CAC faces Bergman for state title
Election Day comes, goes; Free eclipse glasses at the libraries; The question of the day; Trojans win the OVC plus sports and headlines
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Eclipse plans?
Do you have plans for this April’s total solar eclipse? If you haven’t heard, there’s a total solar eclipse happening on Monday, April 8. Central Arkansas will be in the path of the totality and things are expected to get a little crazy as loads of people are expected to come here to see it. But, the question is, do you have plans? And if you do, please reply to this email to let us know.
Pandemic deaths climb
The state Department of Health, in a report issued Feb. 24, it showed that in the past week, 21 Arkansans had died from Covid. The virus has now killed 13,680 Arkansans since the pandemic began four years ago. 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
The Headlines
Meetings: The North Little Rock School Board will have a workshop and special call meeting tonight while the North Little Rock City Council will meet next Monday night.
Basketball: The CAC Mustangs play for a state title today in Hot Springs. For more, keep scrolling.
Events: There’s still daffodils at Wye Mountain this weekend and mentally prepare yourself as Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday as you lose an hour of sleep.
Looking for a summer gig? Maumelle Parks & Rec is hiring for a variety of jobs this summer and click here for more.
Election Day comes, goes
Tuesday was Election Day in Arkansas and it ended with no major surprises.
Turnout was not quite 21 percent of registered voters in Pulaski County as 48,399 cast their ballots out of 230,851 registered voters.
Election Day voting was 29,548 people while 18,398 voted early. The county also had 453 vote absentee.
Voting was for the party Primary as well as the non-partisan judicial elections.
North of the River had no contested primaries for legislative races.
In judicial elections, the four-way race for Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court is headed to a runoff.
It will be between Karen Baker and Rhonda Wood. Both are already on the Supreme Court and Baker claimed 27.1 percent of the statewide vote and Wood got 26.3 percent. Barbara Webb, who is also a justice, got 25.8 percent to finish third and former North Little Rock state legislator and attorney Jay Martin finished fourth with 20.6 percent. He handily won his home base of Pulaski County though.
Courtney Hudson, who is also on the Supreme Court, won her race for Pos. 2.
In other local races of note.
Court of Appeals, District 6, Pos. 1: Molly McNulty finished first with 22,505 or 36.48% of the votes and will face Judge Casey Tucker in the runoff.
Circuit Judge, District 6, Division 17, Subdistrict 6.2: Robert Cortinez and Brent Eubanks finished 1 and 2 in the three-way and advanced to the runoff.
State District Judge, District 31, Little Rock 1: Jill Kamps, a deputy prosecuting attorney, easily defeated Judge Mackie Pierce, who was retiring from his Circuit Judge seat. Kamps got 26,943 votes to Pierce's 18,964 votes.
State District Judge, District 31:Judge Chip Welch easily defeated Beth Burgess, 26,415 votes to 18,029.
State District Judge, District 31, Little Rock 2: Judge Herb Wright also won his race as he defeated Robert Tellez, 23,361 to 21,570.
The best news is, hopefully, no more flyers and texts from judicial candidates.
For all state-wide results, click here,
CAC faces Bergman for state title
It isn’t how you start the season, but how you finish that matters and for Central Arkansas Christian, that finish is playing for a Class 3A boys basketball state title championship.
The title game is at 1:45 p.m. today at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs in a game that will be televised live on Arkansas PBS.
To follow along at home, check the in-game stats by going to aaa.statbroadcast.com and clicking on the CAC game.
The Mustangs enter the game 26-5 having beaten Dumas, 50-48, in the semifinals at Elkins last Saturday and Bergman is 33-10.
The two teams met earlier this season, on Nov. 21, and the Panthers won easily, 65-46.
That win is also a bit deceiving as CAC was playing without its football players as the Mustangs were still in the playoffs.
Football season ended at Elkins on Nov. 24 and the basketball’s full roster was on display in the next game up, Nov. 27 and they then rattled off 20 consecutive wins. The Mustangs are simply a better team with Grayson Wilson on the court. Wilson, a junior, was all-state in basketball last season and is also CAC’s quarterback. He has committed to the University of Arkansas to play football.
Senior guard Sam Maddox is a reliable threat on the wing and one of the best three-point shooters in school history.
Bergman lost in last year’s state championship game while CAC is going for its first title in boys basketball. Bergman’s girls team is also playing for a state title and is the first game of the day today with the boys game to follow.
It should be a huge crowd as Bergman also travels extremely well.
North Little Rock boys and girls teams both lost in semifinals Saturday and Maumelle lost to Benton in the quarterfinals in an overtime thriller. Benton faces Pine Bluff for the 5A title on Friday.
CAC is the only North of the River team playing for a title.
