City to open warming center
The city of Pine Bluff will have a warming center set up at the Pine Bluff Civic Center at the Detective Kevin D. Collins Center. The warming area will be open from 5 p.m. Sunday through 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release.
The warming center will be located in the GVI (Group Violence Intervention) Area. The entrance will be at the old children’s library door with the blue canopy on the east of the building facing the hotel.
“We will need volunteers to man the center during these hours. Please email or call the mayor’s office to sign up,” a spokesman said. “Thank you joining us as we provide this much needed service.”
Details. (870) 730-2000 or mayor@cityofpinebluff-ar.gov.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
MLK holiday closings set
Several agencies will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These include:
Pine Bluff City Hall and related offices.
Jefferson County Courthouse and related offices.
State Capitol offices and state buildings will be closed, however the Capitol building will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday.
NAACP sets MLK event in Star City
The Carnell Russ Branch of the NAACP will host the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration from 9-11 a.m. Monday at the Star City Civic Center. Breakfast will be served from 9-9:45 a.m. NAACP is inviting all sponsors, pastors, youth leaders, and youth to attend the celebration. Admission to the breakfast is $8 for adults and $5 for children under 12 years old. The year 2024 is the year to inspire youth to continue King’s dream, according to a news release.
Emergency group to meet
A meeting of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 24 in the training room at the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management at the courthouse, according to a news release. Details: (870) 541-5470.
Lake Chicot drawdown meeting set
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Lake Village Fire Station, 2017 Highway 65, to discuss a Lake Chicot drawdown.
The last scheduled drawdown at Lake Chicot was coordinated by the AGFC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2019. The lake’s fishery management plan recommends controlled drawdowns once every five years to improve the fishery and offer lakeside landowners a chance to repair boathouses and docks on the lake, according to a news release.
Drawdowns improve the fishery by concentrating predator species like bass and crappie with baitfish, giving them more opportunities to feed while temporarily thinning out abundant baitfish levels to increase their growth rate in fertile lakes. They also help recycle nutrients and reduce silt deposits by allowing shallow flats to dry out and existing grass seeds to sprout and provide future nursery cover for baitfish and young-of-the-year gamefish, according to the release. Details: Kris Nault, AGFC fisheries supervisor, (501) 351-8947.
Divine 9 slates candidate forums
The Divine 9 (Greek-letter organizations), local agencies and community partners will host candidate forums Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Court of Appeals Judge Waymond Brown will the moderator, according to a news release.
6 P.M. FORUM: Candidates from the following races on the March 5 primary are invited to participate in this forum: State Representative District 65; State District Court Judge, Division 2; Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Districts 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13; Pine Bluff City Council Wards 1, 2, 3, 4.
7 P.M. FORUM: Candidates from the following races on the March 5 primary are invited to participate in this forum: Pine Bluff Mayor, City Clerk and Treasurer.
FORUM DETAILS: The moderator, Brown, who is seeking re-election, was elected to the Arkansas Court of Appeals in 2008. A life-long resident of Pine Bluff, Brown received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, according to the news release.
The Divine 9 and Community Partners are comprised of the following organizations: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Association of University Women (NAUW), Pine Bluff Chapter – The Links Inc., BRAVE (Pine Bluff’s Black Firefighters Association), and Arkansas Public Policy Panel.
Details: Commeka Goodloe, (870) 267-3476, or James Word, (870) 329-4738.