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Election Calendar

Now through Nov. 7: Early voting is ongoing across Pulaski County. More details below
Nov. 8: Election Day

Death toll drops

The total number of dead Arkansans this past week was 54.

Last week, it was 56 and the week before that it was 62.

The total number of dead Arkansans is now at 12,506

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

ICYMI: Time for leaf peeping
Upcoming meetings: The School Board for the North Little Rock School District will have a special meeting tonight and the Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday. The School Board for the Pulaski County Special School District will also have a meeting on Tuesday night.
Upcoming events: Election Day is Tuesday. If you haven’t already voted, be sure to make it to the polls.

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Maumelle Civil Service Commission vacancy

The Maumelle City Council is accepting resumes from residents interested in service on the Maumelle Civil Service Commission. An appointment will be made to fill the remainder a six year term ending May, 2023.

An applicant must be a good citizen and a resident of Maumelle for more than three years, not holding or being a candidate for political office or be connected in any official capacity with any political party or organization.

Resumes should be submitted to the City Clerk/Treasurer’s Office, 550 Edgewood Drive, Maumelle, Arkansas 72113 no later than 4 p.m., Nov. 16. Applicants will be interviewed by the City Council at the regular City Council meeting Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. An appointment will be made following the interviews.

For more information, contact City Clerk/Treasurer Tina Timmons at 851-2500.

Early voting still ongoing

Early voting across Pulaski County has been ongoing and as of Wednesday evening, Pulaski County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth reported a total of 48,882 people had voted in the previous eight days

Those numbers are on track to match or exceed the 65,946 people who voted early in 2018. A non-presidential year that saw some real enthusiasm for people going to the polls to legalize casino gambling in Arkansas.

This year, an effort to legalize recreational marijuana is on the ballot and the pro-weed groups have spent millions of dollars to make that happen. It would appear the voters are listening.

There's also a contested, and quite messy, mayor's race in Little Rock that is also helping turnout across the county.

There's roughly 260,000 registered voters in Pulaski, meaning not quite 20 percent of them have already voted.

In 2018, Election Day voting was 67,084, so a little bit more than the early voting numbers of 65,946 that year.

Overall, 54.75 percent of voters cast their ballots in 2018, while in 2020, it was 65.56 percent. Regardless of the governor’s race or what vice Arkansas is looking to legalize, nothing gets voters out like casting their ballot for president.

Early voting continues through Monday, Nov. 7 with Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Polling sites in Maumelle and North Little Rock include:

The Jess Odom Community Center
The main branch of Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock
The Glenview Community Center, 4800 E. 19th St., North Little Rock

Those polling places open at 10 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. during the week. On Saturday, polls open at 10 a.m. and close at 4 p.m.

The last day to vote early at those locations is this Saturday, Nov. 5.

The only early voting location is next Monday, Nov. 7 is the Pulaski County Regional Building in downtown Little Rock.

Election Night coverage

First off, as is tradition, pizza is on the menu.

Secondly, ArkansasNewsroom.com will have a live blog for coverage on the site. That switch will be flipped a little before 7:30 p.m., or when polls close, and will be updated periodically through the night. There’s also a live chat function that’s new and we haven’t used but might give it a try.

The live updates will be compiled and sent out by email when results are all in that evening.

Traditionally, early voting is released fairly quickly and then results start literally rolling in from the precincts. More rural areas of the county take longer to come in, meaning it will be a late night, likely after 11 p.m., for Sheriff Eric Higgins and Paul “Blue” Keller in their race, while Maumelle and North Little Rock races are generally decided before 10.

The races we’ll be tracking that night:

Maumelle Mayor: Incumbent Caleb Norris vs. Jodie Mahony
Maumelle City Council- Ward 1 - Position 1: David Cole vs. Christine Gronwald
State Representative, District 71: Brandon Achor (R), John J. Pack (D) and Aaron Raatz (L)
Pulaski County Sheriff: Incumbent Eric Higgins (D) and Paul “Blue” Keller (R)
PCSSD: School Board, Zone 5: Lindsey Gustafson (I) vs. Wendy Potter
North Little Rock City Council, Ward 2, Position 2: Linda Robinson (I) vs. Nicole Hart
North Little Rock City Council, Ward 4, Position 2: Jane Ginn (I) vs.Vince Insalaco III.

