St. John AME to mark its 153rd year
St. John AME Church at 1117 W. Pullen Ave. will celebrate its 153rd anniversary at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. David Vaughn will be the guest preacher. He is a lifelong member of St. John and the pastor of Bethel AME Church at Ladd, according to a news release.
The minister is also a history instructor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Vaughn is a graduate of Dollarway High School, UAPB and Grambling State University. He also attended Clark Atlanta University and Jackson Theological Seminary.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The celebration is hosted by St. John’s anniversary and history committee with the Rev. Cecil L. Williams Jr. as the hosting pastor and Pamela Baxter Johnson as the chairperson. The anniversary will give a special tribute to Maxine Vaughn for her lifelong membership in St. John and her exemplary services to the church and community, according to the release.
The public is invited to attend the service in person or virtually by conference call: 1 312 626 6799 Code: 1117 or via Zoom: Meeting ID: 432 208 6226 Passcode: 1117 or Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/rev.cwilliams and website: https://www.stjohnamepinebluff.org.
Christmas events get underway soon
Go Forward Pine Bluff invites the community to attend a holiday celebration at 2021 Mistletoe Magic. Events include: At 6 p.m. Nov. 28, the Christmas Tree Lighting downtown at 601 S. Main St., according to a news release.
At 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2, the Christmas Parade will be held downtown.
“We want your organization to enter a float in the parade,” according to the release.
The deadline for parade entries is Nov. 15. For details, visit https://goforwardpinebluff.org/mistletoe-magic-2021/.
From 6-9 p.m. Dec. 3, the community is invited to visit the Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends at Regional Park. Christmas photos will be taken from 5-9 p.m. for the Community Christmas Book.
From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 4, the Downtown Christmas Crawl will be held at Burt’s Food Court & Events downtown.Details: https://goforwardpinebluff.org.
Briefing set on street-agency probe
The Pine Bluff Social Justice Activists, faith leaders and other community leaders will hold a brief news conference at 11 a.m. today on the steps of the east side of City Hall at the civic center. Participants will respond to the city’s “investigative report” on racism and discrimination claims at the Pine Bluff Street Department, according to a news release.
An investigation into unfair and racially motivated treatment of employees in the street department concluded that no such practices had taken place, according to a recent report from the mayor’s office.
At today’s event, remarks and documentation will be presented in response to the mayor’s report. Community advocates are making open records requests for the preliminary investigative report, supporting documentation and evidentiary support.
City, county offices not open today
Jefferson County Courthouse, Pine Bluff City Hall and related offices are closed today. The offices closed Thursday and today in observance of Veterans Day, spokesmen said.
Church to open food pantry Saturday
Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church at 2507 Hill St., will open its Raven’s Nest Food Pantry on Saturday from 8-9:30 a.m. or until all the food has been given away. Food will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must bring a picture identification, according to a news release.
Advertising, promotions meeting set
The Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission (A&P) Finance Committee meeting will be held at noon Monday in the A&P Offices at 623 S. Main St. The agenda includes financial reports, A&P financials and Civic Auditorium Complex Commission financials, according to a news release.
Civil Auditorium meeting scheduled
The Civic Auditorium Complex Commission will hold a conference call meeting at noon Nov. 18. To join the conference call, participants should call the Pine Bluff Convention Center at (870) 536-7600 or send an email to tlrash@pinebluff.com and the call-in information will be emailed to them, according to a news release.
Spadoni reappointed to towing panel
Joe Spadoni of White Hall has been reappointed to the Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board. He is also president of the White Hall Chamber of Commerce.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced appointments to state commissions Wednesday. Spadoni’s appointment expires June 22, 2024, according to a news release.
Rev. David Vaughn