Arsenal names division chief
Debbie Littleton Paylor has been named chief of the compliance division within the Directorate of Information Management (DOIM) at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. She will continue to serve as the installation’s information systems security manager, overseeing cybersecurity and information security operations.
“With the hiring freeze still in effect, we’re cross-training and adapting,” Paylor said in a news release. “Supervisory responsibilities like approving leave and managing a 10-person team are new to me, but I’m embracing the challenge.”
A Dermott native, Paylor has 36 years of service at the Arsenal. She graduated from Lakeside High School in Lake Village in 1981 and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Central Arkansas.
“Much of what we learned back then — machine languages and such — is obsolete now,” she said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
DOIM Director Amelio Howard praised Paylor as a “proven leader” with a strong record of expertise, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
“Her deep knowledge of information management makes her an ideal fit for this role,” he said.
Paylor began her career at Simmons Bank before joining the Arsenal in August 1989, following a friend’s recommendation to take the Civil Service exam. She earned her Systems Information Security Manager certification in 2010 and now encourages younger professionals to pursue IT certifications regardless of their academic background.
VA awards grant for Veterans Cemetery
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration (NCA) announced has awarded a grant of up to $5,267,845 to the state of Arkansas for the expansion of the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
VA will also reimburse the state $2,325,451 for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project. The cemetery serves more than 93,000 veterans and their eligible family members in the region. The grant will fund 3,100 pre-placed crypts, roadway, landscaping, and irrigation, according to a news release.
“Veterans cemeteries like Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock keep the memories of America’s heroes alive,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Under President Trump, VA is committed to ensuring facilities like North Little Rock have the resources they need to provide excellent benefits and services to veterans and their families, and this grant underscores that fact.”
Free CWD testing available for deer
The regular archery deer hunting season opened Sept. 27, and for many hunters, that means it will be the first weekend to bring home a deer for the freezer. Hunters can help the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission continue to track chronic wasting disease and give themselves a little extra peace of mind by dropping off a sample from their harvested deer at one of the many CWD testing locations available throughout the state.
AJ Riggs, wildlife health biologist for the AGFC, has been working during the last few months to ensure hunters have a free place to get their deer tested within an hour’s drive of practically any location in the state, according to a news release.
“We have 101 freezers set up around Arkansas for hunters to drop off their samples, and we also have a network of 36 taxidermists who will pull a sample for anyone who brings their deer in,” Riggs said. “We send the majority of our samples to be tested by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and will make the results available as soon as the test results come in.”
Riggs said any hunter who submits a deer that comes back positive for CWD will be immediately notified via the phone number indicated on their sample submission form. She will collect data on the harvest location and help make arrangements to dispose of the meat and carcass if needed.
“We post all CWD test results through a secure site using the game check number on the form filled out at the collection site, and people are emailed when those results come in as well,” Riggs said. “You can use the QR code found at the freezers or go to agfc.com/cwd to track your sample and get results any time, day or night.”
To submit your sample through a testing station, simply bring the deer’s head with 4 to 6 inches of the neck attached and place it in one of the provided plastic bags with your name and contact information on the card provided. Any antlers should be removed before placing it in the bag to save freezer space and prevent the bags from being punctured. Hunters who wish to keep their deer heads can contact a taxidermist or an AGFC regional office to make an appointment.
All testing locations are available at www.agfc.com/cwd. Some of the locations have changed from last year, so hunters are encouraged to look ahead of time and find a sample location closest to their hunting area and note hours of operation.
The AGFC will host a special CWD meeting to discuss the results of the recent 5-year population impact research project on CWD conducted in north Arkansas with the University of Georgia. Marcelo Jorge, the study’s lead researcher, will present findings from the study, which is the first of its kind completed on chronic wasting disease in the Southeast. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Carroll Electric Co-Op building in Jasper.