Back-to-School nears
High school football practice starts Monday, Finks sworn in as North Little Rock police chief; Proposed relegation in high school football fails plus sports and headlines
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MEETINGS: The North Little Rock School Board will have a special call meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the district’s administration. The meeting is open to the public but will primarily consist of an executive session. The meeting, sans executive session, will be livestreamed on the district’s YoutTube page. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall. That meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube page and the public is also invited.
EVENTS: Sales tax free weekend kicks off a minute past midnight this Friday, good for online sales, and will conclude 48 hours at 11L49 p,m,. Sunday evening. In between, there will be shopping for back-to-school items, but it is important to note that the sales tax holiday applies to all purchases. So, if you’re in the mood for a new laptop, this would be a good weekend to get one. For more on what you need to know about Back-to-School, keep on scrolling, and you probably aren’t ready, but school at Maumelle Charter starts next Monday, with the other North of the River districts starting the following week.
SOMETHING TO READ: Scott Faldon weighs in on sports gambling apps. Click here to read.
ICYMI: Norris sets reelection bid
Running for office? Let us know by replying to this email or sending a note to jeremyarkansasnews@gmail.com.
Back to school
School calendar
First day of school for North of the River.
Maumelle Charter: Monday, Aug. 3
Pulaski County Special School District, Monday, Aug. 10
Note: Maumelle High School does not have a specific supply list. Students will be advised of necessary items for specific teachers once school begins.
Central Arkansas Christian, Wednesday, Aug. 12
North Little Rock School District, Thursday, Aug. 13
Football
Practice Begins: Monday, Aug 4
Benefit Games: Aug 17-30
Zero Week: Aug 24-30
Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 3, Friday, Sept. 4
Finks sworn-In as the new North Little Rock chief of police
North Little Rock and the North Little Rock Police Department recently celebrated a historic moment as Hayward Finks was sworn-in as the newest chief of police and in doing so, Finks became the first Black chief in city history.
Finks has spent nearly 40 years in law enforcement and was most recently in charge of security for the North Little Rock School District. Before that he was with the Little Rock Police Department before retiring.
“Everything we do will be led by the basic principle of treating everyone with dignity and respect, understanding that we are ambassadors for this great city,” Finks said. “We will treat every encounter with citizens and visitors as an opportunity to display the outstanding spirit of the City of North Little Rock.”
Walmart steps up, again, to help with back-to-school challenges
This season, Walmart is helping customers navigate America’s annual back-to-school reset with its lowest prices since 2019 on the 14 most popular school supplies, affordable solutions for every stage of the school journey, healthy meals to fill lunchboxes, and convenient shopping experiences that help families save money and time.
Check every box
Every great school year starts with the essentials. This season, Walmart is helping families check every box on their classroom lists without stretching their budgets by offering its lowest prices since 2019 on the 14 most popular school supplies found on classroom lists across the country, with select items starting at just $0.25.
Beyond everyday basics, Walmart’s assortment features on-trend school supplies and accessories that let students personalize everything from backpacks to binders.
And with more than 1,300 additional Rollbacks compared to last year, Walmart makes it easy to stay on trend while staying on budget.
Show up with confidence
Getting ready for a new school year isn’t just about what goes in a backpack or dorm room – it’s about feeling confident walking into a new classroom, campus or chapter.
Walmart is making trend-forward fashion, beauty and accessories accessible for every budget, helping all students head into the school year feeling like their best selves. Customers can shop refreshed collections from Wonder Nation, celebrate one year of Weekend Academy, and discover sought-after beauty brands including La Roche-Posay, Kitsch, Mills by Millie Bobby Brown and Starface. Whether refreshing a first-day wardrobe, updating a daily skincare routine or finding the perfect new frames with great deals in the Vision Center, Walmart offers everything students need to look and feel their best as they prepare for what’s next.
Fuel the school day
Getting ready for school doesn’t stop after the shopping trip. Walmart is helping families simplify daily routines with affordable meal solutions that make packing lunches easier all year long.
This year’s Back-to-School lunch basket features an enhanced selection of nutritious options while maintaining an average cost of less than $2 per lunch, helping parents build balanced meals that fit both busy schedules and household budgets.
Start healthy
A successful school year starts with healthy habits. Walmart makes it easy for families to check important wellness needs off their list by offering convenient access to low-cost immunizations, vision care and everyday health essentials – all while shopping for Back-to-School.
Walmart’s one-click sick day survival kit lets customers stock up on health essentials and be ready for the school year ahead.
Ready for campus life
Heading to college is one of life’s biggest milestones, and Walmart is helping students prepare for every part of the transition – from move-in day to everyday routines.
This year’s Back-to-College assortment includes a new value basket called the College Grocery Haul featuring stock-up essentials under $35, along with on-trend décor, organization solutions, technology, and everyday necessities designed for campus life.
Supporting teachers
As teachers prepare to welcome students back into the classroom, Walmart is making it easier to stock up on classroom essentials while staying within budget. With affordable organization solutions and everyday low prices on the items educators need most, Walmart helps simplify classroom preparation so teachers can focus on what matters most: helping students succeed from day one.
