Groundbreaking for Villages of Maumelle is Friday
Weekly death toll drops, Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Maumelle Planning Commission meets tonight, Time to get Jazzy, Travs play at home tonight and headlines
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Weekly death toll drops
The weekly death toll from Covid dropped to 17 with the total number of dead Arkansans from the ongoing pandemic now at 11,377.
Last week, the weekly death count was 35.
As for the national trends, the forecast numbers from the Centers for Disease Control are below and through May 21.
Most of the forecasts are tightening up to around 11,500 deaths with an outlier forecast calling 12,000 total deaths in the next four weeks.
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
Advance care planning for guns: Owners can help ensure safe use and transfer of weapons
ICYMI: Persistent problem: High C-section rates plague the south
Upcoming meetings: The Maumelle Planning Commission meets tonight. The Maumelle City Council will meet on Monday night.
Upcoming events: The Young Community Advocates of Baring Cross are hosting Saturday Funday in Vestal Park. It will start at 2 p.m. For more information, call 501-744-8842
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 at home
The Arkansas Travelers host the Wichita Wind Surge at 6:35 p.m. tonight and have games at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park through Sunday before hitting the road for two weeks and into the middle of May. T
Home stand
Tonight... 6:35 p.m. vs. Wichita; Promotions: $3 Thirsty Thursday. Buy tickets by clicking here.
Friday ... 7:05 p.m. vs. Wichita; Promotions: Fireworks, 501 Night and Jersey Auction
Saturday ... 7:05 p.m. vs. Wichita; Promotions: Dizzy's Birthday Bash and Dog Collar Giveaway
Sunday … 1:35 p.m. vs. Wichita; Promotions: Operation: Military Appreciation and Family Sunday
Two-week road swing
Tuesday ... May 3... 6:35 p.m. ... at Frisco; Wednesday ... May 4... 6:35 p.m. ... at Frisco; Thursday ... May 5... 6:35 p.m. ... at Frisco; Friday ... May 6... 6:35 p.m. ... at Frisco; Saturday ... May 7... 6:35 p.m. ... at Frisco; Sunday ... May 8 … 4:05 p.m. ... at Frisco | WEEK 2: Tuesday ... May 10 ... 7:05 p.m. ... at San Antonio; Wednesday ... May 11 ... 7:05 p.m. ... at San Antonio[ Thursday ... May 12 ... 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
Maumelle Planning Commission meets tonight
The Maumelle Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight at City Hall for its regular monthly meeting.
The agenda is a light one with just one item of new business and no old business to discuss.
The lone item is a request by the Parks and Recreation department to install an enclosed batting cage at the Maumelle Diamond Center.
The building, as seen below, would be in the middle of the six field complex.
A variance request at 28 Club Manor Drive was previously on the agenda for this month but it has been withdrawn.
The meeting is open to the public.
Time to get Jazzy!
The North Little Rock High School Jazz Band will perform at Jazz Fest this Saturday.
The event will have several high schools participating and will start at 10 a.m. at the Lakewood Village Amphitheater. Admission is free and those going are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs.
In other arts news, Dance Matters will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5.
The event is presented by North Little Rock High School and will be held at the school’s auditorium.
For more information, or to buy tickets, click here.
Wizard of Oz in North Little Rock
The Wizard of Oz, one of the most beloved movies of all time, will be performed as a stage production at North Little Rock’s Argenta Community Theater started this week.
The production run will end May 7.
Show times are 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Friday and Saturday night shows starting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 1 will be a matinee that starts at 2 p.m.
Tonight’s show is a preview performance and will cost $25. All other tickets are $35.
Doors will open one hour before curtain at 405 Main St., in downtown North Little Rock and to buy tickets to any of the shows, click here.
Proof of Covid vaccination is required to attend and attendees must wear masks when inside, unless eating or drinking.
Three student-only matinees will also be held on April 28, May 3 and May 5 at 10:30 a.m. To arrange tickets to any of those, contact Sydney Wolfe at swolfe@argentacommunitytheater.org.
PCSSD to have career fair
The Pulaski County Special School District is hosting a career fair this Saturday at Maumelle High School.
The high school is located at 100 Victory Lane and will start at 9 a.m. It is scheduled to end at 1 p.m.
The district has a total of 26 campuses, both virtual and brick and mortar, across the county and have needs at each.
“PCSSD is a great place to work. We truly strive to put our scholars first in every decision that we make,” said Shawn Burgess, superintendent for Human Resources. “For me, that means putting the very best talent in our schools and departments in an effort to make a positive impact and help our scholars be the very best they can be.”
The positions looking to be filled are, among others::
Classroom teachers
Substitute teachers
Paraprofessionals
Nurses
Transportation department
Security
Groundbreaking for Villages of Maumelle to be Friday
Friday is another big day for Maumelle as the Villages of Maumelle will have a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m., near the intersection of Commerce and Commercial Park drives.
The public is invited.
The Villages of Maumelle is described by developer Gene Pfiefer as a “Continuum Living Community” and is “geared towards seniors, retirees and empty nesters.”
The builder will be Ron Harris, who is also a member of the North Little Rock City Council, through his construction company, Summerwood, Inc.
The development will be gated and cover 13 acres with a total of 76 town homes with living space ranging from 1,800 to 2,300 square feet along with 39 detached single family homes, with 21 of those being three bedroom and the remaining eight being two bedrooms.
Among the amenities available at the development are two dog parks, two pickleball courts and a clubhouse.
Williams Baptist inducts six into Sigma Beta Delta
Maumelle's Ronnie Peas was among six students at Williams Baptist University inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta Business Fraternity at Williams Baptist University.
The other inductees for this year were:
Danielle Barstead of Springfield, Mo.; Dylan Creech of Jonesboro; Calista Christian of Conway; Kara Harris of Searcy and Charlie Phillips of Clarkridge.

Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society for students in business, management, and administration serves institutions which offer baccalaureate and graduate degrees in business, management, and administration where the institution holds accreditation from one of the six regional accrediting bodies but not specialized accreditation in business.
Williams Baptist is in Walnut Ridge.
Drug Take Back Day is Saturday
The annual Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday. The event is a partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Drug Enforcement Agency. It is now in its 23rd year.
It will start at 10 a.m. and continue through 2 p.m. on Saturday at one-day locations set up around Arkansas.
The lone location in Maumelle is a 24-hour, seven day a week drop off location at the city’s police department at 2002 Murphy Drive.
The closest one-day sites are in Mayflower at North Little Rock’s McCain Maill
To see the full list of state-wide dropoff points, click here.
Since the dropoff day’s start in 2010, the state has collected over 221 tons, or 442,162 pounds, in unwanted or unused prescriptions.
Green appointed to national committee
Gwen Green, the marketing and communications manager for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock was recently appointed to the Marketing and Communications Committee for America’s SBDC national network.
Green, who sharp-eyed readers will recognize, is also an occasional contributor to ArkansasNewsroom.com and has worked at the center since 2008. She has degrees from Lyon College in Batesville and Ole Miss
“Gwen is an exceptional marketing and communications professional,” State Director Laura Fine said. “Her extensive experience leading ASBTDC’s marketing, communications, and branding for the past 14 years makes her a great choice for this committee. She is well respected in the national network, and I am thrilled that her talents will be used to elevate the work of America’s SBDCs and the 63 member programs in our national network.”