Local earns degree at Alabama
Austin Miller of Pine Bluff earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and information sciences from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The university awarded more than 6,000 degrees during its spring commencement ceremonies, according to a news release.
EASI to give life-saving award
Emergency Ambulance Services Inc. (EASI) will present the first St. Michael Award at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the EASI headquarters, 514 W. Fifth Ave.
EASI announced the creation of the St. Michael Award, a new honor established to recognize employees and community members whose courage, quick thinking, and compassion played a critical role in saving a life, according to a news release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
An official from Redfield will attend to recognize the EASI crew who recently saved her life during a life-threatening medical emergency, according to the release.
This event will not only honor the heroic efforts of EASI’s team but will also give attendees the opportunity to hear the official share her story firsthand.
“We invite the community to join us for this meaningful occasion as we celebrate bravery, professionalism, and the value of every life,” according to the release.
Locals graduate at ASMSA
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts held its 31st annual Commencement for the Class of 2025 at the Oaklawn Event Center in Hot Springs on May 17. The ceremony honored 95 graduates from 36 counties, according to a news release.
Southeast Arkansas graduates include:
Pine Bluff — Justin Nicholson
White Hall — Nathan Alam and Rosie Garner
Stuttgart — Maddox Jessup
Monticello — Zeke Babst
Sheridan — Riley Raymick.
Details: facebook.com/ARMathSciArts and @ARMathSciArts.
Sustainable pest control topic
The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food is offering a course in sustainable pest control for fruit and vegetable growers June 17-18. The course will be held at the CAFF Farm in Fayetteville. The sessions run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.
The $30 registration includes lunch, according to a news release. Participants can register https://uada.formstack.com/forms/farmer_classes_small_farm.
“The integrated pest management short course will help farmers understand how to manage many common insects found in fruits and vegetables in Northwest Arkansas using organic practices,” Joe Hannon, CAFF horticulture instructor.
The session will be led by CAFF instructors, county extension agents, and local farmers who will share their expertise and best practices.
The agenda includes pest identification, scouting, and trapping, building a pest management plan and sprayer calibration for a bed or a field. Details: https://farmandfoodsystem.uada.edu/short-courses/.
Rules bar certain dicamba uses
A decision last year by a U.S. District Court vacating 2020 registrations means no pesticides containing dicamba have valid state or federal registrations for burndown or over-the-top use in dicamba-resistant soybean and cotton crops in Arkansas.
The 2024 ruling by the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacated registrations for XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium. These herbicides were to be used in concert with proprietary cotton and soybean varieties developed to be resistant to dicamba and affect only the weeds, according to a news release from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“At this time, no pesticides containing dicamba have a valid federal or state registration for over-the-top application on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton,” the department said in a news release. “As a result, farmers cannot legally apply (over-the-top) dicamba on soybeans and cotton in 2025.”
Failure to comply with federal and/or state laws and rules may be subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, as well as possible suspension or revocation of their applicator license.
There are still registered uses in corn, grain sorghum, pasture and turf. Find applicable rules online at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.
The Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, has research-based weed management guidance in its MP44, “Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Controls.”
Following the federal court decision, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an “Existing Stocks Order for Dicamba Products Previously Registered for Over-the-Top Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Cotton and Soybean.” Sale or distribution of these products is unlawful except as provided under this order.