A Wet (not White) Christmas
A Wet (not White) Christmas
Maumelle Planning Commission to meet tonight; Maumelle Charter High School earns construction award; Topgolf opens Friday; plus sports and headlines
Note to subscribers: An annual or monthly subscription is billed to your debit or credit card as ARKANSAS.SUBSTACK.COM and if you have questions, please email arkansas@substack.com. Thanks for reading and subscribing!Pandemic deaths keep climbing
The state Department of Health, on its Covid dashboard, showed that in the past week, there were 14 new deaths reported. The numbers were updated Tuesday, Dec. 19.
The total number of reported dead Arkansans climbs to 13,406 or the state’s 30th largest city.
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The Headlines
Meetings: The Maumelle Planning Commission meets tonight at City Hall. For more, keep scrolling. The North Little Rock City Council meets at 6 p.m. next Wednesday night at City Hall.
Events: Christmas Eve is Sunday. Christmas Day is Monday. So, for some, there’s some things going on. It also means that government offices will be closed for the holiday. But, there’s a twist, not every office is going to have the same days off. Maumelle, for example, will close city offices this Friday and Monday. But the state is working Friday and off on Monday and Tuesday. So that will create a strange dynamic at City Hall. In North Little Rock, city offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday, which is the Council meeting there will be held next Wednesday night. As for trash and recycling, pickup will be one-day delayed next week and on a normal schedule this week.
Looking ahead: Due to the holiday schedule, next week’s edition will take a look at city budgets and other goings on.
ICYMI: Work by North Little Rock’s LaToya Hobbs to be featured in Nashville
1,000 words
Planning Commission to meet tonight
In the last regularly scheduled meeting of the year, the Maumelle Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
There’s not much on the agenda as the Commission will set the meeting schedule for next year and there’s two items of new business and no old business.
The two items of business are related to city amendments concerning zoning.
The first is to amend Sec. 94-446-449 and would allow a new lane use designation to special use commercial and the other is to change an institutional designation to special use commercial at 1605 Club Manor Drive.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held at Maumelle City Hall.
To view the agenda, click here.
Planning Commission meeting dates
Jan. 25
Feb. 22
March 28
April 25
May 23
June 27
July 25
Aug. 22
Sept. 26
Oct. 24
Nov. 21
Dec. 19
A December (to help remember) Calendar
Sunday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve.
Monday, Dec. 25: Christmas Day.
Tuesday, Dec. 26: Happy Boxing Day to those who celebrate.
Sunday, Dec. 31: New Year's Eve.
Monday, Jan. 1: New Year's Day.
Maumelle Charter High School earns construction award
Associated Builders and Contractors of Arkansas recently announced Nabholz's work on the Academics Plus Charter Schools, Inc. – Maumelle Charter High School earned them first place in the category of Institutional: K-12: Over $25 million in ABC’s 2023 Excellence in Construction Awards competition.
“ABC congratulates Nabholz for their outstanding work on this project,” said Bill Roachell, ABC Arkansas President. “It’s a true example of exceptional craftsmanship and professionalism that define merit shop construction. It is an honor for the association to recognize this project with our top construction excellence awards.”
The owner of this project is Academics Plus Charter School, Inc. and the architectural/engineering firm used was Lewis Architects Engineers.
A panel from the construction management department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock served as the competition’s judges.
A Wet (not White) Christmas
It won’t be a White Christmas this year, that’’s for sure but it will be wet.
The National Weather Service office in North Little Rock forecasts that the rain will start on Friday and continue through Tuesday, Dec. 26.
On Christmas Eve, Sunday, the forecast is a 90 percent chance of rain with a high of 60. On Monday, Christmas, the high jumps to 62 degrees and the chance of rain is at 50 percent.
As the office said. “this will be a Christmas (like so many) without that postcard moment” with “mild conditions” but, “For now, the pattern does not favor severe weather.”
This is quite a bit different from last year’s forecast, that some parts of northern Arkansas got a dusting of snow on Christmas morning along with really cold temperatures int he single digits and wind chills below even that.
North Little Rock took the step of opening a warming shelter for those who needed a bit of heat.
The forecast could, of course, change but unlikely given the forecast “El Niño” winter that’s expected.
El Niño?
Yes, the weather service wrote, “one of the most reliable long-range predictors deals with monitoring water temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean. If the water cools, we trend toward La Niña. If warming occurs, then it's El Niño.”
And, “in the coming months, the pendulum will swing strongly toward El Niño, which favors warmer and drier conditions across the northern states, and a wetter scenario farther south this winter.”