To help teachers start the year feeling appreciated, Walmart also offers a curated assortment of new and trending teacher gifts starting as low as $2.48 – making it easy for families and students to celebrate the educators who make every school year possible.
Shop on your schedule
From classroom lists and dorm move-in to everyday routines, Walmart makes it easy to get everything customers need – when and how they need it. Because when Americans are navigating their annual back-to-school reset, saving time can be just as important as saving money.
Customers can shop classroom supply lists in the Walmart app, create classroom registries. With in-store shopping, curbside pickup, Express Delivery in as little as 30 minutes, fast shipping and Walmart+, customers have the flexibility to shop on their schedule.
From classrooms to campuses, lunchboxes to dorm rooms, Walmart is proud to help families, students and teachers navigate their annual back-to-school reset. By bringing together affordability, inspiration and convenience in one destination, Walmart is doing more than helping customers shop for school – it’s helping America get ready for what’s next.
Sports
Proposed relegation in high school football fails
Here’s the thing, there’s just some high schools here in Arkansas just aren’t that good in sports.
That isn’t to cast aspersions about those schools, or towns or whatever. You can measure success by on-field performance and some places come up lacking.
That’s where Michael Banning came in. The long-time athletics director at Clarksville had an idea inspired by professional soccer where if a team wasn’t successful at its enrollment classification, it would drop to the next smaller class. So Clarksville, a 5A school in football, and has just three wins in football over five years, Banning’s Panthers would be given the option of dropping to 4A despite its enrollment numbers.
Arkansas already does this for its private schools with teams going up or down based on the success or failures of previous seasons. It’s the reason why Central Arkansas Christian has teams traveling the state for conference games from the 2A level to 4A.
The Competitive Equity proposal, as Banning’s idea was dubbed, failed this week at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Activities Association meeting. And that’s kind of a shame, because how things are, just simply aren’t fair. Other states have adopted similar relegation schemes for both public and private schools because those places have figured it out.
The thing is though is that there’s a weird alchemy when it comes to high school athletics. You need the right mix of booster club support, administration buy-in, coaches, good numbers on the roster and some luck. Really, lots of luck. And that still doesn’t mean you’ll end up winning a state title.
Clarksville, for one example, has had state championship contending teams in soccer, basketball and baseball. The problem has been on the football field and three wins in five years means it gets harder to get players out, which means the wins get harder to come by. And once you get on that kind of slide, it becomes, in all practical terms, impossible to break out of that slump.
At least 58 other schools thought it was a good idea, but sort of like football, 117 schools didn’t, and it was those 117 schools that won the day. Perhaps because they like scheduling schools like Clarksville for Homecoming.
Read more about the AAA meeting by clicking here.
Upcoming Travs games
At Midland, July 28 through Aug. 2.
Six-game homestand with the Amarillo Sod Poodles
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 6:35 p.m.
Brews & Tunes: Join us in the Beer Garden for some pre-game music! Gates will open at 5:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 6:35 p.m.
Walkaholic Wednesday: Get moving before first pitch! Fans who purchase a special $5 General Admission ticket will get early access to the ballpark, and the “Walkaholic” who logs the most steps before the 6th inning will receive a prize.
Wing Wednesday: Get $1 OFF Flyway Bluewing (19.2 fl oz cans) at any Grab & Go stand. Plus, Chicken Wings are available at Doubleday’s Depot! | Presented By Flyway Brewing
Thursday, Aug. 6, 6:35 p.m.
Ticket Offer: $3 Thursday: Enjoy an amazing value for the whole family and the best patio in Central Arkansas! Get $3 General Admission or Beer Garden tickets at a WinChoice Box Office Window. Plus, feed the whole crew for less with select concession items for $3 each!
Friday, Aug. 7, 7:05 p.m.
Fireworks Friday | Presented By Garver
Video Game Night with Sonic the Hedgehog: A celebration of arcade and console classics, featuring an appearance by everyone’s favorite supersonic hedgehog!
Saturday, Aug. 8, 6:05 p.m.
Clunker Car Night: The return of a Travelers classic! Multiple “lucky” fans will hopefully drive away from the ballpark in a new-to-them ride. | Presented By McLarty Auto Group
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game! | Presented By First Community Bank
Sunday, Aug. 9, 1:35 p.m.
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game! | Presented By First Community Bank
Baseball BINGO: Presented By Arkansas Brighter Future 529
Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at a WinChoice Box Office Window) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
Family Sunday Deal: Get $3 General Admission tickets by presenting a physical or digital church bulletin (only available at a WinChoice Box Office Window).
Six-game road trip to Tulsa, Aug. 11 through Aug. 16
Health
Pandemic deaths unknown
The state Department of Health didn’t update the state’s dashboard this week, again, and deaths still total 532 for the past year. There’s no tab created for 2025 either and the virus has now killed 14,162 Arkansans since the pandemic began then. That would mean the pandemic death toll has now passed Marion’s 13,635 people, the state’s 29th largest city.
Covid toolkit
There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.
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