Area Agency tells menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas offers lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Area Agency’s office and senior centers will be closed Dec. 24-26 and on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. Southeast Arkansas Transportation (SEAT) will only be transporting people for cancer, dialysis and wound care appointments on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26.
Here’s next week’s menu:
Dec. 29 — Chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, carrots, peaches, and milk.
Dec. 30 — Ham with pineapple sauce, yams, green beans, roll, pie, and milk.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Dec. 31 — Chili cheese coney dog, coleslaw with grated carrots, fruit, cookie, and milk.
Jan. 1 — Closed for New Year’s Day.
Jan. 2 — Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, pears, and milk.
Local on Belhaven Dean’s List
Lisa Armstrong of Pine Bluff was named to the fall 2025 Dean’s List at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must achieve a grade point average of 3.4-3.99 while taking a full course load of at least 12 semester hours, according to a news release.
Big Squirrel Challenge set
It’s almost time for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s annual statewide squirrel hunting competition, The Umarex Big Squirrel Challenge. Now in its fifth year, this celebration has become a favorite January event for families across The Natural State, according to an AGFC news release.
The concept is simple: Grab a hunting partner, hit the woods and spend time searching the treetops for the fattest squirrels you can find Jan. 9-10.
“You’re welcome to harvest your full limit of 12 squirrels per day during the event, but we’re only weighing the biggest three,” said Eric Maynard, AGFC assistant chief of the Education Division. “We have divisions for fox squirrels, gray squirrels and mixed bags. Hunters are welcome to enter multiple categories if they have enough squirrels to enter, but each squirrel can only count toward one entry.”
You can also hunt solo. There are specific age divisions for Adult Teams and Youth Teams (two hunters under 16, or a youth with an adult mentor).
There’s no need to register beforehand or pay an entry fee. Just start hunting at noon Jan. 9 and show up to one of the 13 weigh-in stations by noon Jan. 10, ready to weigh in. Squirrels must be field-dressed with their skin on before weighing.
“We’ll hand out medals for first and second place in each category at each weigh-in location,” Maynard said. “The top teams in the state for each category also will win high-powered Umarex air rifles.”
Every hunter who weighs a squirrel is entered for door prizes at each location.
2026 weigh-in locations in southeast Arkansas are at Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center, 1400 Black Dog Drive, Pine Bluff and Monticello Regional Office, 771 Jordan Drive, Monticello.
Visit the AFGC website to learn more. Hunters must be in line with their harvest by noon on Jan. 10 to qualify.
USDA slates NRCS deadline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) established a national Jan. 15 batching deadline for the first funding round of key conservation programs.
This date ensures farmers have a clear, consistent timeline for participating in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).
This includes NRCS’ new Regenerative Pilot Program, which provides targeted Farmer First assistance through EQIP and CSP, according to a news release.
NRCS programs are continuous sign-up programs, but due to the government shutdown, the agency is implementing an initial national batching period to ensure producers have access to funding and support.
All NRCS conservation programs remain continuous sign-up.
Farmers and ranchers have until Jan. 15, 2026, to apply for the first batching period.
National and State Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) will follow later in the year. PL-566 and Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) opportunities remain open for sponsors based on available funding.
Programs with a Jan. 15, 2026, batching period deadline include:
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP);
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP);
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP);
New NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program (EQIP & CSP).
Details: The NRCS website or contact a local USDA service center.