition. In addition, Arkansas will receive $664,204 to help people avoid or stop smoking. The Recovery Act funds under HHS’s Prevention and Wellness Initiative will go toward media campaigns, tobacco quitlines for counseling to help quit smoking, safe places to exercise in communities, and healthy food choices in schools. (more…)

Congress Should Help Seniors Make Ends Meet

 Almost 75 years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law our nation’s Social Security system to provide retirement protection for all Americans. (more…)

As Members of the House of Representatives returned to Washington this week from the holiday district work period, U.S. Representative Mike Ross, D-Ark., on Wednesday honored former state legislator James T. Jordan of Monticello in the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Record – the official proceedings of the House. Jordan died on December 27, 2009, at the age of 84.

This is the text of the Congressional Record entry:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of James Terrell Jordan of Monticello, Arkansas, who passed away on December 27, 2009, at the age of 84. Having fought for freedom in World War II, James then committed his life to the people of Arkansas through public office for over five decades.

James was born in Drew County, Arkansas, to his late parents Alvin and Linnie Jordan, and attended schools in Monticello and California. He was a member of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II, serving as a paratrooper and receiving a Purple Heart Medal. (more…)

U.S. Representative Mike Ross  is now accepting applications for the 2010 Congressional Summer Internship Program in his Washington, D.C., congressional office. This highly selective program is designed to give college students an opportunity not only to learn the legislative process, but also to experience it firsthand.

The 2010 Congressional Summer Internship Program is split into two sessions, offering this unique opportunity to as many students as possible. The first summer session runs from June 1 – July 2, 2010, and the second summer session runs from July 6 – August 6, 2010. Interns may coordinate academic credit directly with their college or university. (more…)

Congressman Mike Ross held a meeting at the University of Arkansas at Monticello to discuss a few controversial issues with the people of Monticello and answer any questions people might have about these issues.

The first issue Ross discussed was the new healthcare plan that the congress is trying to pass. Ross thinks we need healthcare reform, but that we need to be sensible about the changes we make. Ross said that there are three parts to the reform. One part is ensuring that everyone has insurance. They want to help cover the uninsured. The second part is reforming health insurance. Ross said that it is wrong for insurance companies to exclude someone because they had an illness in the past. The last part is managing healthcare cost. According to Ross, healthcare has an inflation that is twice that of other businesses. He restated that we need healthcare reform; we just need to do it right. (more…)

Congress Wraps Up Busy Legislative Year, More to Come (more…)

$475,000 for Southeast Arkansas Intermodal Facility
Funds will be used to construct infrastructure to develop the intermodal and industrial park facility. Improvements will include an access road, water and sewer lines and rail.

 $250,000 to Address Critical National Energy and Environmental Issues at University of Arkansas at Monticello
Funding will provide for renovation, construction, and equipment to further the initiatives of Arkansas Forest Resources Center. Diverse research, extension educational outreach and teaching programs encompassing economic expansion and productivity, and environmental sustainability and quality of life issues provide the principal focus to the Center’s mission. The University’s extension programs reach about two million Arkansans per year.

 $100,000 for Digital Mamography Equipment at Drew Memorial Hospital
Drew Memorial Hospital will use the funds to purchase a state-of-the-art digital breast imaging machine. The hospital’s current mammography equipment is out-of-date and insufficient in the detection and treatment of cancer nodes.

$1,948,000 for Interstate 69/Great River Bridge: Highway 65-MS Highway 1 (Desha County)
Funds will be used to continue engineering, design, and right-of-way acquisition for I-69/Great River Bridge. This bridge is a portion of a new, four-lane, controlled-access highway.

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U.S. Representative Mike Ross  has appointed Monticello native Kristen Yeiser as his scheduler and executive assistant in his Washington, D.C., congressional office. (more…)

U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) has successfully secured $366,564 for Drew County in the Fiscal Year 2010 House Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. The bill recently passed the full U.S. House of Representatives.

Ross said the funds will be used to provide weather and other related disaster education as well as to purchase outdoor weather sirens that will alert residents of approaching severe weather.

“Given the unpredictability of Arkansas weather, we should be as prepared as possible for any number of emergency weather situations,” said Ross. “This investment in Drew County will help local leaders prepare for the worst by working to reduce the loss of property and to protect lives during a storm.” (more…)

U.S. Representative Mike Ross, along with U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, Thursday announced that the City of Monticello will receive $248,027 from the Department of Transportation to help enhance airport safety and security by installing perimeter fencing at Ellis Field at Monticello Municipal Airport. (more…)

U.S. Representative Mike announced that he has hired Monticello native Zach Baumgarten as his Director of Constituent Services in his Washington, D.C., Congressional Office.  Baumgarten completed the first session of Ross’s Washington, D.C., Congressional internship program in 2007. (more…)

Four members of Arkansas’s Congressional Delegation traveled this week to Iraq as part of an official trip to visit the roughly 3,000 members of the 39th Infantry Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard on their second deployment to Iraq within four years.
U.S. Senator Mark Pryor along with U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), John Boozman (AR-03) and Mike Ross (AR-04), traveled to Iraq August 2 – 4, 2008.

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This week I helped pass an important bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to assist homeowners who are struggling amidst a deteriorating housing market. The American Housing Rescue & Foreclosure Prevention Act (H.R. 3221) is the most comprehensive response yet to the American mortgage crisis and I was proud to support it to help families facing foreclosure keep their homes. This bill will also help the recovery of communities harmed by empty homes caught in the foreclosure process.

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U.S. Representative Mike Ross supported legislation Thursday to significantly increase our nation’s domestic energy production. The DRILL Act would have increased oil and natural gas production in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), as well as oil production on federal lands already leased by oil companies.
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U.S. Representative Mike Ross is shown here with Senior Master Sergeant Willie Jackson, a native of Monticello, during a recent visit to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Incirlik Air Base is playing a vital role in support of the ongoing efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ross thanked SMSGT Jackson for his service and had lunch with him and other soldiers to thank them for their service to our country.

SMSGT Jackson is the son of Willie and Shirley Jackson of Monticello. He had been serving in Baghdad since October.

U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and Representative Mike Ross announced today that Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello will receive an $83,968 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funds will be used to plan and develop a rural health network. 
 
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