Football is here
Planning Commission to meet tonight; Argenta Contemporary Theatre names Goss as Artistic Director; KATRINA 20 YEARS LATER: Race, Resilience and Recovery; plus sports and headlines
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MEETINGS: The Maumelle Planning Commission meets at 6:30 p.m tonight at City Hall. For more, keep scrolling. The North Little Rock School Board meets at 5:30 p.m. tonight for a special call meeting. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Tuesday night at City Hall. The meeting is one-day delayed as Monday is Labor Day.
EVENTS: Monday is Labor Day. The various government offices will be closed on Monday as a result, and garbage and recycling will one-day delay all of next week.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Football kicks off tonight as Maumelle travels to Sylvan Hills. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live on KARZ. For more football news and kickoff weather, keep scrolling.
Correction: Due to an editing error, last week’s item on Arkansas football, printed below, ran a week in advance, instead of this week when it was supposed to. The error is regretted, etc.
In other football news, Arkansas begins its season with Alabama A&M this Saturday and not much of a contest is expected. Sam Pittman, however, begins the season already on the hot seat as The Associated Press identified him as one of the six coaches most likely to be fired by year’s end. That seems unkind given Arkansas won more games than it lost last season and also claimed a Liberty Bowl win but when you got inches to fill, you need to fill them with something.
Planning Commission to meet tonight
The Maumelle Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., tonight at City Hall for its regular monthly meeting. The agenda, a light one, can be viewed by clicking here.
A Community Meeting for CCA Phase 15 will start at 5 p.m. and is also listed on the agenda.
A public meeting notice was posted to the city’s website, but it lacks certain, key details, like when and where it will be held. As you can see from the screenshot posted below.
So while it is unlikely any action will be taken at the community meeting, based on a quick read of city ordinances, the meeting notice is insufficient for those bare minimum requirements.
The agenda also lists one item of business related to CCA Phase 15 and is a right of way dedication and street realignment. Any action taken by the Planning Commission must then be approved by the City Council.
Argenta Contemporary Theatre names Goss as Artistic Director
The Board of Directors of the Argenta Contemporary Theatre (ACT) is proud to announce the appointment of Coburn “Coby” Goss as the theatre’s new Artistic Director. Goss succeeds Founding Producing Artistic Director Vincent Insalaco, who retired earlier this year.
A North Little Rock native, Goss, above, began his career at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre before building an impressive career in Chicago and beyond, with credits at Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Off-Broadway, television, and film. He is also the author of the award-winning play Marked Tree and the film All Happy Families.
“I am so excited to join ACT,” said Goss in a release. “Being from North Little Rock, I have followed ACT’s creative and quality path since opening in 2010. My goal is to keep audiences coming back with stories that entertain, captivate, and inspire, while putting renewed focus on community, education, and volunteer engagement.”
Education news
ASPSF accepting fall scholarship applications
Single parents enrolling in school for the Fall 2025 semester can apply for a scholarship from nonprofit Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) beginning Aug. 1.
To apply, single parents must go to aspsf.org/apply and fill out an online form with supporting documentation. Both new students and current ASPSF recipients can apply for a scholarship up to $1,600. The deadline is next Monday, Sept. 1.
Applicants must have a GED or high school diploma but have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree. ASPSF awards scholarships to single moms and dads working toward skilled-trade certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees that lead to professional careers with family-supporting wages.
Recipients must be enrolled in at least one three-hour class online or in-person. They must also have a 2.0 GPA, earn medium to low income, and participate fully in the ASPSF scholarship program by attending workshops and communicating with their local program manager.
A full list of ASPSF’s eligibility guidelines is available at aspsf.org/eligibility.
For more information, visit aspsf.org or contact Jen Lawrence at jlawrence@aspsf.org or 501-550-6304.
Sports
Football is here
Maumelle gets the ball rolling, umm, err, kicks off the season tonight when the Hornets travel to Sylvan Hills for the annual rivalry game between the Pulaski County schools.
North Little Rock and Central Arkansas Christian also play on Friday night with the ‘Cats traveling to Rogers, while CAC will host DeWitt.