So it will be warmer and will likely bring rain.
NWS forecast for central Arkansas
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58 and a low around 42.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57 and a low around 48.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61, with a low around 53.
Sunday (Christmas Eve): Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 60. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent.Low around 53.
Monday (Christmas Day): A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62, with a low around 43.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 54, with a low around 43.
The lack of forecast snow means the elusive “White Christmas” remains that way for Arkansas.
The National Weather Service has been keeping records in Arkansas since 1875 and the state saw snowfall in just 12 of those years on Christmas, while in three other years, the state already had snow on the ground, so people at least woke up to a White Christmas.
The most recent “White Christmas” was exactly a decade ago when a surprise blizzard hit Arkansas in 2012.
A real blizzard, not the kind you get at Dairy Queen, when the Weather Service issued a “blizzard warning” for northeast Arkansas. Making it the state’s first “official blizzard.”
Little Rock, that day, saw a recorded nine inches of snow, while most other parts of the state saw more than 10 inches of snow. It was even more snow in the higher elevations of north-central Arkansas getting 15 to a high of 17.5 inches that day.
The snow kept falling as 1.3 inches of snow were recorded in Little Rock on the following day, with other portions of the state getting more.
The results from the snow were fairly typical, snarled roads, stranded travelers and more than 260,000 homes and businesses lost power that day, with the state taking a week, or more to recover.
That year was just one of two White Christmases, where snow starts that day and accumulates to at least one inch, with the other happening in 1926.
There’s been a total of 16 times with snow in and around Christmas in Arkansas, with measurable snow seen four times, with flurries or trace amounts falling nine times. The other three times were from Christmas Eve, or earlier, snow.
Past White Christmases
1876: Two inches of snow was on the ground from snowfall on Christmas Eve.
1879: Christmas Eve rain changed to snow, which continued into Christmas morning.
1887: Snow fell with no accumulation.
1897: One inch of snow fell on Christmas Day morning.
1913: Snow started at midnight and continued on Christmas Day. A total of 1.5 inches of snow fell.
1914: Snow fell with no accumulation.
1918: Snow fell with no accumulation.
1926: Sleet turned into snow with a total of 1.7 inches of sleet and 2.5 inches of snow.
1935: Snow fell with no accumulation.
1939: Snow fell with no accumulation.
1962: Christmas Eve snow of 1.5 inches but it melted during the night leaving only patches of snow on the ground Christmas morning.
1963: Heavy snow on Dec. 22 left more than four inches still on the ground by Christmas Day.
1975: Snow fell with no accumulation.
1983: Snow from earlier that week left about an inch of snow and ice still on the ground.
1990: 2.4 inches of snow and sleet fell earlier in the week and most of it remained on the ground through Christmas Day.
2000: A trace of snow was on the ground on Christmas Day but the worst was still to come as a major long-term ice storm developed that day and continued through Dec. 27. It left three inches of ice in Little Rock and more around the state, completely shutting down Arkansas in one of the worst ice storms in recorded history.
2009: Snow fell with no accumulation.
2012: Nine inches of snow in Little Rock, with more around Arkansas for the state’s snowiest White Christmas.
2022: After seeing some 1 to 2 inches across the state's northern third and extending south to West Memphis on Dec. 21-22. Hopes were high last year and while some parts of northern Arkansas's hill country woke up Christmas morning to see a "light dusting" of snow. It missed the authentic White Christmas experience of at least 1 inch of snow. While central Arkansas didn't even get that, it was, as you might remember extremely cold last year with single digit temperatures and wind chills well below that.
Topgolf opens Friday
Just in time for Christmas, Topgolf in Little Rock will open this Friday.
The facility with the mighty netting is at 5 Topgolf Way off Colonel Glenn Road.
If you’re on the freeway, you can’t miss it.
This is the second Topgolf in Arkansas with the other being in Rogers. It will be the 98th outdoor venue to open globally and 88th locally.
Topgolf is the anchor of mixed-use development dubbed the “Village at Club View” and is repped by Colliers.
The facility will employ 300 when fully staffed and will include a bar, restaurant as well as other yard games that the company said makes it, “ the prime spot for team outings, family gatherings, meetings or really anything.”
The usual assortment of local dignitaries will be on hand Friday morning for a ribbon-cutting.
Among them will be Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., an avid Topgolf fan who has been working to get one in the city since he took office in 2019. And, to be honest, grateful to see it here instead of War Memorial Park.
