A bear of a week

Maumelle City Council to meet Monday, Driving Miss Daisy, Frozen are both coming to North Little Rock, Save the Children gets $1 million plus football this week and headlines

Sep 15, 2022

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Save the Date

A Maumelle candidate forum sponsored by ArkansasNewsroom.com will be held Tuesday, Oct. 18 at the First Baptist Church of Maumelle.

The candidates scheduled to appear are:

Maumelle Mayor: Incumbent Caleb Norris vs. Jodie Mahony
Maumelle City Council- Ward 1 - Position 1: David Cole vs. Christine Gronwald
State Representative, District 71: Republican Brandon Achor, Democrat John J. Pack and Libertarian Aaron Raatz
Pulaski County Sheriff: Incumbent Democrat Eric Higgins and Republican Paul “Blue” Keller

More details to come but paid subscribers to the site will be able to submit questions in advance for consideration to be asked at the forum.

Death toll stays steady

The weekly death toll from the ongoing pandemic stayed steady as the total number of dead Arkansans was at 26.

The previous week it was also at 26 and the week before that it was 41.

The total number of dead Arkansans is now at 11,970.

Covid toolkit
There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.

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If you don’t want to get sick and die, there’s some things you can do:
Get vaccinated
Get boosted
Wear a mask
Avoid crowds

Maumelle City Council to meet Monday

Fireworks are in the forecast for this coming meeting of the Maumelle City Council on Monday night.

While the agenda is not yet available, there's talk of restoring the "Pit Bull" ban that was lifted inside the city limits last year.

This comes on the heels of the Pit Bull attack that injured Marcus Higgins and killed his dog on Aug. 24. The two Pit Bull dogs who attacked were also euthanized.

To read previous coverage of the attack, click here.

At the last City Council meeting, two public comments were had with one for restoring the ban and the other for keeping the city's ordinances.

The matter was also addressed during City Council comments by council members Jess Holt and Steve Mosley.

"We need to be concerned with the safety, health and welfare," Mosley said and added he planned to introduce an ordinance.

Mosley also said both men involved in the attack had hired attorneys.

Watch the meeting by clicking the video below. The public comments were in the first ten minutes of the meeting and Council member comments were in the last 15 minutes of the one hour and 45 minute meeting.

Bear here, bear there, bear everywhere

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming — Getting from point A to point B has never been easier.

Travel is truly a miracle that way. But getting to Yellowstone has its own set of challenges.

First, even if you fly, you’re still going to be driving.

Lots of driving.

This park is huge. Bigger than the state of Rhode Island and, for the most part, the posted speed limit is 45 miles per hour.

There’s also traffic. Not as bad as, say, Maumelle Boulevard but, then again, the boulevard’s not so bad when you’re stuck behind a wandering bison and you’ve put the rental in park while you wait as the bison goes its shambling way.

There’s also other kinds of animal jams.

An elk, perhaps, or excited birders peering off into the sky with their binoculars and spotter scopes.

There’s also the occasional bear. If you’re lucky.

A brown bear is spotted in Yellowstone National Park on Monday. (Gwen Green photos)

We were lucky that way as a younger and smaller brown bear was by the side of the road, enjoying a creek and rapidly growing crowd.

The park emphasizes safety. The thing they say the most is don’t disturb the wildlife. And don’t approach the animals you might see.

That didn’t seem to register to the teenagers and tourists who went rushing toward what appeared to be a mildly amused bear, who, for the lack of a better word, seemed to be relieving itself.

Needless to say, if you’re close enough to see a bear using the bathroom in the woods and there’s no wall, fence or barrier between you and it, you’re too close. Far too close.

There’s a helpful mnemonic in these bear encounter situations:

Black, fight back and Brown, lie down.

Black bears tend to be smaller and intimidated by humans. So make yourself some noise and be as big as possible. A bear bell can be handy and if you bought or rented bear spray, now would be the time to think about using it.

Brown bears, on the other paw, are better known as grizzlies. They’re big, strong, fast and can be especially aggressive if they feel threatened.

In the fight or flight world, black bears are likely to run while brown bears are likely to attack.

The actual advice park rangers give if you meet up with a brown bear is run away as fast as you can and if you can’t, hit the ground. Stomach down, spread your arms and legs to keep the bear from flipping you and hope you’re wearing a backpack to lessen the damage.

Praying might also help.

With that in mind, is running towards a brown bear, selfie stick in hand, a good idea?

No. No it is not.

It is, in fact, the worst possible idea.

We scanned the local news that night and the next morning to see if Yellowstone had any reports of a bear mauling.

If they did, we didn’t see it.

Travel isn’t the only miracle these days.

The Headlines

Arkansas organization gets $1 million from U.S. Department of Education

Save the Children, an Arkansas-based organization, received $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education for its Arkansas Statewide Family Engagement Center on Thursday morning.

The funding was part of a total of $7 million that went out to eight state-wide organizations.

The grants "will provide financial support to organizations that offer technical assistance and training to state educational agencies and school districts that effectively engage families over policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvements in student development and academic achievement," the department said in a press release.

“Congratulations to these new grantees on their work to advance innovative approaches that promote strong parent and family engagement for the academic success of all students," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

The program is part of a $130 billion effort by the Biden White House to assist schools through the American Rescue Plan, as well as with other Covid relief funds.

ICYMI: ‘It’s becoming too expensive to live’: Anxious Older adults try to cope with limited budgets
Upcoming meetings: The North Little Rock School Board will meet tonight while the Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night
Upcoming events: As part of Hispanic Heritage month, an Arts and Food Festival is this Saturday in North Little Rock and the 9th Annual Southern Silks Stakes will start at 6 p.m. in Little Rock this Saturday. More details below for both events.

