Maumelle approves city budget for 2024
Go, and glow, wild at the Little Rock Zoo; Education notes; Maumelle’s Daughtery has 29 for UCA in win plus sports and headlines
Note to subscribers: An annual or monthly subscription is billed to your debit or credit card as ARKANSAS.SUBSTACK.COM and if you have questions, please email arkansas@substack.com. Thanks for reading and subscribing!Pandemic deaths stay at 536 for year
The state Department of Health didn’t update its Covid dashboard this week due to the New Year’s holiday. The numbers were last updated on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The death count for 2023 then was 536 and the total number of reported dead Arkansans was at 13,406 since 2020.
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If you don’t want to get sick and die, there’s some things you can do:
Get vaccinated
Get boosted
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Avoid crowds
The Headlines
Meetings: The North Little Rock City Council meets next Monday.
Events: Basketball! A potential 6A girls state championship preview is this Friday when Conway travels to North Little Rock
Eye on the sky
Friday: Snow and sleet before 10 a.m., then rain, snow, and sleet between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., then rain after 11 a.m. High near 38. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.
NOTICE: Planning Commission vacancies
The Maumelle City Council is accepting resumes from residents interested in serving on the Maumelle Planning Commission. The Council will make two appointments to Positions 6 and 7 for four-year terms ending Jan. 31, 2028. Resumes should be submitted to Tina Timmons, City Clerk/Treasurer, 550 Edgewood Drive, Maumelle, no later than 4 p.m., Wednesday January 10. All applicants will be interviewed by the City Council at their regularly scheduled Council meeting, Tuesday Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. The City Council will appoint immediately following the interviews.
Maumelle approves city budget for 2024
The thing to know about the budget for the city of Maumelle is most everyone got a raise.
And that’s good.
People deserve to get paid.
The total budget for 2024 in Maumelle for personnel is $22.7 million, up $5,924,000 from last year’s budget and as far as the salaries, the highest paid city employee is City Attorney Andrew Thornton (Editor’s note: A previous version misstated the City Attorney’s last name), who will make $105,002, the same as last year, as he was among those who stayed at last year’s salary.
An elected position, the Maumelle City Attorney function’s as the town’s prosecutor as well as providing legal advice on municipal issues to Mayor Caleb Norris and the City Council. Thornton is in the second year of his four-year term.
Joining Thornton in the six figure club are Chief of Police Cory Pickard and Fire Chief Beau Buford who are both budgeted to receive $103,605. By city ordinance, the public safety chiefs are paid identical salaries and both received raises from last year’s $100,587.
Norris is the city’s fourth highest paid employee at $102,691 and his salary is identical to last year’s.
The remaining member of the six-figure club is Parks & Rec director Phillip Raborn at $100,149. Raborn is also one of the longest tenured city employees and will celebrate 31 years of working for Maumelle this May.
Close but not quite is the currently vacant position of City Engineer, who would receive $97,337. Other salaries of note are City Clerk Tina Timmons, who will make $67,473, while Economic Development Director Courtney Dunn will make $71,246 and newly hired Chief of Staff Deb Roush will make $70,714.
City Council members will continue to get $7,500 annually along with benefits and some expenses covered like mileage and office supplies.
The Council is budgeted for a total of $77,138 for the salaries and expenses above.
2024 City Council Meeting schedule
(Meetings are on Monday nights unless noted otherwise)
Jan. 16 (Tuesday) following Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 5
Feb. 20 (Tuesday) following Presidents Day
March 4
March 18
April 1
April 15
May 6
May 20
June 3
June 17
July 1
July 15
Aug. 5
Aug. 19
Sept. 3 (Tuesday) following Labor Day
Sept. 16
Oct. 7
Oct. 21
Nov. 4
Nov. 18
Dec. 2
Dec. 16
Go, and glow, wild at the Little Rock Zoo
Going to things in Little Rock can feel a little like making a trip to Earth-2, that alternate version of town that feels both familiar and just a little bit off.
Like going to a UALR basketball game. The jerseys say Little Rock, and there are people in the crowd who look familiar. Or do they?
Life's a mystery like that.
Another example is the zoo. Been by it, been near it. Parked in its parking lot, but somehow, some way never stepped foot in it before.
Growing up, a trip to the zoo meant a visit to Gentry and the petting zoo, which was hardly a zoo and horrifying to boot, as those dirty little monkeys engaged in acts contrary to nature, or at least zoo-level decency.
I've been to the zoos in Chicago and San Diego and even sneaked into the San Francisco Zoo. Avoiding the zoo here wasn't about making some moral stand about the penned animals, just didn't have a reason to go.
A reason appeared last week, on New Year's Eve no less, in GloWild, the lantern festival and light show that started back in November (!) and ends this Sunday night, Jan. 7.
Light shows at zoos and botantical gardens and even baseball parks have rapidly increased in popularity the last few years, as people looked for more outdoor-centric activities amid the ongoing pandemic.
