Emergency group to meet
A meeting of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the training room at the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management at the courthouse, according to a news release. The agenda includes the county emergency response plan, review an update of the LEPC Emergency Response Plan, discuss hazard mitigation plan update, overview of the integrated preparedness plan workshop and identify planning team members, and discuss the 2024 Eclipse. Details: (870) 541-5470.
Copper Theft Task Force to meet
The city of Pine Bluff has rescheduled the Copper Theft Task Force meeting for 1 p.m. Friday in the Kevin Collins Center at the civic center, 200 E. Eighth Ave. The meeting will be held in partnership with AT&T to discuss the current status of copper thefts, plans for corrective action, and the next steps for the city, according to a news release. This committee was developed during the initial meeting to collaborate on the concerns of the citizens and determine possible solutions.
UA trustees to meet
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The board of trustees of the University of Arkansas will meet in person and via videoconference Wednesday and Thursday at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The meetings will be held in the Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr. Assembly Hall in the Donaghey Student Center. The Wednesday meetings will begin with an executive session at 12:30 p.m. with the videoconference of the regular session expected to begin streaming at 2 p.m. or right after the executive session. Thursday’s meetings start at 8:45 a.m. Details: https://uasys.edu/leadership/board-of-trustees/meetings/.
UAPB plans Rural Life Conference
The 65th annual Rural Life Conference will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 15 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences is sponsoring the conference. The event will feature more than 20 workshops and more than 70 exhibits, posters, and vendor booths. A poster session highlights research projects and exhibits by governmental and community agencies. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, according to a news release.
Some of the workshops will also be available via Zoom. The conference registration is free to producers, students, veterans, homemakers and retirees and for details, contact Cassandra Byrd, (870) 575-8123, or byrdc@uapb.edu. For professionals and agency personnel, registration rates are available by contacting Karen Lee at (870) 575-7225 or leek@uapb.edu.
Also, a pre-conference film screening will be held at 4:45 p.m. March 14 at the S.J. Parker 1890 Extension Complex at UAPB. The film, Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land documents the causes, effects and solutions to the dwindling ownership of farmland by black, according to the release.