All things being equal, the football North of the River this season should be pretty fine as all three schools are expected to make the playoffs in their respective classifications.
Of the three, Maumelle is the best of the bunch and the Hornets should make a deep playoff run. North Little Rock and CAC should also make the playoffs, but those trips might not make it to the elusive Black Friday Football mark. Black Friday Football is for when teams make the round of playoffs after Thanksgiving with that round either being the semifinals or quarterfinals, depending on classification.
The good news for this week’s football is that it will be a Fall-like forecast but look out for lightning delays as there’s a chance of thunderstorms today and Friday. Football will play in the rain, but lightning in the area will cause at least a 30-minute delay, and, sometimes, much longer.
Eye on the Sky
Today: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm with a high near 71 and a low of 61. The chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then mostly cloudy, with a high near 72 and a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80 and a low around 61.
Maumelle
Coach: Brian Maupin
Last season: 8-4
Outlook: In the Hootens Arkansas Football poll, Maumelle was picked to finish second in the 5A-Central and ranked No. 9 in Class 5A.
Returning all-state: None
Returning all-conference: Marshaun Wiley
Players to watch: Running back Jacob Henry, formerly an All-State player at CAC, is back for his senior season with the Hornets. Junior quarterback Levi Henry started most of last season and threw for 20 touchdowns. A key target this season might be his younger brother, Isaac, who is a freshman this season.
Key games: Maumelle’s first three home games are against 5A-Central conference opponents and those outcomes should set the tempo for the rest of the season as a 3-0 run there, puts Maumelle into contention for the conference title with the last game of the regular season, at Robinson, determining which team gets the crown. … Of Maumelle’s 10 regular season games, eight are in Pulaski County, with just two trips to Jefferson County to round out the schedule. That’s putting the central in 5A-Central.
For the roster, click here.
Thursday, Aug. 28 ... at Sylvan Hills ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5 … at Parkview ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12 ... vs. Vilonia ... 7 p.m. … Hornets Nest
Friday, Sept. 26 ... vs. Beebe* ... 7 p.m. … Hornets Nest
Friday, Oct. 3 ... ... vs. Pine Bluff* ... 7 p.m. … Hornets Nest
Friday, Oct. 10 ... at Watson Chapel* ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17 ... vs. Jacksonville* ... 7 p.m. … Hornets Nest
Friday, Oct. 24 ... at White Hall* ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 31 ... vs. Searcy* ... 7 p.m. … Hornets Nest
Thursday, Nov. 6 ... at Robinson* ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 14 … First round of the playoffs
North Little Rock
Coach: Brad Bolding
Last season: 0-10
Outlook: The Brad Bolding Experience is back at North Little Rock. Bolding, who dominated 5A in a multi-title winning run at Parkview, never got the ‘Cats past the semis before he was unceremoniously fired by the district for a laundry list of reasons. But, Bolding, like his dad and brother can coach and in the new wild west of high school athletics, he can “legally” recruit, which was one of the things he got in trouble before previously. `
Returning all-state: None
Returning all-conference: Dayvian Withers, Stephen Dicus and Donovan Tidwell
Players to watch: The online roster lists 57 but expect closer to 85 or so dressed out for most games. … Offensive lineman Donovan, DJ. Tidwell, who was all-conference last season, is a high academic achiever and was elected Justice of the Peace 5 in Carvell County at this past summer’s Boy’s State.
Key games: To make the playoffs, North Little Rock has to win two conference games, to get in the No. 6 seed from the 7A-Central. The most likely two are Central and Southwest, anything past that just improves seeding. Will Bolding get the ‘Cats into the playoffs? Yes. And that’s better than last year’s 0-10 season.
For the roster, click here.
