Schools receive EAST funds
The EAST Initiative announced the 11 schools statewide that will receive startup funding through a grant from the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education/Arkansas Department of Education for new EAST programs in the 2024-2025 school year.
Recipients include two area schools:
Friendship Aspire Academies — Southeast Pine Bluff.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Poyen High School.
Funding will cover technology needed to install a full EAST classroom environment, and professional development that is required in the EAST curriculum, according to a news release.
Through EAST, students are encouraged to think critically and innovate to create positive change in their communities with the technology EAST provides for their classrooms. Details: www.eastinitiative.org.
ARDOT to work on highway near Star City
A temporary closure of Arkansas 293 is scheduled from 6 a.m. today through 6 p.m. Friday near Star City. Weather permitting, crews will replace a pipe culvert in the Avery community on Guy Road, according to a news release from Arkansas Department of Transportation.
Detours will be set up using the following locations: Arkansas 11; Arkansas 114; Arkansas 83; and Arkansas 54.
Arkansas 293 will be open to local traffic only during the closure. Traffic will be controlled with the use of barrels, message boards, and signage. Drivers are urged to use caution while traveling in the area. Details: iDriveArkansas.com or ARDOT.gov.
Boys & Girls Club banquet set
The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County will present its Heroes Banquet at 6 p.m. July 11 at First Methodist Church, 200 W. Sixth Ave. The theme is “Embrace Heroes: Ignite Gratitude, Inspire Unity,” according to a flier.
The keynote speaker will be Fitz Hill Sr., chief executive officer of Arkansas Baptist College Foundation and Scott Ford Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, according to LinkedIn.
Tickets are $50 per person or $500 per table. The attire is business casual. The club uses this fund-raising event to also honor the heroes in the community who have made a difference in five distinct areas: philanthropy, education, volunteerism, club hero, and public servant, according to a previous news release. Details: info@boysgirlsclubjc.org or (870) 850-7500.
JRMC to hold blood drive
Jefferson Regional Medical Center will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 20 in south classrooms 2-3.
Donors will receive a Team Donor T-shirt and one ticket to Magic Springs while supplies last, according to a flier. To make an appointment or for details, visit obi.org or call (877) 340-8777.
ACO plans catfish dinner fundraiser
Pine Bluff Arkansas Community Organizations will hold a catfish dinner fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 22 at the National Trusted Partners for Christ, 2101 E. Sixth Ave.
Catfish filet dinners will be $15 per plate. Sides include potato salad or cole slaw and baked beans. Sodas are available for $1 each. Cake can be purchased for $1.50 per slice.
Orders must be picked up. No delivery service will be available. Call your orders in to Rosetta Madison at (870) 360-1934.
Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit the Pine Bluff Branch NAACP ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technology and Scientific Olympics) contestants’ trip to the National ACT-SO Academic Olympics July 10-15 in Las Vegas, according to StuffintheBluff.com.
Sunstar buys First Arkansas Insurance
Sunstar Insurance Group LLC announced the acquistion of First Arkansas Insurance in Pine Bluff.
First Arkansas will continue to operate with the same leadership team and employees, as a division of Sunstar.
The acquistion elevates Sunstar’s statewide presence to include 14 independent insurance locations and more than 120 employees generating almost $19 million in combined revenue, according to a news release.
“We are thrilled with our newest partner in Arkansas,” said Andrew “A.B.” Meadors, chief executive officer of Sunstar in Arkansas. “This takes us to a whole new level.”
“Mike Carter, David Beck, Nick Cox and Nick Dodd have done a great job growing the agency that the legendary Jay Bradford started. I know Jay Bradford and Raymond Haynie — and I knew the great Don Spharler well — there is a longtime connection here,” Meadors said.
Mike Carter is president and CEO of First Arkansas.
“Merging with Sunstar will bring additional resources and we look forward to adding our strengths to theirs to better serve our clients throughout the state of Arkansas,” said Carter.
Sunstar Insurance Group, based in Memphis, was founded in 2012 by Chairman and CEO David “Casey” Bowlin and has grown to become the 32nd largest property and casualty insurance agency in the U.S. as ranked by the industry trade magazine, Insurance Journal.
“No independent agency broker has ever tried this many new partners and locations around the state before. We are all better together than we are separate, and this will translate into better offerings for our clients,” said Meadors. “We are bullish on Arkansas and its people. We feel great about the future.”
Details: http://www.sunstarinsurancegroup.com.