Election Day

Polls open at 7:30 a.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 8 and close 12 hours later at 7:30 p.m.

Check your precinct by clicking here. Due to a change in state law, you can only vote at your precinct on Election Day.

A list of precincts for Maumelle, North Little Rock and rural north Pulaski County are below.

Precinct … Polling Location

1 … First UMC, 1201 Edgewood Dr., Maumelle
2 … Jess Odom Community Center 1100 Edgewood Dr., Maumelle
3 … First UMC, 1201 Edgewood Dr., Maumelle
4 … First UMC, 1201 Edgewood Dr., Maumelle
5 … Hampton Inn of Maumelle, 11920 Maumelle Boulevard, Maumelle
6 … Jess Odom Community Center, 1100 Edgewood Dr., Maumelle
7 … Immaculate Heart of Mary, 7025 Jasna Gora Drive, Marche
8 … Jess Odom Community Center, 1100 Edgewood Dr., Maumelle
9 … Hampton Inn of Maumelle, 11920 Maumelle Boulevard, Maumelle
10 … Hampton Inn of Maumelle, 11920 Maumelle Boulevard, Maumelle
11 … Graves Memorial Baptist Church, 4617 Oak Grove Road, North Little Rock
12 … Levy Baptist Church, 3501 Pike Ave., North Little Rock
13 … Sylvan Hills UMC, 9921 Hwy 107, Sherwood
14 … Levy Baptist Church, 3501 Pike Ave., North Little Rock
15 … Greater New Bibleway, 1217 W 22nd St., North Little Rock
16 … Argenta Library, 420 Main St.., North Little Rock
17 … Trinity Lutheran Church, 3802 N Olive St., North Little Rock
18 … North Heights Recreation Center, 4801 Allen St., North Little Rock
19 … Park Hill Christian Church, 4400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, North Little Rock
20 Park Hill Christian Church, 4400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, North Little Rock
21 … Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 5900 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, North Little Rock
22 … Levy Church of Christ 5124 Camp Robinson Road, North Little Rock
23 … Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 5900 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, North Little Rock
24 … North View Missionary, 6801 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, North Little Rock
25 … Sylvan Hills Community Church, 8019 Hwy. 107, Sherwood
26 … Central Baptist Church, 5200 Fairway Ave., North Little Rock
27 … Central Baptist Church, 5200 Fairway Ave., North Little Rock
28 … First Baptist Church of Sherwood, 701 Country Club, Sherwood
29 … First Baptist Church of Sherwood, 701 Country Club, Sherwood
30 … Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, Church 7351 Warden Rd, Sherwood
31 … Sylvan Hills UMC, 9921 Hwy 107, Sherwood
32 … Brockington Road Church of the Nazarene, 9860 Brockington Rd, Sherwood
33 … Sylvan Hills UMC, 9921 Hwy 107, Sherwood
34 … Kellogg Valley Baptist Church, 9516 Bamboo Ln, North Little Rock
36 … Brockington Road Church of the Nazarene, 9860 Brockington Rd, Sherwood
37 … The Connection Church of Sherwood, 14322 Hwy 107, Jacksonville
48 … McAlmont Church of Christ, 1824 East 46th St., North Little Rock
49 … Sherman Park Community Center, 624 N Beech St., North Little Rock
50 … Rose City Community Center, 400 Rose Ln, North Little Rock
51 … All Souls Church, 4601 Walkers Corner Road, Scott

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North Little Rock: Leaf removal begins Nov. 14

The best thing about living in North Little Rock begins Nov. 14 and best thing means the leaf pickup trucks that rumble around the city, vacuuming up those hated leaves.

The city’s Sanitation Department will begin leaf pickup on Monday, Nov. 14 in Ward 4 this year.

And the city advised that to prepare for leaf pickup Ward 4 residents should place the leaves on the curb, not in the street or gutter, and the trucks will do the rest.

After the trucks pass through Ward 4, the trucks will move to Ward 1. The city will post regular updates on the City of North Little Rock’s Facebook page.

You can also bag leaves, no, if you want, still no, and they’ll be picked up weekly. The rumbling trucks take some time to make their rounds, so the city advised patience.

For more information, call 501-906-6327.

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Education

Be Pro Be Proud makes stop at Maumelle High School

Be Pro Be Proud is a relatively new organization to Arkansas.

