UAPB sets Communications Week
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Multimedia Communication will present Multimedia Communications Week April 6-10.
I.C. Murrell, who was recently named as editor of The Pine Bluff Commercial, will be the keynote speaker on April 8 at 11 a.m. This event will take place in the STEM Building Conference Room, 1500 L.A. “Prexy” Davis Drive.
A Dollarway High School graduate, Murrell earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and communication at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. His experience in journalism includes sports editor for the Delta Democrat-Times in Greenville, Miss., the East Oregonian in Pendleton, Ore., the Ardmoreite in Ardmore, Okla., and the Port Arthur News in Port Arthur, Texas.
Murrell was hired as a staff sports reporter at The Commercial in 2011 and was later promoted to sports editor. He returned to The Commercial in 2021 after five years at the Port Arthur News.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS WEEK
This year’s theme is “Multimedia: Multiple Pathways.” This event serves as a showcase for the UAPB Department of Multimedia Communication, which prepares students for careers in television, newspapers, and digital media. UAPB graduates who work in multimedia return to the campus to share their experiences and expertise. Students are provided with opportunities to connect with the alums and other professionals in journalism, public relations, and video production.
APRIL 6
Featured presenters will include UAPB graduates Kianna Wilson, Jamie Hooks and Shahid Evans.
Wilson, a content creator for YouTube and TikTok, will speak at 10 a.m. at UAPB TV on the UAPB campus. She has experience in social media marketing and management and is well versed in creating multimedia content. A 2019 alumna of UAPB’s Department of Multimedia Communication, she earned a master’s degree in strategic communications/social media management at Arkansas State University and recently completed a collection of poetry titled “Butterflies and Ashes.”
Hooks, a news photographer for THV11 (KTHV) in Little Rock, will speak at 2 p.m. at UAPB TV. She earned both a bachelor’s degree in mass communications in 2020, and a master’s degree in sports programming in 2022 from UAPB. She has also worked as a media production specialist for UAPB Athletics.
Evans, an on-air reporter and multimedia journalist at KNOE News 8 in Monroe, La., will speak at 3 p.m. at UAPB TV. He is a 2025 alumnus of UAPB’s Department of Multimedia Communication.
APRIL 7
Presenters will include UAPB graduates Ebony Harding Kendrick and Tyre White. Both will speak beginning at 2 p.m. at UAPB TV.
A 2019 UAPB graduate, Kendrick is managing editor for news at THV11 in Little Rock. She oversees the day-to-day newsroom operations including making editorial decisions, long-form planning, and special project execution.
She also spearheads content management, newsroom calendar workflows, and coordinates cross-departmental special coverage efforts and high-impact community initiatives. Prior to joining THV11, she was a social media producer for Reuters News Service.
White is a multimedia journalist for KATV Channel 7 News in Little Rock. Prior to joining KATV, he worked as a multimedia journalist for KTRE Channel 9 in Lufkin, Texas. A 2023 UAPB graduate, he received the Texas Association of Broadcasters Award for Best Deadline Editing/General News in a medium market.
APRIL 8
Byron Tate, a veteran journalist who serves as the managing editor of the Arkansas Times, will speak on at 10 a.m. at UAPB TV.
Before joining the Arkansas Times, Tate was editor and publisher of the Pine Bluff Commercial and has held positions at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith and the Vallejo Times Herald in Vallejo, Calif. He also is owner of the Sheridan Headlight. A former instructor of mass communications at UAPB, he also has worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
For more information about Multimedia Communications Week, contact Ann Y. White-Taylor, Ph.D, chair of the UAPB Department of Multimedia Communication, at (870) 575-8206 or whitea@uapb.edu.
Area Agency announces 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:
April 6: Smothered pork chop, mashed potatoes, squash medley, pudding, and milk.
April 7: Pinto beans with ham, sliced tomatoes and onions, cooked cabbage, cornbread, angel cake, and milk.
April 8: Meatloaf, okra and tomatoes, sliced potatoes, peaches, and milk.
April 9: Breaded chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, beets, tropical fruit, and milk.
April 10: Pepper steak over rice, green beans, roasted carrots, autumn delight, and milk.
Paper shredding event set
The Spring Paper Shredding Event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Saracen Landing. The event is hosted by the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Clean & Beautiful Commission. There’s a limit of 10 boxes per person or organization. All items must be sorted in advance. Details: (870) 543-4901.
WH offices close for Good Friday
White Hall City Offices will be closed in observance of Good Friday on April 3. “This day allows us time to reflect and spend meaningful moments with family and loved ones,” according to a spokesman.
WH library sets egg hunt
The White Hall Library will host a small egg hunt for children ages 2-12 at noon April 4, according to a flyer.
WH Chamber luncheon set
White Hall Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly luncheon at noon April 7. The featured speaker will be a spokesman from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Lunch will be catered by Southern Edge, according to a flyer.
White Hall plans art showcase
The White Hall School District art department is excited to show off its students’ “amazing artwork” in the 2026 WHSD Art Showcase, “Unmasking Creativity,” according to the district spokesman. The showcase will be at the White Hall Community Center, with the opening reception on April 14 from 5-7 p.m. The showcase can also be viewed on April 15 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and April 16 from 8 a.m.-noon. Select works of art created by White Hall students will be featured at the event. The public is invited to attend.