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Death toll drops

The weekly death toll from the ongoing pandemic took a sharp drop as several days of no fatalities were reported and the total number of dead Arkansans was at 7.

The previous week it was at 26.

The total number of dead Arkansans is now at 11,410

As for the national trends, the forecast numbers from the Centers for Disease Control are below and through June 7.

Most forecasts have settled in at 11,500 total deaths in the next four weeks with one outlier calling for around 12,000.

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

• Argenta Community Theater sets 12th season lineup: The Judy Kohn-Tenenbaum Argenta Community Theater recently announced the lineup for its 12th season as well as the opening of a new educational annex.

• Why won’t more older Americans get their Covid booster?: Even as top U.S. health officials say it’s time America learns to live with the coronavirus, a chorus of leading researchers say faulty messaging on booster shots has left millions of older people at serious risk.

• Plan hatched for engineered mosquitoes to battle stealthy predator

• Upcoming meetings: Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night.

• Upcoming events: Maumelle Charter High School graduation is this Friday.

Covid toolkit

There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.

Sports

Travs on the road

The Arkansas Travelers road swing continues though Sunday but the Boys of Summer return on Tuesday and will be at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park for two weeks.

Road Swing

• Today ... 7:05 p.m.  ... at San Antonio

  Friday ... May 13 ... 7:05 p.m.  ... at San Antonio

  Saturday ... May 14 ... 7:05 p.m.  ... at San Antonio

  Sunday ... May 15 … 2:05 p.m. ... at San Antonio

Home Stand

• Tuesday, May 17... 6:35 p.m. ... vs.  NW Arkansas; Promotions: Mug Club

• Wednesday ... May 18... 6:35 p.m. ... vs.  NW Arkansas; Promotions:  Dog Days Of Summer

• Thursday ... May 19  … 6:35 p.m ….  vs.  NW Arkansas ... 6:35 p.m.; Promotions:  $3 Thirsty Thursday and  Strike Out Stroke

• Friday ... May 20 … 7:05 p.m.  ... vs.  NW Arkansas; Promotions: Fireworks

• Saturday ... May 21 … 7:05 p.m. … vs. NW Arkansas; Promotions: Healthcare Workers Appreciation Night and Noche De Diamantes

• Sunday ... May 22 … 1:35 p.m. ... vs.  NW Arkansas; Promotions:  Operation: Military Appreciation and Family Sunday 

• Tuesday ... May 24 … 6:35 p.m.  ... vs.  Amarillo; Promotions: Star Wars Night and Mug Club

• Wednesday ... May 25... 6:35 p.m. ... vs.  Amarillo; Promotions:  Dog Days Of Summer

• Thursday ... May 26... 6:35 p.m. ... vs.  Amarillo; Promotions: $3 Thirsty Thursday

• Friday ... May 27 ... 7:05 p.m. ... vs.  Amarillo; Promotions:  Fireworks

• Saturday ... May 28 ... 7:05 p.m. ... vs.  Amarillo; Promotions:  Salute To Seattle & Jersey Auction and Kids Run The Bases

• Sunday ... May 29 ... 5:35 p.m. ... vs.  Amarillo; Promotions: Memorial Day Fireworks and Operation: Military Appreciation

Click headlines to read more

Early voting in progress for May 24 Primary

Early voting for May 24’s primary has begun and will continue through, roughly, the next two weeks.

The main early voting location is the Pulaski County Regional Building in downtown Little Rock with dates that run through Monday, May 23.

Times there are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week with 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. 

Any registered voter in Pulaski County can early vote at any location and times for the other early polling sites are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Jess Odom Community Center and the main branch of North Little Rock’s Laman Library are North of the River early voting locations with the others being: 

• Sue Cowan Williams Library, 1800 S Chester St., Little Rock

• John Gould Fletcher Library, 823 Buchanan St., Little Rock

• Bethel Baptist Church, 112 N Jeff Davis St., Jacksonville

• Dee Brown Library, 6325 Baseline Road, Little Rock

• Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library, 2015 Napa Valley Drive, Little Rock

• Roosevelt Thompson Library, 38 Rahling Circle, Little Rock

• Hillary Clinton Children’s Library, 4800 W 10th St., Little Rock

• First Christian Church of Sherwood, 2803 Kiehl Ave., Sherwood

• Sidney S. McMath Library, 2100 John Barrow Road, Little Rock

Maumelle High School names top graduates

Eva Casto  will be, as expected, Maumelle High School’s Valedictorian at graduation on Saturday, May 21.

Geneva Millikan will be the Salutatorian for the Class of ‘22.

Graduation will start at 9 a.m. at the Jack Stephens Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Other Pulaski County schools will also be graduating that day with the schedule being:

• Joe T. Robinson at 10:30 a.m.

• Sylvan Hills at 1 p.m.

• Mills University Studies at 2:30 p.m.

Maumelle’s Eva Casto named National Merit Scholar

Eva Casto, a senior at Maumelle High School, was selected as a 2022 National Merit Scholar this week.

Casto has an eye-popping 4.357 grade point average and scored a perfect 36 on her ACT when she was a sophomore.