GloWild is divided into three sections with part 1 being based on creatures pulled from Chinese mythology, part 2 turns to bugs, and the last section is a trip to the jungle.
And you know what? It was terrific.
The one-way loop started with a large display of butterflies and continued through activities and winged selfie stations.
Several areas were interactive, from a whack-a-mole-style panda game to the moon swings to a hard-to-describe sequined wall that invited running a finger across it.
While child friendly, GloWild appeals to all ages. Based on the reaction of the New Year’s Eve crowd, everyone was delighted by the lights, the sights, and the sounds, along with the occasional glimpse of a zoo animal in its enclosure.
The zoo claims GloWild is one of the "nation's largest interactive light festivals" with dozens of handcrafted silk-covered lanterns.
The lanterns make a covered walkway where there wasn't much walking, since people stopped to take photos and shoot videos on their phones.
Tickets are $20, and $17 for zoo members. There's also a family pack of four tickets for $65. To buy tickets, click here.
It starts at 5 p.m. and continues through 9 p.m. GloWild is a rain or shine event, so prepare accordingly if the weather looks to be rainy that night.
GloWild is sponsored by the Arkansas Zoological Foundation in partnership with Tianyu Arts & Culture.
Recycle that Christmas tree
Christmas trees can be dropped off at any of the following central Arkansas locations until the end of January:
Arkansas River – Riverview Park Access in North Little Rock
Lake Barnett – Reed Access
Greers Ferry Lake – Sandy Beach (Heber Springs), Devils Fork Recreation Area and Choctaw Recreation Area (Choctaw-Clinton)
Harris Brake Lake – Chittman Hill Access
Lake Pickthorne – Holland Bottoms Access
Lake Overcup – Lake Overcup Landing
Cox Creek Lake – Cox Creek Lake Public Access
Lake Hamilton – Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery Access Area
Art notes
Auditions for Grease set
The Argenta Community Theater will be having auditions for its summer 2024 production of Grease on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Auditions are set to start at 10 a.m. that day at the theater and callbacks will be held the following day starting at 2 p.m.
Rehearsals will begin in June with the show to debut July 24 and running through Aug. 3.
All persons interested should email casting@ArgentaCommunityTheater.org for an audition appointment; however, walk-ins will be accommodated on a first come first serve basis.
The show will be directed by Vincent Insalaco, Choreographer is Allison Stodola Wilson and Assistant Director is Bridget Davis.
Auditions are open to all genders, races and ethnicities.
Education notes
Earn your high school diploma online for free
Arkansans 21 and older, who do not have a high school diploma, can now finish school online for free through a new program from Graduation Alliance called the Arkansas Adult Diploma Program.
"This program is designed for working adults who need a flexible education option," Ron Klausner, CEO of Graduation Alliance, said in a press release. "Coursework can be completed anytime and anywhere, and learners receive support from teachers, a personal coach, and 24/7 tutors."
Graduation Alliance can offer this program for free through a state-funded initiative administered by the Arkansas Department of Education - Division of Career and Technical Education.
To qualify for the program, applicants must:
Be an Arkansas resident
Be 21 or older
Have access to a computer and the internet
Have completed at least some of 10th grade
Have not completed a GED or another high school equivalency diploma
Interested Arkansans can visit ArkansasDiploma.com or call 501-512-1417 for more information.
Maumelle’s Rachel Kerley honored
Maumelle’s Rachel Kerley was among 178 Mississippi State students inducted into the school’s National Society of Collegiate Scholars chapter.
Inductees are first- or second-year undergraduate students who have completed credits equivalent to one term of full-time study and hold a cumulative 3.4 GPA.
Mississippi State is in Starkville.
Maumelle’s Geneva Millikan earns scholarship
Maumelle’s Geneva Millikan was among over 680 students who earned named scholarships at Baldwin Wallace University this past fall.
Millikan, a graduate of Maumelle High School majoring in acting (BFA), earned the Emma Louise Gerhard Scholarship.
Baldwin Wallace University is in Berea, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
Belmont names dean’s list
The following North of the River students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Fall 2023 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours (exclusive of audit and pass/fail courses this semester) and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C (inclusive of audit, pass/fail courses and zero-credit courses).
Lindsay Compton of North Little Rock
Aidan Keach of Sherwood
Belmont’s drop-dead gorgeous campus is near downtown Nashville and has an enrollment of nearly 9,000.
Sports
Maumelle’s Daughtery has 29 for UCA in win
Carl Daughtery Jr. went wild for the University of Central Arkansas.
Daughtery, a sophomore guard for the Bears scored 29 points as UCA rolled past Champion Christian, 120-54, in Conway on Wednesday afternoon.
The game was Daughtery's third consecutive start and the former Maumelle High School star had 23 points at Missouri last Saturday. He's the team's second-leading scorer on the season.
He was among the seven UCA players in double figures in the game and was joined by North Little Rock product Glory Etim had 11 points and also pulled down 14 rebounds.
UCA travels to Florence, Alabama to face the University of North Alabama this Saturday then back in Conway on Thursday, Jan. 11 to face Eastern Kentucky.
