Courthouse set to fully reopen this week
The Jefferson County Courthouse is reopen only for employees through Wednesday. The courthouse is scheduled to open to the public Thursday and Friday, according to a news release. The courthouse had been closed because of covid-19 and to sanitize the facility.
Locals to host School Choice Week event
National School Choice Week began Monday and Arkansas sites are hosting events, according to The Reform Alliance.
A community art event will be held at Pine Bluff at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County, 2701 Short Reeker St., according to a news release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
National School Choice Week shines a spotlight on effective K-12 education options for children. Details: schoolchoiceweek.com.
City plans cleanup for Saturday morning
The Pine Bluff New Year Cleanup will be Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Volunteers should meet at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 629 Jaycee Drive, at 8 a.m., where supplies and clean-up assignments can be collected. Volunteers will then go to clean-up sites throughout the city, according to a news release. Details: William Fells, special projects coordinator at the mayor’s office, (870) 730-2004 or wfells@cityofpinebluff-ar.gov.
Senior center announces weekday menu
The Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas is serving lunches from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Lunches available this week are:
Today – Cheeseburger pie, creamed peas, herbed potatoes, wheat bread, pineapples and milk.
Wednesday – Pinto beans with ham, spinach topped tomatoes, cornbread, lemonade pie and milk.
Thursday – Spaghetti with meat sauce, Italian mixed vegetables, tossed salad, French bread, brownie muffins and milk.
Friday – Lean hamburger patty on bun, Mexicali corn; lettuce/tomato/onion, baked beans, melon/strawberries and milk.
Details: Strachota Senior Citizens Center, (870) 543-6323.
Agriculture Hall of Fame stalls induction
The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame has postponed its induction ceremony until March 25 at the Embassy Suites at Little Rock. The change was made because of the increase in covid-19 cases. This is the third delay for the event, according to a news release.
Those set for induction are retired Cooperative Extension Service Director Rick Cartwright of Fayetteville; long-time ag educator Joe Don Greenwood of Hermitage; the late Russell Roy Reynolds, director of the U.S. Forest Service Crossett Experimental Forest for 34 years; former Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach of Manila; Mark Waldrip of Moro, founder of Armor Seed Co.; and Andrew Wargo III of Watson, farm manager for the 15,000-acre Baxter Land Co. for more than 50 years. Details: www.arfb.com.
FSA meetings scheduled for farmers
The Small Farm Program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is providing assistance to socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers on behalf of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), said Henry English, director of the program. A series of virtual meetings will be held, according to a news release.
The staff is informing Arkansas farmers about:
• FSA loan programs. The agency offers loans to help farmers and ranchers get the financing they need to start, expand or maintain their family farms.
• The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. This program provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops, such as vegetables, when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur because of natural disasters.
• FSA farm numbers. Farmers must have a farm number to participate in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and Farm Loan Programs.
The UAPB Small Farm Program will host a series of virtual meetings. Participants will learn about farm financial/business planning; record-keeping; and the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which was designed to assist families in keeping their land.
“These meetings are a great opportunity for farmers to learn how to make their operations more efficient and profitable,” English said. “Participants will have the opportunity to ask Small Farm Program staff for advice. Our team will also help producers with obtaining USDA Farm Loans and Farm Numbers.”
Details: Karen Lee, UAPB extension assistant, (870) 575-7225 or leek@uapb.edu. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offers all its extension and research programs and services without discrimination.