ROCKER NUGENT TO SPEAK IN CITY

Rock musician and avid sportsman Ted Nugent will speak out against alcohol
and other drugs in Russellville during a regional planning meeting aimed at
addressing the methamphetamine problem in a 10-county area. The meeting
will be held Sept. 29 at Tucker Coliseum at Arkansas Tech University.

The event is being hosted by the prosecuting attorneys in three judicial
districts -- David Gibbons (5th District, which includes Pope, Johnson and
Franklin counties), H.G. Foster (20th District, Faulkner, Van Buren and
Searcy counties) and Tom Tatum II (15th District, Conway, Yell, Logan and
Scott counties).

"The use of methamphetamine in Arkansas is increasing at a disturbing rate.
It is a highly addictive drug that is not only a danger to the user, but to
the entire community, and thus, requires a community response," Gibbons
said. "The community's participation in this meeting is needed to come up
with an action plan that will be successful." The multi-regional meeting is
a follow-up to the 2002 Governor's Methamphetamine Summit. It is being
conducted in partnership with the Prevention Resource Center of Community
Service Inc. and supported by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention,
Division of Behavioral Health, of the Department of Human Services.

Community leaders at the meeting will help develop a strategic plan for the
prevention of methamphetamine use. All 50 schools in the 10-county area
have been invited to send students to participate. Nugent, who is
considered one of the top guitar showmen, is a spokesperson for Mothers
Against Drunk Driving and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He has recorded 30
albums between 1967 and 2003 that have sold more than 30 million copies. He
also is creator and producer of "Spirit of the Wild" on the Outdoor Channel.

"Arkansas has a methamphetamine epidemic," Gibbons said. "The use of this
dangerous drug is increasing at an alarming rate. We need the community's
help to combat it." Some state statistics regarding methamphetamine use: n
Arkansas ranks in the top of the country for methamphetamine lab seizures
per capita, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). n Six
meth labs were seized in 1994, 434 in 1998 and 952 in 2002. n The average
cost to clean up a meth labe ranges from $3,000 to $9,000. n A 1999 study
reported that about 14 percent of Arkansas youth have used methamphetamine.

It is estimated that 85 percent of those who try the drug become addicts.
The conference -- which begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. -- is
free, and lunch is provided. The registration deadline is Thursday, Sept.
25. For additional information on the conference or to register, please
call Diana Sponer at Community Service at (501) 354-4589.