Art notes
Auditions for Grease set
The Argenta Community Theater will be having auditions for its summer 2024 production of Grease on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Auditions are set to start at 10 a.m. that day at the theater and callbacks will be held the following day starting at 2 p.m.
Rehearsals will begin in June with the show to debut July 24 and running through Aug. 3.
All persons interested should email casting@ArgentaCommunityTheater.org for an audition appointment; however, walk-ins will be accommodated on a first come first serve basis.
The show will be directed by Vincent Insalaco, Choreographer is Allison Stodola Wilson and Assistant Director is Bridget Davis.
Auditions are open to all genders, races and ethnicities.
Sports
New conference football foes for Maumelle, CAC, North Little Rock
Last Thursday, the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Activities Assocation voted on classifications and new football conferences for the 2024-26 cycle.
Classifications are based on enrollment and in the cases of private schools, what the AAA calls “competitive equity,” which means if the private school is good, it gets moved up a classification. Then schools are roughly sorted by geography into eight-school leagues.
The wrinkle, for this cycle, is that if a private school got bumped rather then playing in a larger conference, a public school gets moved down a class. As is the case across the state. But more on that later.
The classifications and conferences can be viewed by clicking here.
For North of the River schools, it means Maumelle, Central Arkansas Christian and North Little Rock will all be facing different schools this coming football season and the one after.
Little Rock Christian, Pulaski Academy, Shiloh Christian and Harding Academy each accrued enough points to move up one classification based on Competitive Equity.
Maumelle, fresh off the 5A playoffs, stays in the 5A-Central and the Hornets will welcome Searcy, down from 6A, to the league. Searcy has the enrollment of a 6A school but private schools shuffling into 7A and 6A meant some schools dropped and Searcy is but one example.
The rest of the league will look familiar but Mills dropped to 4A while Morrilton went to the 5A-West.
5A Central
Beebe
Jacksonville
Maumelle
Pine Bluff
Robinson
Searcy
Watson Chapel
White Hall
North Little Rock also remains in the 7A Central but Little Rock Christian and Pulaski Academy have both been moved to the state’s largest classification due to their success in football over the year.
Those schools coming in meant Fort Smith Southside and Jonesboro – the two smallest schools in 7A are headed to 6A and the previous awkward split of having Fort Smith Northside playing in central Arkansas ends as the Grizzlies will be back in the 7A-West.
7A Central
Bryant
Cabot
Conway
LR Central
LR Christian
LR Southwest
Pulaski Academy
North Little Rock
CAC’s sensational season didn’t earn the Mustangs enough equity points to move them into 5A but the team is still on the move.
This past season, CAC was in the 4A-4 with mostly River Valley schools. That won’t be the case as the school will be in the 4A-2 for the next two seasons.
That doesn’t mean the foes won’t be familiar as Lonoke and Riverview in Searcy are back on the conference schedule. The Mustangs will also welcome Mills to 4A. Travel is also reasonable with the longest road trip for a conference game will be Forrest City.
4A - 2
Bald Knob
CAC
Forrest City
Heber Springs
LR Hall
LR Mills
Lonoke
Riverview
Arkansas 69, Lipscomb 66: Hogs hang on in wild finish
In the end, it was Devo who saved the day.
Devo Davis that is. The Arkansas senior guard hit a driving layup with :26 seconds remaining as the Razorbacks hung on to beat Lipscomb, 69-66, at Simmons Bank Arena in downtown North Little Rock
Davis, who starred at Jacksonville High School, and got enthusiastic roars from the sellout crowd of 16,361 when he was introduced and then again when he hit the game winning basket. The senior guard, who was playing his last game in central Arkansas, finished with four points in 24 minutes played.
To read more, click here
High school basketball report
High School basketball has been underway for a bit but now that the football seasons are over for the North of the River schools, teams are back at full strength, plus conference action starts in December as well.
So, hoops it is.
Maumelle
Record so far: 6-8
Last week: Maumelle lost the home opener to Vilonia last Friday and then at Fayetteville on Saturday.
The week ahead: That’s a wrap on 2023 as the Hornets won’t play again until they travel to eStem on Jan. 2.
Schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 2 ... at eStem ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Sylvan Hills ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Parkview ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jacksonville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 19 ... vs. Catholic ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Cabot ... 7 p.m. ... (NC)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Vilonia ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... vs. eStem ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Sylvan Hills ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Parkview ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jacksonville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... at Catholic ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 23 ... vs. Beebe ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Maumelle Girls
Coach: Grover Garrison
Record so far: 1-10
Last week: Last to Vilonia last Friday.
