Controlled burns planned at Arsenal
The Arkansas Forestry Division will be conducting multiple prescribed and controlled burns at the Pine Bluff Arsenal now until the end of February, depending on the weather.
The local community should not be alarmed if they see large plumes of smoke coming from the Arsenal, according to a news release.
These burns serve as an environmental benefit, not only to reduce wildfire risk by removing fuel levels and loading from the forest floor, but also act as timber stand and wildlife habitat improvements.
The planning of controlled burns includes safety plans, smoke management plans, and fire intensity levels to include flame heights and flame speeds. All controlled burns will be conducted by specially-trained and equipped crews skilled at fire management operations, according to the release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Simmons to host ground breaking
Simmons Bank will host a ground-breaking ceremony for a new branch at White Hall at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at 1308 Robin Road.
Participants will include Daniel Robinson, Simmons regional community president, and Chad Pittillo Pine Bluff community president.
The construction on the new branch will begin this month with the opening projected for this fall, according to a news release.
County Historical Society to meet
The Jefferson County Historical Society will meet at 2 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Historical Museum, 201 E. Fourth Ave., according to a news release.
Timothy G. Nutt, director of the Historical Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock, will be the guest speaker. His talk will be on the history of Jefferson County’s Catholic churches.
Previously, Nutt was director of the Special Collections archive at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the deputy curator at the Central Arkansas Library System at Little Rock, and the first managing editor and staff historian for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.
He has been a certified archivist since 2005 and is a past president of the Arkansas Historical Association, according to the release.
The public is invited to attend the meeting. Masks and other covid-19 precautions will be required at the meeting. Details: Jefferson County Historical Society, (870) 541-5402.
Open house set for cancer center
A ribbon cutting and open house will be held at the Jefferson Regional Jones-Dunklin Cancer Center at 5 p.m. Jan. 11. The center is located on the second floor of the Jefferson Professional Center I, 1609 W. 40th Ave.
The Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce will conduct the ribbon cutting followed by tours of the facility, according to a news release.
The center includes physician offices, infusion center, onsite lab and pharmacy, financial counseling and support services. A new breast center is located on the first floor of JPC I, and a new radiation therapy facility is currently under construction onsite.
Locals named to Harding Dean’s List
Harding University at Searcy named more than 1,200 students to the Dean’s List for grades achieved during the fall 2021 semester, according to a news release.
Area honorees are: Candace Burdett, a senior studying social work, from Stuttgart; Hannah Jones, a freshman studying apparel merchandising with an embedded marketing minor, from Monticello; and Lindsey Tilley, a junior studying family and consumer sciences, from Rison. Details: harding.edu.
Parole Board meetings scheduled
The Arkansas Parole Board will meet at 9 a.m. Jan. 13 and Jan. 27 in the Richard Lee Richardson Auditorium, 1302 Pike Ave, Suite B149, at North Little Rock.
The board will deliberate on individual cases at 9 a.m. Jan. 7, 12, 14, 21, 26, 28 and 31 in the office of Chairman John Felts in Suite D of the same location, according to a news release.
Pursuant to state law, deliberations on individual cases are closed to the public. The board will also meet to receive victim input and those meetings are closed to the public.
The full calendar of hearings and meetings can be found on the board’s website under Meeting Information and Hearings & Board Schedule. Details: https://doc.arkansas.gov/parole-board/meeting-information/hearings-board-schedule/ or (501) 682-3850.