Kickball tournament signups begin
Registration for the Redirecting Paths Kickball Tournament is underway at SurveyMonkey.com/R/GPC6YCP.
The tournament is scheduled for July 15 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and will be held at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 629 Jaycee Drive. Each team must have four players under the age of 18.
Registration is free. To sign up, call (501) 799-3836.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Stepps to speak at UAPB alumni event
Dr. Kristopher G. Stepps, a native of Pine Bluff, will be the keynote speaker for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff/AM&N National Alumni Association’s Summer Conference Gala.
This event will take place at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Stepps serves as medical director for DePaul Community Health Center, under the office of Ascension Health Services, according to a news release.
In 2021, Dr. Stepps established the Sharon D. Stepps Memorial Scholarship to honor his late sister’s life and to continue her legacy of excellence, generosity and service. This is a one-time award that is given to five deserving high school graduating seniors intending to pursue a course of study at either a two-year or four-year historically Black college or university.
Dr. Stepps has just released a brand new book entitled “Grieving the Life You Thought You Wanted.”
The registration fee for the National Alumni Summer Conference is $150 per person. This includes admission to all conference events, a 2023 conference souvenir book, meals (plus the Gala) and special mementos.
The cost to attend the Gala only is $50 per person. The attire is semi-formal.
Ads may also be purchased to be included in a commemorative souvenir journal. The cost of ads ranges in price from $100 for a full page to $10 for the patron’s list. The deadline to register or purchase ads is Saturday.
For more information, contact the National Alumni Association Office at (870) 536-2309 or summerconference@uapbalumni.org.
Altheimer duck club co-owner named Game & Fish commissioner
Brandon Adams, co-owner of Prairie Wings Duck Club in Altheimer, has been named an Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioner.
Adams, who lives in Fayetteville, was appointed to a seven-year term that will end in 2030, according to an announcement from the office of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He is president and CEO of Reliance Health Care Inc., as well as a partner at Heartland Auto Group and Heartland Pharmacies, and chairman of the board at Banded Brands/Avery Outdoors.
“I am deeply honored to have been appointed by Governor Sanders to this important position on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,” Adams said. “I was born and raised and have spent my entire life hunting and fishing in what I consider the most beautiful and diverse state in America. I believe that the AGFC has played a crucial role in making and keeping it that way. I look forward to doing my part to help continue this mission.”
Regional finalists for state Teacher of Year
Fourteen educators have been named regional finalists for 2024 Arkansas Teacher of the Year.
Two of the finalists are from Arkansas County: Julie Landrum, a math and science instructor in grades 9-12 at Stuttgart High School, representing the Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative; and Elizabeth Hill, a biology and Advanced Placement biology teacher in grades 10-12 at DeWitt High School, representing the Southeast Arkansas ESC.
Each regional finalist will receive a certificate and $1,000 prize from the Walton Family Foundation. The educators will be recognized July 27 at an event at the Governor’s Mansion.