Arkansas veteran’s remains returns home after 65 years
LITTLE ROCK — The remains of an Arkansas National Guardsman killed 65 years ago in a plane crash in Alaska have been returned to his home state.
Staff Sgt. Robert Dale Van Fossen was 21 when his plane went missing on Nov. 22, 1952, after he and other troops flew through harsh weather. Wreckage was found eight days later, but the remains of many of those killed weren’t found until 2012, when spotted by a Black Hawk helicopter on a routine training mission.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchin-
son has ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff until Sunday in honor of Van Fossen, who was also a U.S. Air Force enlistee. The governor signed a proclamation Wednesday saying the state was proud to bring Van Fossen home, “and to honor his life, accomplishments and service to his nation.”
Van Fossen’s remains were flown to Arkansas on Thursday. A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday.
The remains of 35 people have been recovered from the crash site, and teams are expected to continue searching the area in June. Van Fossen’s remains were identified through DNA testing last year.
Van Fossen’s nephew Kevin Caid said he waited for the day that he could bring home the remains of the uncle he never met.
“I had a dream that somehow, someday I wanted to bring him home,” Caid said.
Van Fossen’s remains were flown to Arkansas on Thursday. A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday.
Van Fossen joined the Arkansas National Guard while attending Greenbrier High School. After graduating in 1949, Fossen enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
23 Arkansas counties designated disaster areas after floods
LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared 23 Arkansas counties disaster areas after recent flooding.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says in a news release Friday he was informed of the designation from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Counties designated as disasters include Faulkner, Lonoke and Randolph.
Perdue visited the state in early May and said in his letter to the governor that there were sufficient production losses in those counties to warrant a designation.
Another 23 counties were designated contiguous disaster areas.
Farmers in eligible counties will have eight months to apply for emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
FEMA is still assessing damage caused by flooding and severe storms in the northwestern part of the state in April to see if a presidential disaster declaration can be made.
Ark. man accused of causing road-rage death of motorcyclist
VAN BUREN — A man is being held in the Crawford County jail after authorities say he intentionally slammed on his brakes and caused a motorcyclist to strike the rear of his pickup, killing the biker.
Thirty-one-year-old Lawrence Finn of Pettigrew remained in jail Friday on a charge of second-degree murder.
Arkansas State Police described the death Wednesday of 41-year-old Jason Miller of Alma as the result of a roadrage incident along Interstate 40 near the Oklahoma line.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette cites a state police affidavit in reporting that Miller’s Yamaha struck the pickup’s bumper, causing Miller to be dragged.
The affidavit says Finn told investigators he noticed a motorcyclist following too closely so he tapped his brakes to have the rider back away.
It’s not clear if Finn has an attorney to address the allegations.