Juneteenth closings set
Several agencies will be closed June 19 in observance of Juneteenth.
Pine Bluff City Hall and related offices
Jefferson County Courthouse and related offices
Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Civic panel to meet Monday
The Civic Auditorium Complex Commission will hold an in-person special called meeting regarding staffing at 2 p.m. Monday, according to a news release. Participants may call the Pine Bluff Convention Center, (870) 536-7600, requesting to join the conference call or send an email requesting information to join. Details: receptionist@pinebluff.com.
Grant County 4-H members earn honors
Arkansas 4-H recognized a new crop of young leaders recently, naming 50 new Teen Stars.
Teen Stars include Miley McGinley and Aubrey Ottens of Grant County, according to a news release.
The honors were bestowed June 5 during the Arkansas 4-H Teen Leader Conference that brought more 143 teenagers from across the state to the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center for leadership development this week.
This year’s 50 Teen Stars were selected from hundreds of applicants and represent 20 counties. The recognition paves the way for these young people to move into higher positions of leadership as 4-H Ambassadors, who can run for state officer positions.
Employer forum set in Monticello
Destination Transformation Consultants, a nonprofit organization, will present an employer forum titled “Employers Growing Talent Through Apprenticeship” from 5-7 p.m. July 18 at the Sadie T. Johnson Community Building in Monticello.
This event aims to educate and assist employers in establishing and benefiting from apprenticeship programs, according to a news release.
Participants can learn about financial assistance and other resources available to help their company start an apprenticeship program; hear from industry leaders who have successfully implemented apprenticeship programs; engage in a Q&A session to have all their questions answered and network with other employers; and request individual follow-up for personalized guidance.
Interested participants can register at https:tinyurl.com/SEARKEMPLOYERFORUM. Details: Dorotha Love Hall at (404) 936-6754 or doveh52@yahoo.com.
Area Agency tells menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas is serving lunches from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Next week’s menu includes:
Monday — Hamburger steak with gravy, loaded potato, spinach, white bread, cake with frosting, and milk.
Tuesday — White beans with ham, mixed greens, vinaigrette tomatoes, cornbread, cobbler, and milk.
Wednesday — Spaghetti with meat sauce, Italian green beans, garlic bread, hot apples with cinnamon brown sugar, and milk.
Thursday — Spring chicken salad on lettuce, vegetable collage, crackers, vanilla ice cream, and milk.
Friday –Philly steak with bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, potato salad, triple orange salad, and milk. Details: Strachota Senior Center, (870) 543-6323.
New options highlight alligator hunt
Arkansans hoping for a chance to chase Arkansas’s largest reptile species this fall will have some new hunting lands to apply for during this year’s alligator permit hunt application period. Applications for the 2024 hunting season are available at www.agfc.com from 8 a.m. today through 11:59 p.m. June 30.
Hunters will be able to choose one of 10 hunting areas spread across south Arkansas on their application. Two new hunting areas are available in Alligator Management Zone 3 this year, with one permit available at Yellow Lake in the Pine Bluff Arsenal and six permits available for the newly formed Delta Wetland Complex (Lake Grampus, Lake Wallace, Lake Enterprise, Lake Chicot and Grand Lake).
Two additional hunting areas were added to Alligator Management Zone 2 for the 2024 hunting season, marking this as the first year for public opportunities in AMZ 2. One permit will be available for Lake Columbia and another will be possible to obtain for Bragg Lake.
“Hunters applying for the Yellow Lake permit should also note that Pine Bluff Arsenal has special regulations to access the area,” said Eric Brinkman, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission assistant chief of fisheries. “There are several other bodies of water on the PBA but alligator hunting will only be open on Yellow Lake. Since a firearm (shotgun or shotgun-headed bangstick) is used to dispatch the alligator, permit holders will have to go through the PBA background check which is administered by their personnel. Only permit holders and their designated assistants will be allowed access onto the PBA, and everyone has to go through a checkpoint before entering or leaving the PBA.”
Each permit authorizes the harvest of one alligator, which must be at least 4 feet long. Alligator hunting is allowed 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise during the approved alligator hunting season dates — Sept. 20-23 and Sept. 27-30. Each permit holder may have up to three assistants with them on the hunt, but only the permit holder is allowed to snare, harpoon and dispatch the alligator.
All alligator hunters must go through an online hunt orientation before going to the field. The orientation lays out the most important details and frequently asked questions about the hunt. The orientation and additional information about the hunt are available at www.agfc.com/alligator. Details: www.agfc.com.