Memorial Day closings set
Several agencies will be closed in observance of Memorial Day, Monday. They include:
Pine Bluff City Hall and related offices are closed today and Monday.
Jefferson County Courthouse and related offices are closed today and Monday.
Liberty Utilities will be closed Monday.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Waste Management will be closed and garbage pickup will run one day behind schedule.
100 Families Initiative sets seminars
The 100 Families Initiative in Jefferson County, a community effort to help families in crisis, will host two meetings.
May 29 — Hope Hub Training will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the training room at Southeast Arkansas College, 1900 S. Hazel St. HopeHub is a case management software platform that connects agencies so they can capitalize on best practices used by thousands of others solving social issues. To sign up as a provider, interested participants should visit hopehub.io by 5 p.m. May 28, according to a news release.
June 3 — At 11:30 a.m. the Collective Impact Meeting will be held at the Generator, 435 S. Main St. Presenters will be Pine Bluff Police Chief Denise Richardson and Restore Hope Arkansas Executive Director Paul Chapman.
“It’s an exciting time to learn more about 100 Families and get your organization involved in being a resource for those who need it in our community,” a spokesman said.
Details: LaTisha Brunson, 100 Families coordinator, (879) 543-5903.
Rotary Club to host Hooten’s football
The Rotary Club of West Pine Bluff will host Hooten’s Arkansas Football as guests for their lunch program at 11:30 a.m. July 18 at the Pine Bluff Country Club, 1100 W. 46th Ave.
The program will be presented by Barry Grooms of Hooten’s Arkansas Football.
“We are extending this invitation to representatives from all football programs in southeast Arkansas, so you will not only have the opportunity to hear comments from Arkansas’ premier football authority, you can also visit with coaches and key players from football programs in southeast Arkansas — all in the same room at the same time. And eat well,” according to a news release.
Details: Roy Ferrell at roywferrell@gmail.com.
Nevada Ag director to kick off conference
Every state has an agriculture department, and understanding those departments’ roles as a resource for farmers on regulatory and other issues is something Cort Jensen wants to make very clear.
Jensen, chief attorney for the Montana Department of Agriculture, will be one of the opening session speakers for the second annual Western Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference June 13-14 at the University of Nevada, Reno.
The conference focuses on legal issues impacting the ag industry in Western states, and is designed for attorneys, students and other ag professionals. A livestream option is also available.
Jensen’s session is called “State Ag Departments & the Regulation of Agriculture and the Environment.” His goal is for attendees to come away with solid advice and understanding on how to interact with state departments of agriculture, according to a news release.
“It’s important that attendees understand how to go about these interactions,” he said. “Whether the interaction be a routine ‘right to know’ request, a livestock issue, or something else novel on the cutting edge of agriculture.”
J.J. Goicoechea, DVM, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture, will welcome attendees and moderate the opening session. Joining Jensen are Haig Baghdassarian, deputy secretary and chief counsel for the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Deanie Reh, assistant attorney general for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Goicoechea said the Western Conference is a great resource to those in the Western ag industry.
The Western Conference features 12 hours of continuing legal education credits, including two hours of ethics. It has been approved for CLE in Nevada, Idaho and Utah, and will be submitted for approval in Oregon, California and Arizona. The conference has also been approved for continuing education by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. The NALC will coordinate with attendees to self-report in other states.
Details on the conference registration and agenda are available at https://nationalaglawcenter.org/western2024/.