Maumelle Candidate Forum held
Early voting begins Monday; Maumelle Charter boys claim state golf title; North Little Rock's Caroline Jones wins state tennis title; Simmons Bank Championship sets schedule; Friday Night Lights
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Meetings: The school board for the North Little Rock School District will have a board meeting at 5:30 p.m. today at the administration building. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall.
Events: The Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens will be at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock with event starting on Monday and tournament starting on Friday, Oct. 25. For more, keep scrolling.
Maumelle Candidate Forum
The Maumelle Country Club hosted on Monday night a Candidate Forum sponsored by the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce and ArkansasNewsroom.com.
Candidates for House District 69, House District 71 and Maumelle City Council, Ward 1, Pos. 1, were included.
The event was moderated by Neal Moore and assisted by Jeremy Peppas.
Videos of the three races are below and transcripts will be available, to be published later this week.
Click on the video thumbnail to watch each race.
House District 69 - Rep. David Ray and Kwami Abdul-Bey.
House District 71 - Rep Brandon Achor and Cassandra Green.
Maumelle City Council, Ward 1, Pos. 1 - Barry Brown Mike Chastain and LJ Wesley.
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Upcoming community events
Maumelle food truck festival is Nov. 2
Election 2024: Early voting begins Monday
Early voting begins on Monday in Pulaski County for the upcoming election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
There’s some changes this year as there’s two new early voting sites with one at the gym at Shorter College in North Little Rock and the other is the Dunbar Recreation Center in Little Rock.
North of the River sites also include the Jess Odom Community Center in Maumelle, Laman Library in North Little Rock, First Christian Church of Sherwood and the Jacksonville Community Center.
Pulaski County residents can vote on any of the early voting sites.
Times, generally, are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early voting will mostly conclude on Saturday, Nov. 2 with the exception of the Pulaski County Administration Building in downtown Little Rock where one can vote early on Monday, Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be no early voting on Sundays at any location.
Polls open at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and will close at 7:30 p.m. that night.
Early voting totals, where many local races will be decided, will be released soon thereafter, with final results coming between 9 p.m, and 10 p.m.
While the voting machines are electronic. They’re air-gapped, meaning they’re not connected to the internet, with results being tabulated to a paper cartridge that is sealed, then transported to the Pulaski County Election Commission where they are then unsealed and tabulated. In previous elections, some delays were the result of the distrances the trucks were traveling from the different polling places.
Pro tip: Candidates, if you’ve read this far, preliminary results from each polling place will be printed out and posted on the door a few minutes after the polls close. You can short circuit some anxiety by having volunteers check those numbers and report back in.
North of the River Early Voting Sites
Jess Odom Community Center
Monday, Oct. 21: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
William F. Laman Library
Monday, Oct. 21: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Shorter College (Gym)
Shorter College(Gym) North Little Rock
Monday, Oct. 21: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
First Christian Church of Sherwood
Monday, Oct. 21: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Jacksonville Community Center
Monday, Oct. 21: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
For South of the River early voting sites, click here.
Simmons Bank Championship sets schedule for next week
The Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens will be next week at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock with events beginning on Monday while the three-day tournament will begin on Friday, Oct. 25 and concluding on Sunday, Oct. 27.
The schedule includes:
Monday, Oct 21
Women's Leadership Summit and Clinic, Pleasant Valley Country Club
Kid's Clinic, PV – driving range
Tuesday
Practice Round, PV
Pro-Am Pairings Party, PV
Wednesday
Pro-Am, PV
PGA TOUR Welcome Reception at the Governor's Mansion
Thursday, Oct 24
Pro-Am, PV
Friday, Oct 25
Folds of Honor Friday, PV – 1st Tee
Championship First Round, PV, Tee Times begin at 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, Oct 26
Razorback Foundation Gameday Tailgate, PV
Championship Second Round, PV, Tee Times begin at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, Oct 27
Championship Final Round, PV, Tee Times begin at 9:30 a.m.
Trophy presentation, 18th green, immediately following the end of play on Sunday,
All three rounds of the tournament will be broadcast live by the Golf Channel.
A note about parking. General parking (Lot A) will be located at 11900 Colonel Glenn Road and there will be no parking at Pleasant Valley Country Club or in the surrounding neighborhood during tournament week. A complimentary shuttle will transport people to and fro.
Tickets are now for sale for the Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. To buy tickets, click here. Daily tickets start at $30. For more information, click on the logo above.
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.
Fidelity Communications now accepting applications for charitable giving
Fidelity Communications has begun accepting fall 2024 applications on October 1 for the company’s Charitable Giving Fund, which annually awards $250,000 in grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Applications will be accepted through October 31, 2024.