Southern Silks Stakes this Saturday

The 9th Annual Southern Silks Stakes will begin at 6 p.m. at Embassy Suites Little Rock at 11301 Financial Centre Parkway this Saturday, Sept. 17.

The event will feature faux horse racing (our horses are on sticks), a Derby-style hat contest, Southern-inspired food and libations, a live auction full of unique experiences to share with your friends and family, an online auction filled with steals for any and everyone, and so much more.

Proceeds from Southern Silks Stakes benefit Methodist Family Health and the event is co-chaired by Jenny and Jeremy Teeter.

To participate in the online auction, click here.

Driving Miss Daisy to North Little Rock

Driving Miss Daisy will be the first production at the new Argenta Community Theater II: Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Educational Center.

The show opens Oct. 26 and continues through Nov. 5.

Dinner theater performances begin at 6:30 p.m. and are $55 per ticket including a glass of wine. Theater style seating performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and are $25.

Doors open 30 minutes before each show.

The production will star local performers: Judy Trice, Jeremiah Herman and Drew Jansen. This will also be a first for introducing a dinner-theater style show at Argenta.

For tickets, please visit www.argentacommunitytheater.org or call the box office at 501-353-1443.

In other arts news

Frozen coming to North Little Rock High School: Frozen the Musical will be performed at North Little Rock High School in the Fall of 2023. The school is the only one in Arkansas chosen to put on the production with a total of 51 around the country. The schools chosen competed for the rights to stage the show and expect a world-class performance as North Little Rock High School puts on an excellent show. Watch the official announcement by watching the video below.

Travs end season at home

Only four games remain for the Arkansas Travelers as Corpus Christi concludes the season at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park.

Homestand

Today ... 6:35 p.m. ... vs. Corpus Christi; Promotions: $3 Thirsty Thursday
Friday ... Sept. 16 ... 7:05 p.m. ... vs. Corpus Christi; Promotions: Fireworks and Oktoberfest Weekend
Saturday ... Sept. 17 ... 7:05 p.m. ... vs. Corpus Christi; Promotions: Oktoberfest Weekend and Beer Mug Giveaway
Sunday ... Sept. 18 … 1:35 p.m. ... vs. Corpus Christi; Promotions: Oktoberfest Weekend and Operation: Military Appreciation

Sports

Football: Bolding's back, CAC at home and Maumelle is off this week

Maumelle took its first loss of the season last week when visiting White Hall ran up and down the field to post a 44-24 win.

White Hall had 394 yards rushing in the game, along with five touchdowns on the ground in the win.

Maumelle has this week off, while North Little Rock and Central Arkansas Christian are both at home.

The ‘Cats host No. 1 in Class 5A Little Rock Parkview as former North Little Rock coach Brad Bolding now runs the program at Parkview.

As for CAC, they’ll get Harmony Grove at Mustang Mountain. Both North Little Rock and CAC have yet to win a game this season.,

Maumelle has the week off

Records: Maumelle (2-1)
Streamer: Natural State Sports
Hootens.com Rankings: Maumelle dropped to No. 14 in 5A
Last week: Maumelle lost to White Hall, 44-20, as conference started for the Hornets. Maumelle came out hot and jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before White Hall turned up the jets, and scored 27 points in the second half. Quarterback Weston Pierce led the offense with 242 passing yards and has now thrown for 662 yards this season.

For highlights click here.

Season schedule

Aug. 26: Maumelle 28, Sylvan Hills 27 (OT)
Sept. 1: Maumelle 35, Batesville 0
Sept. 9: White Hall 44, Maumelle 24
Sept. 23: Pine Bluff at Maumelle ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Sept. 30: At Mills ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 7: Robinson at Maumelle... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 14: At Morrilton ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 21: Watson Chapel at Maumelle ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 28: At Vilonia ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Nov. 4: At Beebe ... 7 p.m. ... Conference

For the roster, click here.

Harmony Grove at CAC

Records: CAC (0-3), Harmony Grove (3-0)
Hootens.com Rankings: CAC is No. 31 in 4A, while Harmony Grove is No. 19.
Last week: CAC last to Bauxite, 37-14, last week, as quarterback Grayson WIlson passed for 264 yards in the loss. To watch Wilson’s highlights, click here. The Mustangs are at the Mountain this week to face Harmony Grove.

Highlights

CAC Athletics @CACAthletics

We’ve had an incredible turnout for our home football games this year, & our parking lot is evidence! If you’d like to get closer to the stadium & secure a quicker & smoother exit, consider purchasing reserved parking for 7th/JH or Varsity home games. bit.ly/FB_parking

Season schedule

Aug. 26: Lonoke 41, CAC 13
Sept. 2: Perryville 35, CAC 31
Sept. 9: Bauxite 37, CAC 14
Friday: Harmony Grove at CAC ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Sept. 23: At Little Rock Hall... 7 p.m. ... Non-conference
Sept. 30: Mayflower at CAC ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 7: Pottsville at CAC ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 14: At Clinton ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Oct. 21: Dover at CAC ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Nov. 4: At Lamar ... 7 p.m. ... Conference

For the roster, click here

Parkview at North Little Rock

Records: North Little Rock (0-2), Parkview (1-1)
Streamer: NLRTV
Hootens.com Rankings: North Little Rock is No. 9 in Class 7A, while Parkview is No. 1 in class 5A.
Last week: The ‘Cats had the week off to prepare for Brad Bolding’s return to North Little Rock.

For stats, click here.