Early voting continues
Early voting for the March 3 preferential primary, nonpartisan judicial general election and annual school board election will end March 2 at the Jefferson County Courthouse, according to the county clerk’s office.
From Feb. 17-19, there were 1,224 votes cast. Since Feb. 20, here are the number of people who voted early:
Feb. 20 — 362.
Feb. 21 — 148.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Feb. 23 — 354.
Feb. 24 — 268.
Feb. 25 — 346.
Voting continues from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 2.
Election Commission to meet
Michael Adam, chairman of the Jefferson County Election Commission, is calling two meetings of the Jefferson County Board of Election Commissioners.
Tuesday, the election commissioners will hold an election day meeting beginning at 7 a.m. The commission will remain in session until unofficial election results are announced at the election center, 123 Main St., at approximately 10 p.m.
Wednesday, the election commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 6 p.m. at the election center. The agenda includes public comments on the new business agenda items (two minutes per speaker).
New business includes to adjudicate any provisional and absentee ballots, approve manual audit of unofficial election results, and any other business that comes before the commission, according to a news release. Parking is limited at the election center, so participants are asked to park on Second Avenue to allow workers access to the building and parking.
“The county is having difficulty with the lighting in the meeting room and the men’s rest room and have not been able accomplish repairs. Please be aware and use caution in the building,” according to the release.
Registration open for MASH Camps
Arkansas high school students can get hands-on health care experiences such as suturing workshops, field trips, CPR training and heart dissection at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences MASH camps across the state this summer.
Application deadlines vary by camp, ranging from March 18 to May 8. A complete list of camps, their dates and application deadlines are available here.
Medical Applications of Science for Health (MASH) camps are a free, two-week program for high school juniors and seniors where they can explore team-building exercises, visit health care settings, learn at various workshops, and shadow health care professionals. Mini-MASH camps are another option that last one week, according to a news release.
Camps have been scheduled throughout June and July for Pine Bluff, Arkadelphia, Berryville, Blytheville, Clinton, Conway, Crossett, DeWitt, Dumas, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Harrison, Jonesboro, Lake Village, Malvern, Mena, Rogers, Texarkana, and West Memphis. Additional camps are planned for Cabot, Forrest City, Helena-West Helena, Hot Springs, Paragould and Warren, but dates are not yet confirmed.
Applicants must be entering the 11th or 12th grade and must have completed a biology class.
They will be selected based on recommendation letters; academic, athletic or other achievements and awards; extracurricular activities; leadership and service in school and the community; and a personal essay describing the student’s desire to attend the camp and pursue a career in health care.
A second summer option is Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service (CHAMPS) camps that generally last three to five days and are geared toward students entering ninth or 10th grade.
The MASH concept was launched in 1988 at UAMS South Central Regional Campus in Pine Bluff. The program is made possible by a partnership with Arkansas Farm Bureau.
In 2023, the organization pledged a five-year, $500,000 gift to create the Farm Bureau Fund for Excellence, which supports health career recruitment programs for Arkansas students.
More than 400 students attended 23 MASH and CHAMPS camps last summer.