Started in 2016, the organization is a joint venture between the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Arkansas with its goal being exposing high schools to vocational trades and becoming part of the state's skilled workforce.

Be Pro Be Proud made a recent stop at Maumelle High School where, among other things, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Linda Bahloul, a teacher at the school and dubbed the “champion” of the program.

Andrew Parker serves as Executive Director of Be Pro Be Proud and what follows is a lightly edited transcript of a Question and Answer with ArkansasNewsroom.com.

For more information on the program, click here.

Question: How long has this program been active in Arkansas?

Answer: BPBP is in its sixth year in Arkansas, having launched in 2016.

Q: Maumelle was just one school in an ongoing tour and how was the reception for the event at Maumelle, and then elsewhere across the state at other stops?

A: People across the state are always really excited to see us coming, we have an extensive waiting list of requests that we are working hard to get on the schedule. The launch of our second mobile workshop in the coming weeks will help feed this demand.

Q: What teacher received the scholarship, and can those be used for anything or do they have a specific purpose like to buy a piece of classroom equipment?

A: Our $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Linda Bahloul, our Champion at Maumelle High School. Ms. Bahloul can use those funds to enhance her classroom for the betterment of her students.

Q: What's the one vocation that seems to get the most interest from students?

A: The consistent response we hear from students is their surprise and elation regarding the vast number of options available for them in a professional career that they could realize in the short term and that they can be their own boss.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

A: We are thrilled that this movement in workforce in our country began here in Arkansas and is growing to neighboring states. We now have mobile workshops launched in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina with several others in various stages of development. We can’t wait to get the second mobile workshop rolling here in Arkansas.

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UAM students receive scholarships

The Goggans Tree Farm in Lincoln County holds an annual summer fundraiser and this year the proceeds were dedicated to students in the Arkansas-Monticello College of Forestry, Agriculture, & Natural Resources.

UAM professor Dr. Matthew Pelkki, Jovanny Martinez, Patrick Phillips, Timothy Chapman and Jack Thomas.

The farm, some 500 acres, was originally settled in 1856 and is owned by Miles Goggans and his sister, Johnna Goggans Novak.

Johnna’s son, Jack Thomas, presented the scholarships to the students, who are:

Jovanny Martinez, Star City
Timothy Chapman, Monticello
Patrick Phillips, Jackson, Miss.

The scholarships were for a total of $3,000 and through the Hailey and Jack Thomas Family Foundation.

Jack Thomas is a graduate of Central Arkansas Christian and was a standout quarterback for the Mustangs and then went on to play baseball at Harding, while Johnna was a long-time contributing photographer to the Maumelle Monitor and The Times of North Little Rock.

Sports

Football: When it's over

Football’s regular season comes to an end this week and for Maumelle and Central Arkansas Christian, this Friday night means the last high school football game for those seniors.

There’s a handful who will play in college and there’s opportunities after that but, realistically, this will be the last time they put on pads and play.

There’s a truism about football that as a sport, there’s nothing else like it. You can play baseball and basketball for as long as your knees hold up. You can golf until your doctor says you need your knee replacement replaced. You can still be the strongest guy at the gym until, you get the idea.

That’s not true for football.

Everyone’s football career comes to an end. So, enjoy it. It doesn’t last forever.

As for this week, Maumelle travels to Beebe, while CAC heads down I-40 for a game at Lamar. North Little Rock hosts Cabot and the ‘Cats will play on as they are in the 7A playoffs. A win means North Little Rock is the No. 3 seed, while a loss would make them the No. 4 seed.

Maumelle at Beebe

Records: Maumelle (3-6, Beebe (5-4)
Streamer: Natural State Sports
Hootens.com Rankings: Maumelle stays at No. 22 in 5A while Beebe is No. 21
Last week: Things were looking good for the Hornets last week against Vilonia. Maumelle was up 21-14 by halftime, then Jaiden Worsham went in from six yards early in the third quarter to make it 28-14, then the bottom fell out. Vilonia rattled off 35 unanswered points to win, 49-28. That win put them in the playoffs. Quarterback Weston Pierce threw for 101 yards in the loss and the senior now has 1,175 yards on the season, while Alan Timmons led the team in receptions with nine catches for 67 yards. Timmons now has 466 yards on the season. The junior also plays in the secondary and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown.