Friday, Aug. 29 ... at Rogers ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12 ... vs. Benton ... 7 p.m. … Wildcat Field
Friday, Sept. 19 ... vs. Catholic ... 7 p.m. … Wildcat Field
Thursday, Sept. 25 ... at Pulaski Academy* ... 7 p.m. (Game to be televised on KARZ)
Friday, Oct. 3 ... vs. Conway* ... 7 p.m. … Wildcat Field
Friday, Oct. 10 ... at Little Rock Southwest* ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17 ... vs. Little Rock Christian ... 7 p.m. … Wildcat Field
Friday, Oct. 24 ... ... vs. Central* ... 7 p.m. … Wildcat Field
Friday, Oct. 31 ... at Bryant* ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 7 ... at Cabot* ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 14 … First round of the playoffs
CAC
Coach: J.D. Plumlee
Last season: 3-8
Outlook: CAC is picked to finish fourth in the 2-4A Conference by Hootens Arkansas Football. Three wins was good enough to make the playoffs last season, and that’s the expectation again.
Returning all-state: None.
Returning all-conference: Jackson Allen and Damien Wicker
Players to watch: Jackson Pluimlee, the coach’s son, is back at quarterback but could also see action at wide receiver and running back. … Jackson Allen and Damien Wicker were both all-conference last season and anchor the offensive and defensive lines. … The online roster only lists 15 out but expect that number to grow.
Key games: The C of C state title game is Friday, Sept. 12 at Harding Academy. Non-conference for both but serious bragging rights are on the line.Got to have something to talk about at Camp Tahkodah next summer, right?
For the roster, click here.
Friday. Aug 29 ... vs. DeWitt 7 p.m. ... Mustang Mountain
Friday, Sept. 5 ... vs. Stuttgart … 7 p.m. ... Mustang Mountain
Friday, Sept. 12 … at Harding Academy … 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26 … at Heber Springs … 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3 … at Riverview … 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10 ... vs. Hall … 7 p.m. ... Mustang Mountain
Friday, Oct. 17… at Lonoke … 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 24 ... vs. Bald Knob … 7 p.m. ... Mustang Mountain
Friday, Oct. 31 … at Mills … 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 7 ... vs. Forrest City … 7 p.m. ... Mustang Mountain
Friday, Nov. 14 … First round of the playoffs
North of the River, college edition
As usual, there’s a smattering of North of the River athletes playing Division I football this season.
The one expected to make the most impact is Quincy Rhodes Jr., now a junior defensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks and who played his high school ball at North Little Rock. Rhodes has been a standout in the preseason, starting at defensive end.
CAC/Conway
Grayson Wilson, Arkansas: Could see some action but is likely to redshirt. Wilson spent most of his high school career at CAC where he led the Mustangs to a deep playoff run in football as a junior, then followed that with the school’s first state title in boy’s basketball, then followed that a state championship runner-up in baseball, then, the North Little Rock native, followed that by transferring to Conway for his senior season, even though he had already committed to the Razorbacks when he was at CAC.
Maumelle
Andrew Chamblee, SMU: Saw regular action on the offensive line for the Mustangs last season and more of the same is expected this year.
Nico Davillier, UCLA: Transfer from Arkansas and the defensive lineman should be an immediate starter for the Bruins.
Elijah Newell, UTSA: Redshirted last season but is a speedy defensive back for Road Runners, beep beep.
North Little Rock
Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas: See note above.
Isaiah Jones, UAPB: Will play on the defensive line for the Lions this season.,
Devin Jackson, UCA: Redshirted last season, but could see action at kicker this year
KATRINA 20 YEARS LATER: Race, Resilience and Recovery
By Edmond W. Davis
Race
Hurricane Katrina did more than flood a city; it revealed America’s racial and class fault lines in ways the world could not ignore. On August 29, 2005, levees broke, waters surged, and over 1,800 lives were lost, while more than 1 million U.S. citizens were displaced — many called “refugees” in their own nation.
“We weren’t refugees. We were Americans. But to the world, we were treated like we didn’t belong.” — Ricky Fountain, Katrina survivor now living in Arkansas
For survivors like Angela Johnson, the neglect felt deliberate. “What hurt more was feeling like nobody cared we were drowning.” Families who tried to walk to safety across the Cresent City Connection bridge were met with armed officers in Gretna, blocked from escaping (CBS News, Los Angeles Times). At the same time, police confiscated lawfully owned firearms from citizens — an unconstitutional act later outlawed by Congress through the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006.
