St. Joseph plans Spaghetti Supper
St Joseph Catholic Church, Sixth Avenue and Walnut Street, invites everyone to its annual Spaghetti Supper Oct. 1 and Oct. 3. This event will be available for carry out only between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., according to a news release. Tickets are $15 each for adults and $10 each for children. Tickets may be purchased at the door or from any parish member. Details: (870) 534-4701.
Area student graduates at Ole Miss
Zachary Harper of Lake Village is among the more than 900 students who graduated from the University of Mississippi in August. Harper, who majored in business administration, received a Master of Business Administration from the Graduate School at Ole Miss, according to a news release
Local joins Ole Miss honor society
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Hagan Hord of Stuttgart was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at The University of Mississippi. Phi Kappi Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, according to a news release.
Small Works goes to Forrest City
The Arkansas Arts Council’s annual touring visual arts exhibition, Small Works on Paper, will open on Oct. 1 at East Arkansas Community College in the Fine Arts Center Gallery in Forrest City.
Local artists in the 2024 exhibition are Matthew Howard, Pine Bluff; Crystal Jennings, Rison; Kimiara Johnson, Pine Bluff; and Alexia Lams, Pine Bluff.
The artwork will be on view through Oct. 30. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to a news release.
Now in its 37th year, the exhibition spotlights Arkansas artists who are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, an online gallery maintained by the Arkansas Arts Council. The 2024 tour features 39 artists from across Arkansas and will make stops at nine venues statewide. Most works will be available for sale, with all proceeds benefiting the artists.
Lake GP boat access reopens
A recent infestation of Lake Georgia-Pacific in Ashley County by aquatic nuisance species has been eliminated because of swift decisions and hard work by Georgia-Pacific and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
AGFC staff removed dozens of boatloads of water hyacinth, an invasive species native to the Amazon Basin of South America that is known for choking out fisheries and boat access if left unchecked, according to a news release.
“We initially found the plant early this week in the canal leading from the boat ramp to the main lake,” Matt Horton, Aquatic Nuisance Species Program coordinator for the AGFC, said. “Georgia-Pacific owns the lake, so we worked with them to ensure everyone was on the same page with a temporary closure of the boat ramp and elimination of the harmful plants.”
Once biologists got to work, they found three additional areas in the main lake that were infested with the plant.
“We were able to physically remove all the plants found in our surveys,” Horton said. “But we also found Cuban bulrush growing on the hyacinth. It’s another invasive that typically grows on top of floating aquatic plants and was likely introduced with the hyacinth.”
Horton said Cuban bulrush is found in many southern states but this is only the second documented occurrence of the plant in Arkansas.
“It spreads from seeds and plant fragments and lakes Georgia-Pacific and Erling are the only two known locations in Arkansas,” Horton said. “With GP’s approval, we’ll begin spraying herbicide for this plant in the next week to ensure that it does not get a foothold in the lake either.”
Aquatic nuisance species, such as water hyacinth and Cuban bulrush, pose a significant threat to all Arkansas waters. As with most other invasives, the best way to fight these alien invaders is to prevent unknowingly transporting them to new bodies of water and spreading the infestation.
Any boater, whether they are a fisherman, duck hunter, paddler or pleasure boater, should be aware of the dangers of spreading invasive plants like water hyacinth and Cuban bulrush.
“It’s not just a threat to our boating access for hunting and fishing, it’s also illegal,” Horton said. “The state of Louisiana spends nearly $9 million a year spraying aquatic nuisance vegetation. That’s all money that could go to improving habitat and access, wasted.”
Boaters are advised to remember the mantra, “Clean, Drain and Dry” any time they visit a new body of water.
Clean — Remove all visible plant matter from equipment before leaving the body of water.
Drain — Let all water from the boat and motor drain completely before transporting.
Dry — Let everything dry for at least five days before entering a different body of water. If you are unable to dry, washing with high-pressure, hot, soapy water also can help.