AgHeritage names loan assistant
AgHeritage Farm Credit Services is welcoming Candice Rollins as a loan assistant in the company’s Stuttgart branch office.
Before joining AgHeritage, Rollins worked as a front office coordinator for Express Employment Professionals in Stuttgart.
“We are excited to have Candice join us at AgHeritage Stuttgart,” said Kyle Stovesand, vice presient of lending and branch manager. “Her organizational skills alongside her ability to foster relationships will make her an asset to our team.”
The AgHeritage Stuttgart branch office serves Arkansas County, northeastern Jefferson County and southern Prairie County, according to a news release. Details: agheritagefcs.com.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
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. Here’s next week’s menu:
March 9 — Chicken strips, cauliflower and cheese sauce, peas and carrots, cookie, and milk.
March 10 — Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, green beans, wheat bread, fresh fruit, and milk.
March 11 — Smothered pork chops, black-eyed peas, greens, cornbread, cake, and milk.
March 12 — Chicken Parmigiana with sauce, spinach, corn, garlic bread, spiced peaches, and milk.
March 13 — Lean hamburger patty on bun, Mexican corn, lettuce, tomato, onion, baked beans, fruit and milk.
Volunteers needed at WMAs
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is opening up opportunities throughout the state to pitch in and help care for the woods, water and wildlife responsible for the state’s nickname, The Natural State. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for specific projects on the following wildlife management areas (WMAs) March 14:
Big Lake WMA
Dave Donaldson Black River WMA
George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA
Holland Bottoms WMA
McIlroy Madison County WMA
Rick Evans Grandview Prairie WMA
W.E. Brewer Scatter Creek WMA
Wedington WMA
The AGFC reinstituted work days on a few WMAs in 2024, and the program has slowly expanded since, according to a news release.
“We’ve structured the workdays to be deliberate and organized to ensure the work being done is productive and meets best management practices for wildlife habitat,” David Luker, assistant chief of the AGFC’s wildlife management division, said. “We absolutely want people to take pride in the area where they hunt and fish.”
Mary Beth Hatch, chief of the AGFC’s Education Division, says the opportunities are ideal for high school students looking to meet volunteer requirements for community service under the LEARNS Act, and do it for a resource they love and enjoy.
All ages are encouraged to sign up for the nearest work day.
Makers Market seeks young artisans
Arkansas youths with a talent for creating will have a venue to sell their wares at a Young Makers Market planned for May 9. The market will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock.
Online applications are open to youth ages 5-18 who wish to have a booth to sell their creative work. The deadline is March 2, but applications received later will be considered if space is available. Applications are available here.
“It will be an opportunity for youth to showcase their talents and practice their business skills while also earning money,” said organizer Creenna Bocksnick, who works with Arkansas 4-H, the statewide youth development program run by the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, according to a news release.
Participants do not have to be 4-H members to participate. There’s a $35 vendor fee, but artisans will keep all profits from their sales. The same goes for youth who run food trucks. While parents may be on site, the youth are required to prepare and sell food without parental help.
Bocksnick said the market will showcase a variety of high-quality goods. She’s received applications from youth who create welded fabrication arts, goat milk soap, candy and cookies, sugar scrubs, crocheted items, 3D-printed art, fantasy masks and more.
Bocksnick is participating in LeadAR, a statewide leadership program run by the Division of Agriculture. When developing the Young Makers Market project as part of the program, she drew inspiration from her work with 4-H members.
“One of our 4-H initiatives is ‘Beyond Ready,’ which emphasizes workplace readiness and helping youth develop the skills, resilience and confidence they need,” she said. “I wanted to create a place where young artisans have a venue to sell their crafts while practicing their entrepreneurial skills.”
Details: Creenna Bocksnick at cbocksnick@uada.edu.