The week ahead: Maumelle is off until a trip to eStem on Jan. 2.
Schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 2 ... at eStem ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Sylvan Hills ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Parkview ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jacksonville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... vs. Little Rock Christian ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Vilonia ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Parkview ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jacksonville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... at Mount St. Mary ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tue, Feb 20 ... at Little Rock Christian ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 23 ... vs. Beebe ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Maumelle Charter boys
Record so far: 10-6
Last week: The Falcons ended the year with three consecutive wins, including a Homecoming win against Abundant Life.
The week ahead: There’a post-Christmas tournament at Episcopal Collegiate in Little Rock starting Dec. 27 but games have not yet been announced.
Maumelle Charter girls
Record so far: 14-6
Last week: Back-to-back wins as the Falcons improve to 14-6 on the year.
The week ahead: There’a post-Christmas tournament at Malvern starting Dec. 27 but games have not yet been announced..
Boys and Girls schedule
Dec. 27-28 at Malvern Classic … VG… TBD
Dec. 27-29 at Episcopal Christmas Tournament … VB … TBD
Jan 2. … Tuesday … Danville … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Jan 4. ... Thursday ... Lee Academy … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 5.... Friday ... at Perryville … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 9 … Tuesday … Lamar … VG / VB ... … 5 p.m.
Jan. 12.... Friday ... at Baptist Prep … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 … Tuesday … Atkins … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 19.... Friday ... at Dover … VG / VB ... … 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 23 … Tuesday … CAC … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 26.... Friday ... at Mayflower … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 30 … Tuesday … Perryville (Senior Night) … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Feb. 2.... Friday ... at Lamar … VG / VB ... 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 … Tuesday … Baptist Prep … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 ... Thursday ... at Atkins … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 12-17 … Sr. High District Tournament … VG, VB
Feb. 21-24 … Regional Tournament
Feb. 27- March 2 … State Tournament
North Little Rock
Coach: Nathan Clayborn
Record so far: 8-3
Last week: Split Fayetteville and Little Rock Christian with, respectively, a loss and win.
The week ahead: Will play Van Buren in Fort Smith’s storied Coke Classic on Dec. 28.
Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 28 ... vs Van Buren ... 2:30 p.m. ... Coke Classic ... Fort Smith Southside
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Conway ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Little Rock Southwest ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jonesboro ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Central ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Bryant ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Cabot ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... at Central ... 7:30 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Conway ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Little Rock Southwest ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jonesboro ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... vs. Bryant ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 22 ... vs. Cabot ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
North Little Rock Girls
Coach: Daryl Fimple
Record so far: 12-0
Last week: Beat Nashville at home last Tuesday.
The week ahead: Fimple’s undefeated bunch hosts Greenwood this Friday. Then off until Jan. 5 when Conway comes to town. The Wampus Cats are 8-4 with three losses to out-of-state teams and then Greenwood, North Little Rock’s next opponent.
Schedule
Friday, Dec. 22 ... vs. Greenwood ... 6 p.m. ... (NC)
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Conway ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Little Rock Southwest ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jonesboro ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Central ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Bryant ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Cabot ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... at Central ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Conway ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Little Rock Southwest ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jonesboro ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... vs. Bryant ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 22 ... vs. Cabot ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Central Arkansas Christian
Coach: Matt Hall
Record so far: 8-3
Last week: Off.
The week ahead: CAC hosts Valley Springs on Thursday Dec. 21 and then that’s it for the year.
Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 21 ... vs. Valley Springs ... 2 p.m. ... (NC)
Friday, Jan. 5 ... at Mayflower ... 7:15 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... vs. Perryville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... at Lamar ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Baptist Prep ... 7:30 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Maumelle Charter ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... vs. Dover ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... vs. Mayflower ... 7:15 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Perryville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Lamar ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 8 ... at Baptist Prep ... 7:30 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Central Arkansas Christian Girls
Coach: Steve Quattlebaum
Record so far: 1-10
Last week: Lost to Dover last Friday
The week ahead: Valley Springs will be at Mustang Mountain for an afternoon game on Thursday, Dec. 21.
Schedule
Thursday, Dec. 21 ... vs. Valley Springs ... 1 p.m. ... (NC)
Friday, Jan. 5 ... at Mayflower ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... vs. Perryville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... at Lamar ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Baptist Prep ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 19 ... vs. Atkins ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Maumelle Charter ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... vs. Dover ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... vs. Mayflower ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Perryville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Lamar ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 8 ... at Baptist Prep ... 6 p.m. ... (C)