The media also played a role. Black residents carrying food through floodwaters were labeled “looters and refugees,” while white residents were called “survivors.” This racialized framing casts poverty and Blackness as criminal, even in catastrophe. “We were herded like cattle, treated like second-class citizens,” recalls another Arkansas transplant, who survived weeks in the Superdome. “They called us refugees. We were not in a foreign land. We were home.”
What You Didn’t Know
Conditions inside the Superdome and Convention Center were far worse than televised images suggested. Heat, filth, and sanitation collapse turned the Dome into what survivors called a “human cauldron.” Evacuees reported suicides, elderly residents dying of heat stroke in their wheelchairs, and desperate parents pouring bottled water over children’s heads to fight suffocating heat. Allegations circulated of National Guard checkpoints turning evacuees back with guns and soldiers demanding sexual favors in exchange for food or medicine.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced that foreign nationals were quietly evacuated by trucks and buses while poor Black Americans were left behind. Officials further stigmatized survivors by exaggerating lurid claims of mass rapes and murders — rumors later proven false (Washington Post, PBS). These myths justified a militarized posture toward evacuees, obscuring the truth: Americans, mostly poor and Black, were abandoned in their own homeland. Like fountain, Many Katrina survivors have reported hearing explosions during the levee breaches, believing they were part of a deliberate act to cause flooding. In Spike Lee's documentary, two residents from the 9th Ward recall hearing explosions and rumors of intentional levee destruction. Additionally, social media has seen numerous claims from individuals who were present during the disaster, asserting that the levees were blown intentionally to spare the wealthier white established businesses and properties. These accounts contribute to the ongoing debate about the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina
Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?
According to FactCheck.org, President George W. Bush did indeed slash funding for levee projects around New Orleans in the years before Katrina — redirecting funds in part toward the Iraq war. Local officials had warned for years that flood protection funding was inadequate, with The Times-Picayune reporting repeated shortfalls and project delays. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed that several contracts were delayed for lack of funds.
But whether those cuts directly caused the catastrophic flooding remains debated. The Corps maintains the levees were designed only for a Category 3 hurricane, while Katrina reached Category 4 strength at landfall. Critics argue that, while not a sole cause, years of underfunding and political neglect left New Orleans dangerously exposed when the storm struck.
Resilience
And yet, in the darkest conditions, resilience rose. “I poured bottles of water over my head to fight the heat,” one diabetic survivor recalled of her Superdome days. “The military gave my son a case of water and a few rations. That’s all we had. Somehow, we made it.”
Evacuees built micro-communities inside the Dome, sharing food, caring for elders, and comforting children. Churches across the South opened their doors. Volunteers from Arkansas to Texas drove buses, picked up strangers, and offered their homes. These acts of mutual aid — ordinary people saving one another — proved stronger than the state’s failures.
Resilience was not just survival; it was testimony. Survivors like Ricky Fountain still speak of the explosion they heard as the levees failed. “People say they busted from the water. No. They exploded. And the truth still hasn’t been told.”
Recovery
Katrina’s aftermath forced America to change how it prepares for disaster. The storm exposed weaknesses in FEMA, the Red Cross, and the patchwork of federal and state responses. In its wake, Congress and agencies passed reforms that reshaped disaster management across the nation.
Post-Katrina Reforms and Practices
● Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Acts (2006) – Strengthened FEMA, clarified federal-state-local coordination, improved planning for vulnerable populations.
● Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act (2006) – Prohibited firearm confiscations during emergencies.
● Stafford Act Amendments – Expanded federal evacuation and housing support.
● Levee Safety Program & U.S. Army Corps Reforms – Raised flood protection standards nationwide.
● National Response Framwork (2008, updated 2016) – Defined roles of federal, state, and local disaster response.
● Red Cross Federal Integration – Formalized role in sheltering and aid distribution.
● Special-needs registries – Created to identify and safeguard elderly, disabled, and medically dependent populations.
