Scholarship honors student’s legacy
The first 2024 Julian Andre Tolbert Scholarship has been awarded to Antonio Madison, who will be attending the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The scholarship was created in memory of Julian Tolbert, a Pine Bluff High School student who passed away in 2023.
“The Tolbert family felt the need to keep Julian’s memory alive by giving back to Pine Bluff High in the form of a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving graduating senior,” according to a news release. “The family is pleased with the student selected and wishes Antonio Madison the best as he begins his college career.”
Nature center to host catfish lesson
Delta Rivers Nature Center in Regional Park will host “How to Catch More Catfish” with Keith “Catfish” Sutton June 1 from 1-3 p.m.
“Join whiskerfish expert Keith ‘Catfish’ Sutton for a free seminar on how to make your own bait, how to find the best fishing spots and tactics that will help you zero in on channel cats, blues and flatheads year round,” according to a flier.
Registration is required. For details, visit https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/212756.
Family agency to meet
The monthly meeting of the Family Community Development Corp. will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the agency, 1001 N. Palm St. A Neighborhood Watch presentation will be shared with the community, according to a news release.
Ivy college tour group to meet
The Ivy Center for 2024 Education College Tour and Cultural Experience Group will meet from 6-7 p.m. May 28 at the Generator, 435 S. Main St. All participants, parents and chaperons are encouraged to attend. For more information send an email to Mattie Collins, Ivy Center president, at mattie1908@gmail.com or kencol1@msn.com.
Cicadas beginning to emerge
Maybe you haven’t seen them, with their dark green hard-shell bodies and large red eyes, but you may be hearing the trademark buzzsaw sound of the cicada.
The insects have made headlines for months because of the emergence of two broods — an occurrence two centuries in the making — is expected to bring astronomical numbers of these insects above ground. The group of cicadas known as Brood XIX emerge every 13 years. This is also the year for Brood XIII, to emerge after 17 years underground, according to a news release.
“Over the next few months, people in the South will witness the emergence of the largest brood of periodical cicadas in the country, spanning parts of 16 states,” said Jon Zawislak, extension urban entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“The insect army poised to invade are still nymphs, in the very last stage of their development,” he said. “After feeding on fluids from tree roots for 13 years, slowly growing and molting underground, they will make their debut by crawling up and out of the soil when it warms to about 64 degrees Fahrenheit and is softened by rains.”
The two broods are only likely to overlap geographically in southern Illinois. The last time this occurred was 221 years ago, coinciding with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, according to the release.
Some of the insects are making their presence known. According to iNaturalist.org, app users have reported cicadas north of the Ozarks, in the Ouachita Mountains, around and east of Jonesboro and scattered in southern Arkansas around Crossett, Warren and Camden.
The adult cicadas pose no threat to people, pets or livestock. They don’t sting and don’t bite.
“Mature adults don’t feed and don’t even have functional mouthparts with which to bite,” Zawislak said. “Having spent the last 13 years doing little more than eat, they emerge with the single-minded goal of making more cicadas.”
The buzzing is the male’s way of attracting a female. After mating, the female cicada saws a shallow crevice into a tree branch, where she deposits up to 20 eggs. She will repeat this process, producing up to 600 eggs over three to four weeks.
After about six weeks, the eggs hatch and the nymphs drop to the ground and land unhurt because of their small size.
“They quickly burrow into the soil and will tap into plant and tree roots to feed on the xylem almost right away,” Zawislak said. “They will continue to feed like this, sometimes moving to new food sources as they slowly mature. These nymphs will grow and molt four times over the next 13 years, when it’s time for the next generation to emerge.”
For more details, visit https://files.constantcontact.com/36605e79801/b6741b54-a2e3-4ee8-b3f1-1c92e6dbbddf.pdf?rdr=true. Learn more about insects in general by signing up for the pest management newsletter at https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/pest-management/
WBU names local graduates
Williams Baptist University of Walnut Ridge awarded degrees to 140 graduates during its 2024 commencement exercises May 4, according to a news release.
Graduates include:
JEFFERSON
Bachelor of Science in Biology — Pine Bluff: Makyla Cooper.
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration — White Hall: Morgan Lunsford (magna cum laude).
BRADLEY COUNTY
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts — Warren: Anne Yepes.
Bachelor of Science in Middle Level Education — Warren: Ethan Stanley (Coe Scholar and cum laude).
Honor graduates were recognized as cum laude (3.5-3.69 cumulative grade point average), magna cum laude (3.7-3.84 GPA) or summa cum laude (3.85-4.0 GPA.) Also, Coe Scholars were students who have participated in an enhanced academic experience at Williams.