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SHOT IN JANUARY, LOCAL MAN DIES

An Pine Bluff man who was shot in the face during a reported burglary in January died Saturday at Jefferson Regional Medical Center.

Police Lt. Bob Rawlinson said Ira Harris, 65, had been released from a Little Rock hospital and brought back to Pine Bluff where he died.

Harris was shot during a robbery at his home on Fluker Street in the University Park area.

Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley said the body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory at Little Rock for an autopsy.

The death was the third homicide of the year in Pine Bluff and the fourth of the year in Jefferson County.

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CAREER COACHES AT WORK IN AREA SCHOOLS

Gov. Mike Bebee’s Arkansas Works program has been expanded to include career coaches at some high schools in Southeast Arkansas and elsewhere in the state.

“Our job after we assess students is to connect them to resources and assist them in plans,” said Cedric Jones, a career coach at Pine Bluff High School. “We want them to continue learning and do something they will enjoy after high school.”

Forty-three career coaches were hired in January and began working in high schools in the state’s 21 most economically challenged counties. Southeast Arkansas College and Southeast Arkansas Community College in El Dorado hired nine career coaches to carry out the program in Southeast Arkansas.

Coaches are based in the high schools and are accountable to the college they are employed by. The coaches have been placed at high schools in Jefferson, Desha, Chicot, and Bradley counties.

“We’ve been here about two weeks,” said Jones, one of three PBHS career coaches. “We’re showing ourselves on campus, letting students know we’re here. The first thing is to develop a relationship with the students then assess them.”

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PILOT IN CRASH HAD PB PRACTICE

Federal authorities say it may take several months to a year to determine the cause of a plane crash that killed four in Washington County, including one man who had a part-time dental practice in Pine Bluff.

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BOND SET FOR SUSPECT IN KIDNAPPING

A $250,000 bond was set Friday for a Pine Bluff man who allegedly grabbed a teenager Friday, dragged her across a field, and sexually assaulted her.

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RETURN TO STORE LEADS TO ROBBERY CHARGES

A reported struggle with a loss prevention officer at the Walmart Supercenter in January, resulted in the arrest of a Pine Bluff man when he returned to the store Sunday and was recognized by the officer.

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SHOOTING VICTIM HAS NO DETAILS

A 29-year-old Pine Bluff man who was shot in the thigh Sunday night told police he didn’t know where he was when he was shot, or who shot him.

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COUNTY APPROVES CONTRACT WITH GRANT-WRITING FIRM

The Quorum Court voted without dissent at its Monday meeting to allow the County Judge’s Office to enter into a $30,000 annual contract with Finnegan and Company, despite concerns over the grant-writing company’s past performance.

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CASH-ONLY BOND FOR RAPE SUSPECT

A $500,000 cash-only bond was set Monday for a Pine Bluff man accused of kidnapping and raping a female last August.

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