Charitable Giving Fund grants will be made available across communities served by Fidelity and the other Cable One family of brands (Sparklight, Hargray and ValuNet Fiber) and will concentrate support in the following priority areas:
Education and Digital Literacy
Hunger Relief and Food Insecurity
Community Development
For more information about the Fidelity Charitable Giving Fund, visit www.fidelitycommunications.com/charitablegiving.
Sports
High School golf: Maumelle Charter boys claim state title
The boys golf team at Maumelle Charter High School shot a combined 241 to claim the 3A state championship last week
Host Melbourne finished as runner-up with a 248 as the tournament was played at Cooper's Hawk Golf Course in Melbourne.
Central Arkansas Christian came in 5th with a 252.
Maumelle Charter’s Dylan Robertson shot a 70 to finish in a tie for 6th, while Carson Taylor's 80 was good for another tie at 8th.
Jase Holder shot an 82 and finished in a three-way tie for 11th.
CAC's Dylan Rogers shot a 77 to finish in a tie for fourth.
High School tennis: North Little Rock's Jones wins state title
North Little Rock’s Caroline Jones cruised to a straight set win in the 6A girls state title match at the Burns Park tennis complex on Wednesday.
Jones defeated Bentonville’s Glennah Langford, 2-0/
Jones, above, is the daughter of former University of Tennessee All-American tennis player and currently municipal Judge Paula Juels Jones. The younger Jones spent a portion of last summer playing on a European tennis circuit.
North Little Rock’s Georgia King won the third-place match in straight sets against Fayetteville’s Olivia Menedez, 2-0.
As a team, above, North Little Rock finished as runners-up in 6A girls.
On the boys side, North Little Rock’s Evan Randall won his third-place match by beating Bentonville’s Arya Gopi, 2-0.
In 3A girls tennis, Central Arkansas Christian’s Caroline Nick and Alyssa Jansen finished as Doubles Runner-up, while in 4A boys, CAC’s Matthew New finished as the Singles Runner-up.
Photos courtesy AAA
Football, Volleyball brackets posted
With an eye toward the postseason, the postseason brackets for volleyball and football are now live on High School on SI, formerly SBLive.
This is the first season that regional tournaments will be included in the volleyball postseason. Those nine tournament brackets are also listed and will begin play on Oct. 22 with the state tournaments being held the following week, on Oct. 29. The volleyball state finals return inside the Hot Springs Convention Center on Nov. 2.
The football playoffs begin on Nov. 15. Below the state finals schedule for both football and volleyball as well as links to both sets of brackets.
Volleyball State Finals Schedule
Nov. 2, 11 a.m. - 5A state championship
Nov. 2, 1 p.m. - 6A state championship
Nov. 2, 3 p.m. - 2A state championship
Nov. 2, 5 p.m. - 3A state championship
Nov. 2, 7 p.m. - 4A state championship
Football State Finals Schedule
Dec. 5, 7 p.m. - 8-man state championship
Dec. 6, noon - 2A state championship
Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m. - 5A state championship
Dec. 7, noon- 6A state championship
Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m. - 7A state championship
Dec. 14, noon - 4A state championship
Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m. - 3A state championship
Volleyball postseason brackets
Friday Night Lights: Maumelle travels to Jacksonville
Maumelle 50, Watson Chapel 12
Last week: The Hornets shined last Thursday night in a 50-12 drubbing of Watson Chapel. Maumelle scored 43 of those 50 points in the first half as the mercy rule was applied for the second half. Maumelle's offense was good for 391 yards of total offense in the relatively quick game. Quarterbacks Levi Warrior and Andrew Bjork split time and combined for 249 yards of passing and five touchdowns, four of which were thrown by Warrior.
This week: Maumelle travels to Jacksonville to face the struggling
Red Devils, Titans, winners of just one game this season. Maumelle enters the game tanked No. 16 in the latest Class 5A poll from hootens.com.Records: Maumelle, 4-2, 2-1; Jacksonville, 1-5, 0-3
Maumelle schedule
Aug. 31`: ... Maumelle 36, Sylvan Hills 0
Sept. 6 … Parkview 51, Maumelle 6
Sept. 13 … Maumelle 32, Vilonia 21
Sept. 20 … Bye week
Sept. 27 ... Beebe 22, Maumelle 0
Oct. 4 ...Maumelle 21, Pine Bluff 18
Oct 10 … Maumelle 50, Watson Chapel 12
Friday, Oct. 18 ... at Jacksonville
Friday, Oct. 25 … vs. White Hall
Friday, Nov. 1 ... at Searcy
Thursday, Nov. 7 … vs. Robinson
Friday, Nov. 15 … First round of playoffs
For the online roster, click here.