State finals schedule
Today
Noon | Class 3A girls: Bergman vs. Salem
1:45 p.m. | Class 3A boys: Bergman vs. CAC
6 p.m. | Class 4A girls: Farmington vs. Morrilton
7:45 | Class 4A boys: Farmington vs. Little Rock Christian
Friday
Noon | 5A girls: Greenwood vs. Vilonia
1:45 p.m. | 5A boys: Pine Bluff vs. Benton
6 p.m. | 6A girls: Conway vs. Little Rock Central
7:45 p.m. | 6A boys: Bryant vs. Little Rock Central
Saturday
11:30 a.m. | 1A girls: Mammoth Spring vs. Norfork
1:15 p.m. | 1A boys: Nevada vs. Marked Tree
6 p.m. | 2A girls: Mt. Vernon Enola vs. Mansfield
7:45 p.m. | 2A boys: EPC vs. Marshall
Free eclipse glasses at the libraries
North Little Rock’s Laman Library and the Central Arkansas Library System branches will be offering free eclipse sunglasses now until the April 8 eclipse, or at least until supplies run out.
Given that Laman LIbrary has 22,400 pairs of eclipse glasses to distribute, running out anytime soon doesn’t seem likely,
The glasses were provided to CALS and Laman libraries through the Arkansas State Library system as they sent free eclipse glasses to every library in the state.
Distribution of the eclipse glasses has already begun.
"We are grateful for the Arkansas State Library's generous donation and are thrilled to be able to offer free eclipse glasses to our community for this spectacular event," said Laman Library executive director Crystal Gates in a press release.
It isn’t just glasses either. Laman Library is having two free, family events in April to help prepare for the April 8 eclipse.
The first is dubbed, the “Solar Eclipse Survival Kits: Family Evening” and will start at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3. It will be held at the downtown library branch at 420 Main St. and will cover the proper use of eclipse glasses for children and adults.
The second is the following day and is called, “Eclipse Readiness Night at Laman.” It will start at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 4 and be at the main library, 2801 Orange St.
It will also cover how to safely use the eclipse glasses as well as trivia and the intriguingly named, Big Eclipse Energy in The Loft.
Fidelity Communications “Dream Bigger” contest now open
Fidelity Communications, a leading broadband communications provider, invites schools and organizations serving K-12 students to enter its 6th annual “Dream Bigger” contest for the opportunity to win $2,500 for their science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) project or club.
K-12 schools and organizations in communities Fidelity serves are eligible to participate. Entries can be made at fidelitycommunications.com/contest by sending a photo and written summary outlining how the funds will be used for a technology project or group and how it will benefit students. Two winners will each receive a $2,500 donation.
“STEM education helps students develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for academic and career success,” said Trish Niemann, Vice President of Communications Strategy. “Through Fidelity’s annual Dream Bigger contest, we are proud to help fund STEM-based initiatives that encourage students to develop these skills and find their passion within this rapidly growing career field.”
Entries will be accepted now through March 12, at fidelitycommunications.com/contest. Five finalists will be selected by Fidelity, and the two winners will be determined by public online voting from March 14 through March 21 at the same site.
For more information or to enter, visit fidelitycommunications.com/contest.
North Little Rock Fire Department has promotions
Last week, the North Little Rock Fire Department held retirement, promotion and swearing-in ceremonies at the Patrick Henry Hays Senior Center.
Among the highlights was Capt.Ricky Cranford being promoted to Battalion Chief, and he is the first Black firefighter in the city’s history to hold that rank.
Five other firefighters were promoted as Matthew Hunt, Tanner Ramsey and Matt Matchett were promoted to Lieutenant, while David Kirkendoll and Steve Lankford were promoted to Captain.
Retiring firefighters include Battalion Chief Al Cerrato, 43 years of service; Capt. Perry Tackett, 36 years of service and Lt. Mark Mahan, 20 years of service.
View a slideshow of the day by clicking here.
The question of the day
As election season really gets rolling, the question some are asking is, are you better off now than you were four years ago?
This plays into the presidential election, as President Joe Biden runs for four more years and former president Donald Trump seeks a second, but non-consecutive, term.
Republican talking heads are asking “Are you better off?” with their ready answer being no, of course not.
That’s a lie, of course. Things are wildly better now. I mean, I can go to the store and buy toilet paper, for one.
That was something I couldn’t do four years ago, almost to the day. On March 15, 2020, I ventured to Kroger and saw nothing but some rolls of paper towels and empty shelves.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the photo I took that morning.
Let’s see what else.
Four years ago, I made reasonable money as a consultant and freelance writer.
Four years ago, I was at Bryant High School covering the state tournament there and trying to piece together assignments for the following week’s state championship games in Hot Springs.
The vibes were off at Bryant that day. Crowds were subdued and giant bottles of hand sanitizer were everywhere.
People kept their distance, for the most part. Not Daryl Fimple though. Guy’s a hugger.
Daryl Fimple excluded, people kept their distance. Even in Bryant’s posh hospitality room, people sat by themselves and picked at their M&Ms, as nobody was quite sure what was next.
What was next was no state championship games.
They were called off by the AAA, as then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson pushed for a pandemic pause.
People were dying. There was no cure in sight, and no one knew what to do.
The freelance business, such as it was, went away. Then the company for which I did consulting work went on a pandemic “pause.” They later went out of business.
Lots of places went out of business, then.
March 2020 meant wild road trips out in rural Pulaski and Saline counties looking for toilet paper, because you heard that some Dollar General where roads intersected had some for sale.
