LIHEAP funding available
The Winter 2024 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding is available to help households with their home energy costs.
The Central Delta Community Action Agency began accepting applications Jan. 8. The Jefferson County office is located at 511 Commerce Road, Suite 3, in Pine Bluff.
No short forms were mailed out this season, and all applicants will be required to complete a long form and submit all required documents, according to a news release.
These documents include copies of driver’s licenses and Social Security cards for all household members over the age of 18, proof of income for all household members over the age of 18, and copies of all utility bills.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Additional documents may be required. If an application is submitted, but is incomplete, the applicant will have a 10-day pending period to return all missing documents.
The program will be open for regular applications through March 22. Crisis applications will continue to be accepted beyond that until the program closes for the season.
To apply, people may visit a Central Delta Community Action Agency office in Arkansas, Cleveland, Grant, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties or apply by email to liheap@cdcaa.org. Details: (870) 536-0046.
Chamber plans Lunch & Learn
The Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a Lunch & Learn event at noon Jan. 16 at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Services Center, 211 W. Third Ave.
The event will feature officials with Graphyte, which is starting its first project in Pine Bluff, according to the Chamber newsletter.
Graphyte is developing a new technology called Carbon Casting, which claims to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“This solution utilizes residues produced from agriculture and timber operations such as rice hulls, straw, sawdust, and bark. They turn these byproducts into ‘carbon blocks,’ which are then stored underground. Graphyte’s solution will quickly scale to address the urgency of climate change,” according to the newsletter.
Barclay Rogers, founder and chief executive officer of Graphyte, said his company is setting up an industrial site at Jefferson Industrial Park and a storage site expected to be acquired west of the city. Operations are expected to begin in January, with plans to expand in other locations, according to a Nov. 14 article in The Commercial.
To RSVP to the lunch, email vera@jeffersoncountyalliance or call (870) 535-0110.
VA sets date for virtual claims clinic
The Little Rock VA Regional Office will hold a virtual claims clinic for Arkansas Veterans from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 25. To reserve a timeslot, veterans should call (501) 370-3829 before 4 p.m. Jan. 24, according to a news release.
Veterans may speak one-on-one to staff of the Little Rock VA Regional Office regarding their claims for VA benefits. VA disability compensation offers a monthly tax-free payment to veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military and to veterans whose service made an existing condition worse, according to the release.
The staff will be available to answer questions about existing VA benefits claims and how to file a new one.
The main office of the Little Rock VA Regional Office is located at 2200 Fort Roots Drive in North Little Rock and open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Veteran Assist Phone Line, (501) 370-3829, is staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ATU names locals to Dean’s List
Arkansas Tech University at Russellville announced its Dean’s List for undergraduate students for the fall 2023 semester, including local students. A student must achieve a 3.5 grade point average or higher and complete at least 12 hours of college-level coursework to be named to the Dean’s List, according to a news release.
Southeast Arkansas honorees include:
PINE BLUFF — Gregory Lamar Bishop Jr., Wyatt Shawn Lester, Shelby Alese Robinson;
WHITE HALL — Tyler Dale Greer, Dominique Xavier Mosby, Esther Margarette Peter (4.0), Gregory T. Ray (4.0), Kaliyah Kyrae Redix (4.0), Matthew Alan Swank, Olivia Grace Via, Aaron Caleb Warriner (4.0), Gregory Lee Wolf;
DeWITT — Jordan Samuel Brown (4.0), Zontray Jerome Kendall (4.0), Taylor MacKenzie West;
HERMITAGE — Genesis Victoria Garay;
LAKE VILLAGE — Brayan Aguilar, Amy Kathryn Look, Latham Allen Scates;
LEOLA — Olivia McCartney Sherbert;
McGEHEE — Lloyd David Baker;
MONTICELLO — Lucas Anthony Babst (4.0), Sofia Kay Fair, Anna-Marie Pesaresi (4.0), Quinn Joseph Reynolds (4.0);
PRATTSVILLE — John Grayson Allen (4.0), Daniel James Nelson;
REDFIELD — Tyler Blake Aaron (4.0), Aaron Huckeba, Morgan Scott Lampirez, Jacob Lee Smith (4.0), Kaitlyn Ann Tucker (4.0), Hanna Grace Welden (4.0);
RISON — William Ralston Jacks, Allison Elizabeth King (4.0), Kaitlyn Faith Norton (4.0), Austin Trance Palazzi;
SHERIDAN — Juliet Espinosa (4.0), Trenton L. Hollinger (4.0), Kalie Ann Howard, Brandon Charles Hurt (4.0), Victoria Grace Kroeker (4.0), Mckenzie Lee Lem, Alexander Raven Parks, Natalie Elisabeth Peterson, Andrew Joshua Pinkerton (4.0), Brenna L. Stroud, Anna Grace Turner, Jesse Austin Wells (4.0), Jaden Taylor Willis (4.0), Joanna Rose Wise (4.0);
STUTTGART — Raegan Octavia Avery;
WARREN — Braden Cole Jones (4.0), Emma Leah Mann (4.0), Oscar Edgardo Perez.