Among her extracurriculars are the band and National Honor Society as well the Maumelle City Youth Council. She also volunteers with the Arkansas Food Bank and was a 2021 attendee of the Arkansas Governor’s School.

Casto is the second consecutive Maumelle student to be named a National Merit Scholar as Clayton Boothe was recognized last year.

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Maumelle Charter names top graduates

Cademom Larmoyeux has been named the Valedictorian at Maumelle Charter High School, while Anna Carden was named the Salutatorian.

Maumelle Charter will have its commencement this Friday and it  will start at 6:30 p.m.

The school said graduation is open to the public and that tickets are not needed. It will be held at the school’s gym.

Honors graduates at Maumelle Charter:

• Cademom Larmoyeux ... Valedictorian, Honors Graduate 

• Anna Carden ... Salutatorian, Honors Graduate 

• Kaylee Munnerlyn ... Honors Graduate 

• Micah Meeks ... Honors Graduate 

• Emily McGee ... Honors Graduate 

• Kennedy Williams ... Honors Graduate 

• Owen Counts ... Honors Graduate 

• Sarai Davis ... Honors Graduate 

• Miracle Jones ... Honors Graduate 

• Wilson Harris ... Honors Graduate 

• Jordan Bures ... Honors Graduate 

• Elizabeth Roy ... Honors Graduate 

The school also held a Senior Academic Signing Day on April 28 and the list below are the students who participated and where they will attend college this fall.

• Leigha Arrington ... Arkansas State University-Beebe

• Anna Carden ... University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

• Owen Counts ... University of Arkansas

• Kameron Davis ... University of Central Arkansas

• Paris Ellis ...  ... Arkansas Tech University

• Wilson Harris ... Arkansas Tech University

• Mason Heslep ... University of Arkansas-Little Rock

• Aidan Hudgens ... University of Arkansas

• Samir Kabaou ... University of Arkansas

• Cade Larmoyeux ... Arkansas State University

• Emily McGee ... University of Arkansas

• Micah Meeks ... Ouachita Baptist University

• Jalen Mitchell ... Hendrix College

• Aiden Patton ... University of Central Arkansas

• Elizabeth Roy ... University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

• Max St. Onge ... University of Arkansas

• Kennedy WIlliams ... University of Arkansas

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A great night for rock and roll

FAYETTEVILLE – There’s something about live music that’s good for the soul.

Opportunities for such have been slim in these pandemic times but there’s concerts to be had for those willing and such was the case last Saturday night in Fayetteville as Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, along with opening act Heartless Bastards performed in front of a sold-out crowd at JJ’s Live, a concert hall besides the Target and not to be confused with the JJ’s on Dickson Street.

And not to be confused with the other JJ’s, and if you haven’t been to northwest Arkansas recently, it gets a little confusing as things have changed quite a bit.

Isbell, and his band, have been touring this year and put down a requirement that proof of  vaccination was required to attend. It caused a bit of a stir among the dumb as some earlier shows were cancelled as venues wouldn’t comply. That wasn’t the case earlier this year when he had a sold-out show at the First Security Amphitheater in the River Market and it wasn’t the case on Saturday night either. JJ’s Live pitched in as well as they reduced capacity to allow for a little more room to move and mingle.

As venues go, it could have used some seating. Having pit tickets, plus getting there early meant nearly five hours on a solid concrete floor and while the Hokas have exceptional cushioning, it was still an agonizing experience that started at the feet and worked its way up. While to the inexperienced eye it might have looked like moving and grooving to the beat, it was actually a desperate attempt to restore feeling in the toes.

Still worth it.

Isbell put on a helluva show, which is kind of his thing. He’s not flashy. He’s not a showman like Garth Brooks or putting on a fireworks spectacle like some heavy metal drummer.

He’s a craftsman and he’s good at his craft.

As a singer, as a songwriter and as a guitarist, he’s just good at those things.

You won’t hear his songs on the radio much though as Isbell’s brand of twangy, Alabama-infused rock and roll doesn’t fit into either the country or pop music buckets.

As a songwriter, the lyrics go deep and there’s whole novels contained in lines like this from Decoration Day, the song that closed the show and from Isbell’s stint with the Drive-By Truckers:

And they've never seen my Daddy's grave.

But that don't bother me, it ain't marked anyway.

And as guitarist, Isbell’s top three I’ve seen live, with the others being Vince Gill and Wilco’s Nels Cline.

Saturday night’s show was solid from start to finish. The crowd, at least in the pit, sang along to every word. It was a joyous experience to have that back again. Virus be damned.

Some highlights were breaking out covers from Georgia Blue and for those of us of a certain age, hearing Sadler Vaden’s cover of Drivin N Cryin’s Honeysuckle Blue, again, for the first time live since the 90s was a real high point.

The band was joined by Isbell’s wife, Amanda Shires, for the show and her presence elevated the night to a different level.

It isn’t recency bias. Her fiddle and backing vocals just made something already good, better.

Her cover of Cat Power’s Cross Bones Style was also terrific.

It was a great night for rock and roll.

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