These reforms have since influenced disaster responses from Superstorm Sandy (2012) to Hurricane Harvey (2017), making U.S. cities better prepared.
Yet recovery is not only policy — it’s memory. Katrina’s survivors, many permanently displaced, still carry scars. “The bus I caught said GLORYLAND, North Little Rock,” said one former New Orleanian. “I left my home, my history, my family graves. I’ve never been back. That was my recovery — starting life over.”
Final Thoughts
Katrina was not simply a hurricane; it was a reckoning. It revealed how deeply race and class determine survival in America. It birthed resilience among those abandoned. And it forced lawmakers to change systems that had failed.
But “recovery” must be measured not just in stronger levees but in stronger commitments to justice. Twenty years later, the scars remain. The smell of death still lingers in neighborhoods. Survivors still recall betrayal.
The question Katrina leaves us is not just whether we are safer, but whether we are fairer. Have we learned to protect every American equally — or still decide who gets saved first? These are sobering questions even in the face of what FEMA officials are saying according to the New York Times, that Donald Trump is gutting the disaster response. Next year Katrina will be old enough to drink at 21 years old. The question now, and in 2026 will be are we buying drinks or closing the bar down? America has decided already, It's hurricane season.
Edmond W. Davis is a professor of history at Pulaski Tech and you can find him on social media @edmondwdavis
Sports
Tickets on sale for Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens
Tickets for the Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens – a PGA TOUR Champions playoff event – are now on sale to the public. For a complete listing of ticket options or to purchase tickets, please visit the tournament website at simmonsbankchampionship.com.
The Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens will be held at Pleasant Valley Country Club , Little Rock, Arkansas with activities throughout the week of Oct. 20-26. Tournament play will take place Friday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Oct. 26. The tournament will serve as the second round of the PGA TOUR Champions' annual Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs. The field will consist of the top 54 players in the standings competing for $2.3 million in prize money and a chance to earn their spot among the top 36 in the final event of the season.
"There's so much momentum heading into this year's Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens," said Freddie Black, Tournament Chair of Simmons Bank Championship. "Being selected for the PGA Tour Champion's Player Award last year – a recognition voted on by the players themselves – speaks volumes about the experience we're building here. We can't wait to welcome fans back this fall for another incredible week of golf."
General admission ticket options include daily Friday, Saturday or Sunday tickets for $30, Good Any One Day tickets for $35 or $85 weekend tickets for all three days of competition rounds. Children ages 15 and under will receive free general admission access with a ticketed adult. An upgraded 15th green shared hospitality ticket is also available to purchase for $300 per day or $850 for the weekend and provides access to an open-air venue with ballpark style food, beer, wine and seltzers. Liquor is available for purchase.
Active, reserve, and retired military will receive two (2) complimentary Good Any Day tickets (single use ticket good for one of Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) with an option to purchase up to four (4) discounted Good Any Day tickets. In order to checkout, military status will be verified through GovX. Complimentary military tickets are limited and only available while supplies last.
For more information, visit the simmonsbankchampionship.com or contact sales@simmonsbankchampionship.com.
For more information about the Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens, to purchase tickets and to stay up to date on tournament news, visit the tournament website, simmonsbankchampionship.com.
Upcoming Travs games
At Wichita, Aug. 26-31
Six game homestand with the Amarillo Sod Poodles
Regular season home finale, Sunday, Sept.7 against Amarillo
Tuesday, Sept. 2, 6:35 p.m.
No promotions scheduled
Wednesday, Sept. 3, 6:35 p.m.
No promotions scheduled
Thursday, Sept. 4, 6:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: $3 Thursday: Enjoy $3 Beer Garden Tickets and select Concessions deals!
Friday, Sept. 5, 7:05 p.m.
Fireworks Friday - Fans' Choice / Sing-Along: End your week at DSP with a BANG! | Presented By Simmons Bank
Saturday, Sept. 6, 6:05 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
Sunday, Sept. 7, 1:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off General Admission and Field Reserved tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at DSP Box Office) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
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
At Tulsa, Sept, 9-Sept. 14
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