Little Rock Southwest 38, North Little Rock 21
Last week: The good news is that North Little Rock’s struggling offense found some spark and wre good for 21 points last Friday against Little Rock Southwest, but it wasn’t a joyful Homecoming as the visiting Gryphons won 38-21, and notched their first ever footbal win against the ‘Cats. Southwest is now likely to make the Class 7A playoffs as the No. 6 seed from the Central while North Little Rock, is likely out of postseason play. The ‘Cats last missed the playoffs in 2007.
This week: The road to a win doesn’t get any easier for North Little Rock as the ‘Cats head to west Little Rock to face Little Rock Christian this Friday.
Records: North Little Rock, 0-6, 0-3; Little Rock Chrisitan, 4-2, 2-1
North Little Rock schedule
Aug. 31... Rogers 43, North Little Rock 0
Sept. 6 … Bye
Sept. 13 ... Benton 42, North Little Rock 13
Sept. 20 ... Catholic 27, North Little Rock 17
Sept. 27 ... Pulaski Academy 47, North Little Rock 0
Oct. 4 ... Conway 63, North Little Rock 7
Oct. 11 ... Little Rock Southwest 38, North Little Rock 21
Friday, Oct. 18 ... at Little Rock Christian Academy
Friday, Oct. 25 ...at Little Rock Central
Friday, Nov. 1 ... vs. Bryant
Friday, Nov. 8 ... vs. Cabot
Friday, Nov. 15 … First round of playoffs
For the online North Little Rock roster, click here.
Central Arkansas Christian 35, Little Rock Hall 28
Last week: CAC rallied to beat Little Rock Hall, 35-28, to improve its winning streak to 2-0, after that dismal 0-4 start. Key to the effort, again, was Jackson Plumlee, the freshman quarterback and son of coach JD Plumlee. The younger Plumlee threw for a touchdown and nearly 150 yards in the win.
This week: A trip to Lonoke County to face long-time rival the Lonoke Jaackrabbits. Lonoke is 3-3 on the season, but undefeated in the conference and tied atop the conference standings with undefeated Little Rock Mills. Neither team is ranked in the Class 4A poll from hootens.com.
Records: CAC, 2-4, 2-1; Lonoke, 3-3, 3-0
CAC schedule
Aug. 31 … DeWitt 31, CAC 7
Sept. 6… Stuttgart 41, CAC 7
Sept. 13 ... vs. Harding Academy 53, CAC 20
Sept. 20 … Bye
Sept. 27 ... Heber Springs 31, CAC 29
Oct. 4 ... CAC 42, Riverview 14
Oct. 11 ... Central Arkansas Christian 35, Little Rock Hall 28
Friday, Oct. 18 ... at Lonoke
Friday, Oct. 25 ... at Bald Knob
Friday, Nov. 1 ... vs. Mills
Friday, Nov. 8 ... at Forrest City
Friday, Nov. 15 … First round of playoffs
All games kickoff at 7 p.m. unless noted
Rankings from hootens.com
Saturday's SEC schedule
Auburn (2-4, 0-3 SEC) at Missouri (5-1, 1-1 SEC): 11 a.m. • ESPN, SiriusXM: 386 - 119/191
South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) at Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2 SEC) : 11:45 a.m. CT • SEC Network, SiriusXM: 374 - 106/190
Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC): 2:30 p.m. • ABC, SiriusXM: 137/192 - 119/191
Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 SEC): 3:15 p.m. • SEC Network, SiriusXM: 106/190 - 374
LSU (5-1, 2-0 SEC) at Arkansas (4-2, 2-1 SEC): 6 p.m. • ESPN, SiriusXM: 119/191 – 384; Matchup: https://www.secsports.com/scores/football?start_date=2023-08-25&end_date=2024-01-08
Ball State (2-4 at Vanderbilt (4-2, 2-1 SEC): 6 p.m. • SEC+/ ESPN+, SiriusXM: 137/192
Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) at Texas (6-0, 2-0 SEC): 6:30 p.m. • ABC, SiriusXM: 82 – 84
Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC) at Florida (3-3, 1-2 SEC): 6:45 p.m. • SEC Network, SiriusXM: 374 - 106/190
Open: Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 SEC)
Pandemic deaths at zero
The state Department of Health updated the state’s dashboard this week, but showed no deaths since the last update that had 387 for the year. The virus has now killed 14.031 Arkansans since the pandemic began four years ago. 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
NOTE: The new Novavax vaccine is available at Costco in west Little Rock. Your insurance should cover the cost but there might be out-of-pocket expense as the federal program that previously paid for vaccinations has been discontinued.
