Compassionate Friends plan event
The Desha County Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will hold its 29th annual Candle Lighting Remembrance at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Dumas Community Center in Dumas. The community is invited to attend.
The program will honor the memories of all children who have died, but will never be forgotten, according to a news release.
The event will consist of a memorial display, greetings, readings, poems, music selections and a candle lighting ceremony.
“At 7 p.m. participants will light candles in memory of all our children gone too soon … that their light will always shine,” according to the release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
A reception will follow the program. There is no admission fee. However, donations are appreciated.
The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting on the second Sunday in December unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor deceased children. The annual Worldwide Candle Lighting, a gift to the bereavement community from The Compassionate Friends, creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone.
Desha County Compassionate Friends is part of a national nonprofit, self-help support organization that offers friendship, understanding, and hope to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings grieving the death of a child of any age, from any cause.
Those who would like to have a child’s name placed on the memorial roll or picture placed on the memorial display may contact The Compassionate Friends. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by Dec. 6.
To RSVP or for more information, text to or call (870) 866-6985, (870) 377-4299, or (972) 365-1930. Brenda Norman is the co-leader and event planner.
Police, fire agencies get donations
Tractor Supply Co. in Pine Bluff recently made $250 donations to the Pine Bluff Police Department and Pine Bluff Fire & Emergency Services.
Store Leader Amanda Black presented the checks to Interim Pine Bluff Police Chief Shirley Warrior and Interim Pine Bluff Fire Chief Randy Compton.
Black said each Tractor Supply store nationwide received $500 from a total of more than $1 million in corporate funds to “make a difference in local communities” as part of their Hometown Heroes initiative.
“Thank you so much,” Warrior told Black as she received the check in the PBPD’s administrative offices’ foyer at the Pine Bluff Civic Center. “We really appreciate you.”
Compton told Black that the money will be put to good use.
“We really appreciate this,” he said.
The pair met in a brief check presentation ceremony in front of a fire engine outside Station 1 on State Street.
Black said the money can be spent however each department wishes.
“We just wanted you to be able to do something nice for your staff for the holidays, or whatever you want to do with it,” Black told the chiefs. “It means a lot to us what you all do for the community.”
Tractor Supply officials state on their Hometown Heroes website that they are “proud to partner with the country’s leading organizations to honor our heroes.”
“From helping veterans in their beginning years of farming and ranching through the Farmer Veteran Coalition to placing rescue service dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD through paws4vets, it’s an honor to see the meaningful impact this work has on our military and first responder communities,” according to the statement.
State police to begin Click It or Ticket
This Thanksgiving holiday, Arkansas law enforcement is teaming up with the Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office (AHSO) to remind drivers and passengers to buckle up.
The Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign, which runs from Nov. 24-30, focuses on reducing the number of fatalities that occur when vehicle occupants fail to buckle up.
During the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2023, there were 309 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation, and 44% (135) were unrestrained. Not wearing a seat belt proved to be deadly at any time of the day during the holiday, but especially at night, when nearly half of those killed in crashes were unbuckled, according to a news release.
“Buckle your seat belt to stay safe and follow the law,” said Arkansas Public Safety Secretary Col. Mike Hagar. “If our law enforcement officers spot you riding without a seat belt, we will pull you over and issue a ticket. The bottom line is this: That seat belt may mean the difference between life and death. This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, remember: Click It or Ticket.”
In Arkansas, the adult seat belt law requires drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts at all times, and violations are punishable by a fine of up to $45 (which includes a $25 state fine and any applicable local fines). The child passenger protection law requires all children under 15 years of age to be in a seat belt or car seat regardless of seating position, and violations are punishable by a fine not to exceed $100. Details: www.nhtsa.gov/SeatBelts or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136.