Maumelle Sports Network @MaumelleSN

Alan Timmons with the 58 yard pick 6 for @MaumelleFB last night against Vilonia! Hornets have been missing the defensive TD’s the last few weeks. Timmons with a big one here.

Class 5A Playoff bracket: The Hornets, with just one win in conference play, will not make the postseason.

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 26, Maumelle 0
Sept. 30: Mills 30, Maumelle 0
Oct. 7: Robinson 35, Maumelle 30
Oct. 14: At Morrilton 35, Maumelle 14
Oct. 21: Maumelle 39, Watson Chapel 38 (OT)
Oct. 28: Vilonia 49, Beebe 28
Friday: At Beebe ... 7 p.m. ... Conference

For the roster, click here.

CAC at Lamar

Records: CAC (2-7), Lamar (7-2)
Hootens.com Rankings: CAC is No. 37 in 4A, while Lamar is No. 18.
Last week: CAC was off this past week and regardless of what happens this week, the Mustangs won’t make the playoffs.
Class 4A Playoff bracket: Five teams get in the 4A-4 and they’ll be: Harmony Grove, Pottsville, Bauxite, Lamar and Clinton.

Highlights

Grayson Wilson @graysonrwilson

1st half only. Pass 11/16 129 yards 2TD. Rush 5 carries 95 yards 2TD ⁦@kendalbriles⁩⁦@BarryLunneyJr ⁦@CoachShawnBell⁩⁦@Coach_Leb⁩⁦@Coach_Leach⁩⁦@CoachTimRattay⁩⁦@ckleincat7⁩⁦@kencollums⁩⁦@derbytd⁩⁦

hudl.comDover High SchoolDover High School

Season schedule

Aug. 26: Lonoke 41, CAC 13
Sept. 2: Perryville 35, CAC 31
Sept. 9: Bauxite 37, CAC 14
Sept. 16 Harmony Grove 35, CAC 14
Sept. 23: CAC 21, Little Rock Hall 19
Sept. 30: Mayflower 33, CAC 14
Oct. 7: Pottsville 35, CAC 34
Oct. 14 Clinton 63, CAC 45
Oct. 21: CAC 41, Dover 14.
Oct. 28: Off
Friday At Lamar ... 7 p.m. ... Conference

For the roster, click here

Cabot at North Little Rock

Records: North Little Rock (5-4), Cabot (7-2)
Streamer: NLRTV
Hootens.com Rankings: North Little Rock stays at No. 8 in Class 7A, while Cabot is No. 2.
Last week: Things looked promising in the first half as North Little Rock and Bryant battled back and forth as the Hornest had just a 17-7 lead at halftime but the ‘Cats couldn’t get anything going on offense int he second half and Bryant won, 45-14.
Class 7A Playoff bracket: North Little Rock is in and the ‘Cats are currently the No. 4 seed from the 7A-Central. Beat Cabot and the ‘Cats are the No. 3 seed, while a loss would mean staying as the No. 4 seed.

For stats, click here.

Highlights

Devin Jackson @DJackson2023

Game Day Visit @UCA_Football. Good to be back! Thanks for the invite @CoachSextonUCA! 💜🧸#BearClawsUp #fearthestripes @NathanBrownUCA @Keith_Scott05 @NLRFB @_Mike_McCabe @BFentress @jamesedmondpaul @k_sutherlandAR @PrepRedzoneAR @RRainwater1037 @ARPrepSports

Season schedule

Aug. 26: Little Rock Catholic 23, North Little Rock 6
Sept. 2: Fayetteville 28, North Little Rock 10
Sept. 16: North Little Rock 28, Little Rock Parkview 27 (2 OT)
Sept. 23: North Little Rock 53, Little Rock Central 8
Sept. 30: At Conway 35, North Little Rock 0
Oct. 7: North Little Rock 50, Little Rock Southwest 8
Oct. 14: North Little Rock 28, Jonesboro 14
Oct. 21: North Little Rock 38, Fort Smith Northside 14
Oct. 28: Bryant 45, North Little Rock 14
Friday: Cabot at North Little Rock ... 7 p.m. ... Conference
Nov. 11: First round of the Class 7A playoffs … 7 p.m.

For the roster, click here.

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Arkansas Newsroom

Election Day is Tuesday