New Jerusalem plans revival
New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, 1317 Texas St., will hold its spring revival at 7 p.m. on these dates with the following speakers: Tuesday — the Rev. Sidney Milton, pastor of Barraque Street Missionary Baptist Church; Wednesday — the Rev. Steven King, pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church; and Thursday, the Rev. Glenn Barnes, pastor of Pine Hill Missionary Baptist Church.
The public is invited to attend, according to a news release.
Called election board meetings set
Michael Adam, chairman of the Jefferson County Election Commission, called two meetings.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Jefferson County Board of Election Commissioners will hold an election day meeting May 9 beginning at 7 a.m. The commission will remain in session until unofficial election results are announced at the election center, 123 Main St., at approximately 9 p.m.
The commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 6 p.m. May 10 at the election center. The agenda includes public comments on new business agenda items (two minutes per speaker).
New business includes to adjudicate any provisional and absentee ballots and approve manual audit of unofficial election results.
While these meetings are scheduled at the election center, the location may change because Main Street is blocked at the courthouse due to a partial building collapse, Adam said. Participants must approach the election center from Second Avenue. Parking is limited so people are urged to park on Second Avenue to allow workers access to the building and parking.
UAPB Small Farm Program sets workshop
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Law Center are facilitating five workshops titled “Plan. Produce. Profit.”
One of the workshops will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 24 at the S.J. Parker 1890 Extension Complex auditorium, 2300 L.A. “Prexy” Davis Drive, at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, according to Henry English, PhD., director of the UAPB Small Farm Program.
“Workshop participants will learn how to operate under the Arkansas Food Freedom Act for selling homemade food items to the public,” English said. “Attendees will be eligible to receive a free pH meter for producing food products that need pH testing.”
Registration is available online at https://uada.formstack.com/forms/nalc_planproduceprofit. Registration is $10 per person and includes lunch. The workshops are limited to 50 participants per location.
According to a fact sheet from the Division of Agriculture’s Public Policy Center, Act 1040 of 2021 — otherwise known as the Arkansas Food Freedom Act — allows Arkansas residents to sell more types of homemade food and drink products in more locations than before, allowing direct sales of certain homemade food and drink products that do not require time or temperature controls to remain safe. Some products, such as pickles, salsas and canned vegetables, may require pH testing.
Workshops topics will cover the Arkansas Freedom Act, family and consumer sciences programs, food liability, creating and processing value-added food products in Arkansas, manufacturing opportunities and the use of pH meters.
Workshop dates and locations are:
May 10 — Little Rock — Cooperative Extension Service state office, 2301 S. University.
May 23 — Hope –Southwest Research and Extension Center, 362 Highway 174 North.
May 24 — Pine Bluff — UAPB 1890 Extension Complex Auditorium, 2300 L.A. “Prexy” Davis Drive.
May 31 — Jonesboro — Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, 3414 One Place.
To have the registration link sent to an email address, contact Karen Lee at leek@uapb.edu. Registration closes one week prior to the workshop date.
Synergy awards 2 PB schools grant
Synergy Forum Inc. awarded school assistance grants to Forrest Park Pre-K and Broadmoor Elementary schools in the Pine Bluff School District for the 2023-2024 school year.
The district’s Social Work Department submitted the grant application and was awarded $500 for each school site, according to a news release.
The funds will be utilized to re-stock each school’s clothes closets and to assist students in need with buying school uniforms, school supplies, coats, shoes and hygiene items.
“These funds are a ‘great benefit’ for our scholars,” a spokesman said. “It is very helpful to have the items we need at-hand on the school campus without having to interrupt a parent’s day to bring the scholar a needed item or to have to ‘go out’ and purchase an item. These funds are a true blessing for our scholars.”
Synergy Forum was established to provide financial incentives for the initiation and implementation of activities to enhance Pine Bluff and the Jefferson County in arts education or social services and to provide developmental assistance efforts to improve the quality of life. Ginger Casteel is the chairman of Synergy Forum, according to the release.
Forrest Park Pre-K’s principal is Marceinia Peoples and Broadmoor Elementary’s principal is Alycia Wiley.
Area Agency sets menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas is serving lunches from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Lunches available next week include:
May 8 — Breaded pork cutlet with gravy, mashed potatoes, squash medley, banana pudding, and milk.
May 9 — Pinto beans with ham, sliced tomato and onion, cooked cabbage, cornbread, angel food cake with strawberries, and milk.
May 10 — Meatloaf, okra and tomatoes, scalloped potatoes, peaches and milk.
May 11 — Breaded chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, beets, tropical fruit, and milk.
May 12 — Pepper steak over rice, green beans, roasted carrots, cake with frosting, and milk.
Details: Strachota Senior Citizens Center, (870) 543-6323.