High school basketball report
Maumelle
Record so far: 7-8
Last week: Beat eStem Tuesday night.
The week ahead: The Hornets will host Sylvan Hills this Friday and travel to Little Rock Parkview next Tuesday..
Schedule
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Sylvan Hills ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Parkview ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jacksonville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 19 ... vs. Catholic ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Cabot ... 7 p.m. ... (NC)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Vilonia ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... vs. eStem ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Sylvan Hills ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Parkview ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jacksonville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... at Catholic ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 23 ... vs. Beebe ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Maumelle Girls
Coach: Grover Garrison
Record so far: 2-10
Last week: Maumelle opened 2024 with a win against eStem.
The week ahead: Conference play continues with Sylvan Hills at home this Friday and a visit to Little Rock Parkview next Tuesday.
Schedule
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Sylvan Hills ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Parkview ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jacksonville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... vs. Little Rock Christian ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Vilonia ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Parkview ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jacksonville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... at Mount St. Mary ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tue, Feb 20 ... at Little Rock Christian ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 23 ... vs. Beebe ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Maumelle Charter boys
Record so far: 13-8
Last week: The Falcons won two games in the Episcopal Collegiate tournament, then beat Danville on Tuesday.
The week ahead: Lee Academy is tonight with a trip to Perryville on Friday and that’s followed by Lamar at home.
Maumelle Charter girls
Record so far: 15-8
Last week: Lost a pair in a holiday tournament but beat Danville on Tuesday.
The week ahead: See above.
Boys and Girls schedule
Jan 4. ... Thursday ... Lee Academy … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 5.... Friday ... at Perryville … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 9 … Tuesday … Lamar … VG / VB ... … 5 p.m.
Jan. 12.... Friday ... at Baptist Prep … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 … Tuesday … Atkins … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 19.... Friday ... at Dover … VG / VB ... … 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 23 … Tuesday … CAC … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 26.... Friday ... at Mayflower … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 30 … Tuesday … Perryville (Senior Night) … VG / VB ... 4 p.m.
Feb. 2.... Friday ... at Lamar … VG / VB ... 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 … Tuesday … Baptist Prep … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 ... Thursday ... at Atkins … VG / VB ... … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 12-17 … Sr. High District Tournament … VG, VB
Feb. 21-24 … Regional Tournament
Feb. 27- March 2 … State Tournament
North Little Rock
Coach: Nathan Clayborn
Record so far: 10-4
Last week: Lost to Bryant in the championship game of Fort Smith’s Coke Classic last week. North Little Rock led most of the game until a late fourth quarter rally sealed the win for the Hornets,
The week ahead: Will host Conway this Friday then head to Little Rock Southwest on Tuesday.
Schedule
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Conway ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Little Rock Southwest ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jonesboro ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Central ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Bryant ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Cabot ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... at Central ... 7:30 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Conway ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Little Rock Southwest ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jonesboro ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... vs. Bryant ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 22 ... vs. Cabot ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
North Little Rock Girls
Coach: Daryl Fimple
Record so far: 16-2
Last week: North Little Rock won two and lost two last week in Mansfield, Texas.
The week ahead: Conway at home is this Friday.
Schedule
Friday, Jan. 5 ... vs. Conway ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... at Little Rock Southwest ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... vs. Jonesboro ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Central ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Bryant ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... at Cabot ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... at Central ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Conway ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Little Rock Southwest ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 9 ... at Jonesboro ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Fri, Feb 16 ... vs. Bryant ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 22 ... vs. Cabot ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Central Arkansas Christian
Coach: Matt Hall
Record so far: 9-3
Last week: Didn’t play
The week ahead: CAC travels to Mayflower this Friday then hosts Perryville next Tuesday.
Schedule
Friday, Jan. 5 ... at Mayflower ... 7:15 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... vs. Perryville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... at Lamar ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Baptist Prep ... 7:30 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Maumelle Charter ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... vs. Dover ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... vs. Mayflower ... 7:15 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Perryville ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Lamar ... 7 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 8 ... at Baptist Prep ... 7:30 p.m. ... (C)
Roster
Central Arkansas Christian Girls
Coach: Steve Quattlebaum
Record so far: 2-12
Last week: Beat Magnet Cove then lost to host Jessieville in tournament action last week.
The week ahead: Conference games at Mayflower on Friday and hosting Perryville on Tuesday.
Schedule
Friday, Jan. 5 ... at Mayflower ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 ... vs. Perryville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 12 ... at Lamar ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 ... vs. Baptist Prep ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 19 ... vs. Atkins ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 ... at Maumelle Charter ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Jan. 26 ... vs. Dover ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Jan. 30 ... vs. Mayflower ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Friday, Feb. 2 ... at Perryville ... 6 p.m. ... (C)
Tuesday, Feb. 6 ... vs. Lamar ... 6:30 p.m. ... (C)
Thursday, Feb. 8 ... at Baptist Prep ... 6 p.m. ... (C)