Agencies to close MLK Day
Several agencies will be closed to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Jefferson County Courthouse and related offices will be closed.
Pine Bluff City Hall and related offices will be closed. The Pine Bluff City Council meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas’s office and senior centers will be closed, however Southeast Arkansas Transportation will transport patients for dialysis and chemotherapy appointments.
State Capitol offices and state buildings will be closed. The Capitol building will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Deadline today for Chamber dinner tickets
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The deadline is noon today to purchase tickets to attend the 2025 Chamber Annual Dinner. The dinner will be held Jan. 23 at the Pine Bluff Country Club beginning with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.
The featured speaker will be Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers.
“Join us as we welcome the mayor and hear her vision and plans for her upcoming term in office. This is a unique opportunity for the business community to engage with our city’s new leadership and be part of shaping Pine Bluff’s future,” according to a news release.
Tickets are $60 each and table sponsorships are $600 with eight seats. To purchase tickets or become a table sponsor, call the Chamber at (870) 535-0110 or email Jennifer Kline at jennifer@jeffersoncountyalliance.com. Beverages are sponsored by MK Distributors.
Mississippi College honors local
Keller Bigham of Warren was named to the Fall 2024 Dean’s List at Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. The Mississippi College Office of Academic Affairs releases the Dean’s List after the close of fall and spring semesters each academic year. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must maintain a 3.5 grade point average, based on a 4.0 system, according to a news release.
Free small business event in PB
The Arkansas APEX Accelerator will host a free workshop on “Small Business Certifications: Increasing Your Opportunity for Success in Government Contracting” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 22 at The Generator, 435 S. Main St., in Pine Bluff. Participants should register by Jan. 21 at ecenterdirect.com/events.
“Small business certifications do not guarantee the awarding of government contracts, but they do increase the possibility of being awarded one,” said Tim Hicks, procurement counselor with Arkansas APEX Accelerator. “Participants will learn about federal and state certification processes, and they’ll learn about tools they can use to benefit their overall success rate in doing business with the government.”
Hicks will lead the training and be available by appointment to meet with small business owners before and after the training, according to a news release from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Office hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment, contact Hicks at thicks@uada.edu.
The event will also include representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration-Arkansas District, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Arkansas Department of Transportation.
The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is part of the Community, Professional and Economic Development department of the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The Arkansas APEX Accelerator offers year-round trainings and counseling to help business owners secure government contracts. Details: http://uaex.uada.edu/APEX.
Extension to host produce safety training
To help the state’s fruit and vegetable growers, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will host the first produce safety grower training of 2025 at the Jones Center in Springdale.
The training will take place from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 25. The cost is $25 to attend, which includes lunch, snacks and training materials. Participants must register by Feb. 18 at uada.formstack.com/forms/sd_psagrower.
Attendance is limited to 20 spots, and no walk-ins will be accepted, according to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Sarah Bakker, extension food systems and food safety program associate for the Division of Agriculture, said participants will learn about new regulations for fruit and vegetable producers.
“Topics covered will include agricultural water, soil amendments, worker health and hygiene, wildlife management, postharvest handling and food safety plans,” Bakker said.
Bakker said that for fresh produce farms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule sets mandatory federal standards for growing, harvesting, packing and holding produce. Most produce farms are affected by this rule, and this training satisfies the rule’s training requirement.
Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said the training will be key to the success of Northwest Arkansas producers.
“Northwest Arkansas is fostering local food systems and supporting beginning farmers, helping them tap into new markets such as retail, the Market Center of the Ozarks and schools,” Perez said. “To succeed in these markets, farmers must understand Good Agricultural Practices for food safety, which include safe handling, water use and pest management.
For more information, contact Sarah Bakker at sbakker@uada.edu, Amanda Philyaw Perez at aperez@uada.edu, or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.