City council to meet
The Pine Bluff City Council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Detective Kevin Collins Center in the Council Chambers.
Pilgrim pantry to open Jan. 10
Raven’s Nest Food Pantry at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 2507 Hill St., will be open Jan. 10 from 8-9:30 a.m. or until all the food has been given away. Food will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must bring a picture identification. The pantry is a U.S. Department of Agriculture distribution site and an equal opportunity provider, according to a news release.
St. John to give away food
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
St. John AME Church, 1117 W. Pullen St., will provide food boxes to those in need Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. until all food has been distributed.
State ID’s are required to receive one box per family. Pickup will be in front of the church on Cherry Street. For safety reasons, recipients are asked to stay in their vehicles and open their trunks, according to a news release.
The event is sponsored by St. John’s Soul Food for the Mind, Body, and Spirit Feeding Ministry along with community partners, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
To help support this ministry, donors can mail financial contributions to St. John AME Church-Feeding Ministry, 1117 W. Pullen St., Pine Bluff, Ark., 71601, or give electronically through Givelify St John AME Pine Bluff. You may contact Pearl Matlock at pearl1948@sbcglobal.net to volunteer.
St. John also welcomes you to join them during their regular Sunday Worship Service at 9:45 a.m. and to Church School immediately following worship service. The Rev. Charlene N. Boone is the pastor.
Alphas plan scholarship gala
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will present its 2026 Valentine’s Scholarship Fundraiser Feb. 13 at 7:06 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Community jewels to be honored during the gala include Carlton Saffa, Lula Dickson and Quranner Cotledge, according to Stuff in The Bluff.
The gala is being presented by the Delta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in conjunction with the Southeast Arkansas Jewel Foundation. The theme is “All Black Affair with a Touch of Gold.”
General admission is $50 per person. Scholarship sponsorship opportunities are also available. Checks or money orders should be mailed by Feb. 6 to Southeast Arkansas Jewel Foundation, Post Office Box 3159, Pine Bluff, AR 71611.
Checks should be made to the foundation, which is a 501(c)3 organization.
Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Details: Arzo Knox at (501) 351-7336 or arzo.knox@hotmail.com.
Cameras to detect handheld devices
The Arkansas Highway Police, a division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, is utilizing new work zone camera technology that can detect handheld device usage while driving.
Currently, the highway police uses cameras in interstate work zones to detect speeding violations. By mid-January, these work zone cameras will detect when drivers are using a handheld device in a work zone, such as a cell phone, according to a news release.
“It is against Arkansas law to use a handheld device in a work zone,” said highway police Chief Jeff Holmes. “Until now, the hands-free law in work zones has been relatively difficult to enforce. This new technology will help us keep road workers and the traveling public safer.”
The cameras used for speed enforcement and detection of the use of a handheld device are solely used to assist officers in enforcing laws in work zones. An officer must be present for a warning or ticket to be issued. This is not a ticket-by-mail system.
The camera detects when a driver is holding a cell phone or handheld device, sends an alert to an officer downstream, and the officer can safely pull over the driver when they exit the work zone.
Signs will alert drivers when they are entering a work zone with camera enforcement. Arkansas law stipulates that data captured from these cameras shall not be retained except when it is used to issue a warning or citation.
“Safety is our top priority at ARDOT. This includes the safety of workers within work zones, travelers passing through work zones, and officers stationed in or near work zones. Everyone deserves to make it home safely,” said Transportation Department Director Jared Wiley. “This technology is yet another tool officers can use to enforce the laws that were enacted with safety in mind.”