"This week marks the end of the August District Work Period, and I have had the opportunity to visit with many of you as I traveled to all 29 counties in our district.  Through meetings, seminars, community office hours, luncheons, and even festivals, I met many of the people who make up Arkansas’s workforce; teachers, doctors and nurses, truck drivers, farmers, and many other hard working families who are all feeling the effects of our slow economy.

"Next week, as Congress heads back into session to consider a number of critical pieces of legislation, I will have the benefit of all those meetings and visits with you behind my decisions.  I look forward to the work that remains - ironing out our nation’s spending priorities, coming to a compromise on prescription drug coverage for our seniors, improving education and transportation, and through all of this, I will continue to fight for Arkansas’s working families."

“I recently joined my colleague, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, as Congress paid a special tribute to those who led and participated in the March on Washington 40 years ago.  John Lewis stood with Dr. Martin Luther King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to lead the march at only 23 years of age, and in the years that followed has continued the fight for freedom.  Seeing Lewis, the last surviving speaker of the 1963 march, standing among statues of our nations’ heroes in the Capitol building, I was struck by how far he and our nation have come in the past four decades; how much we have fought for, and how much we have gained.

“Indeed, we have made tremendous gains - gains not only for African Americans, but also for all Americans.  By expanding opportunities for all of its citizens, America has become a model of democracy for the rest of the world.  Today, Americans continue to speak out for those whose rights are being trampled on. 

“Today at the Lincoln Memorial, the site where some 250,000 people of all races and backgrounds stood together for equality, a simple marble marker in the spot where Dr. King delivered his famous speech reminds us of why we still strive to improve and better our society.  It reads, ‘I have a dream.’ 

“But there are many who have yet to realize that dream.  There are still people, communities, and regions of our country where opportunity and prosperity are out of reach.  We must not stop our progress until we reach our full potential.  We must not stop dreaming.”

Photo: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his "I Have a Dream" speech during The March on Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963.  Photo courtesy the Associated Press. 

“This round of fire grants provides some $250,000 for new firefighting vehicles to help protect rural communities in our district,” Ross said.  “Our rural firefighters do the best job possible with the resources they are given, and among the equipment they need to protect lives and property, fire trucks and other firefighting vehicles are the most critical and the most expensive.  This funding is wonderful news for residents in these rural areas.”

The Firefighting Vehicles Acquisition Program includes funding for pumpers, brush trucks, tankers, rescue, ambulances, quints, aerials, foam units, and fireboats.  The following departments have been awarded grants for a Firefighting Vehicle:

· Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Department, Rison - $81,000
· Driggs Rural Fire Department, Magazine - $32,850
· West Crossett Volunteer Fire Department, Crossett - $136,125

The Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety Program includes training, wellness and fitness, firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment, and modifications to fire stations and facilities.  The following departments have been awarded grants for Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety:

· Kirby Volunteer Fire Department, Kirby - $6,845

This is the 12th round of notifications for the 2003 program.  Further notifications are expected on a weekly basis for the next few months.