Eventually, I found some, at a Dollar General near the Bass Pro Shop. Angel Soft. Not the preferred brand, but it was toilet paper.
At the Dollar General, the Angel Soft was kept locked in a storeroom, the clerk said, because if it were out for sale, people would rush in the store, grab it off the shelf and take off.
A completely new version of check ditching, I suppose.
All of this still seems fresh. Maybe because I turned 50 during that time, and the little birthday party I had was the last group event I attended for roughly the next 12 months.
Things like that tend to stick.
Trump dillied and dallied as people died. Some of those people who died I knew well. May their memories be eternal.
But, perhaps in his best moment, Trump turned on Operation Warp Speed, and vaccines started to become available. I got my shots in North Little Rock in 2021, after making an appointment to go to Texarkana.
Now, as a candidate, Trump seems to be eschewing his legacy as the vaccine president and promises to cut off federal funding to any school that has a vaccine mandate. A vaccine mandate for any disease. Personally, I’m glad the measles and whatnot still aren’t things.
But, to get back to the original question.
I’m much better off today. I’m gainfully employed. I've been vaccinated several times over, and I haven’t gotten sick from Covid. Or at least I haven’t tested positive, which also means I’ve managed to avoid the dreaded “long Covid” and its vast array of symptoms.
Chances are, just by being able to read this, you're better off as well. At least you’re not dead, like the 1,181,607 Americans who have died.
Art notes
Hamlet to be performed at North Little Rock High School
March is going to be a big month for Shakespeare enthusiasts as the Theater Arts department at North Little Rock High School is going to be staging a production of Hamlet.
Shows start on Thursday, March 28 and conclude Saturday, March 30, Easter weekend, and will be held at the high school’s Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens.
For more information, call 501- 771-8127 or click here to buy tickets online. Tickets must be purchased on the internet as no cash will be accepted at the door.
Camp Healing Hearts set for May 17
Methodist Family Health’s Kaleidoscope Grief Center is currently accepting applications to attend its free overnight grief camp, Camp Healing Hearts.
It will be held at Camp Aldersgate in Little Rock and will start at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 17 and conclude the next day.
The camp is available to any Arkansas family who has experienced a death in the last three to six months.
Grief can be a terrible thing and the camp is designed to help those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. It is for children from 5 to 18 and an adult caregiver is also required to attend with the child.
There’s 100 spaces available and to apply for the free camp, go to MethodistFamily.org/Camp-Healing-Hearts and complete the form online.
Application deadline is Sunday, May 5.
For more information, call Dao Ward at 501-537-3991 or toll-free at 800-756-3709.
Sports
Little Rock wins OVC, earns honors
It was a big week for Little Rock basketball as the Trojans rolled past Tennessee Tech last Saturday to claim the Ohio Valley Conference title and the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament.
As the top seed, the Trojans (21-10) earned a double-bye into the semifinals and will be at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. in a game televised on ESPNU. The finals will be Saturday at 7 p.m.
The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and Little Rock is two wins away from March Madness. The last appearance for the Trojans in the tournament was 2016 under then-head coach Chris Beard.
OVC Tournament schedule
Friday
#1 Little Rock vs. Winner of Game 3, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
#2 UT Martin vs. Winner of Game 4, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday
Semifinal Winners, 7 p.m. (ESPN2/Westwood One)
That very good news was followed by more as coach Darrell Walker earned OVC Coach of the Year honors while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson was named Freshman of the Year in awards voted on by league coaches and sports information directors.
Riley Minix of Morehead State was Player of the Year, while Drew Cisse of Western Illinois was Defensive Player of the Year.
Little Rock also had three players named first- or second-team all-conference in guards KK Robinson and Jamir Champlin both being first team, while forward Makhel Mitchell was named to the second-team.
Chaplin is a graduate transfer from South Florida and averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds a game while Robinson and Mitchell are both former Razorbacks. Robinson averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and showed the flashes of game that made him a top prospect out of Bryant in his high school days.
Mitchell, whose twin brother still plays for the Razorbacks, averaged 9.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game this past season.
Champlin and Robinson also made the OVC’s All-Newcomer team for freshmen and first-year transfers.
All-OVC honors
OVC Player of the Year: Riley Minix, Morehead State
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Drew Cisse, Western Illinois
OVC Freshman of the Year: Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Little Rock
OVC Coach of the Year: Darrell Walker, Little Rock
ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM
Riley Minix, Morehead State
Jordan Sears, UT Martin
Jacob Crews, UT Martin
KK Robinson, Little Rock
Jamir Chaplin, Little Rock
Jordan Lathon, Morehead State
Damarco Minor, SIUE
Tiger Booker, Eastern Illinois
Jeremiah Hernandez, Southern Indiana
Drew Cisse, Western Illinois
ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM: Keenon Cole, Lindenwood, Makhel Mitchell, Little Rock; Ryan Myers, Western Illinois; Issa Muhammad, UT Martin and Christian Brown, Tennessee State
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM: Riley Minix, Morehead State; Jacob Crews, UT Martin; Jamir Chaplin, Little Rock; KK Robinson, Little Rock and Jordan Lathon, Morehead State