Maumelle, North Little Rock candidates set
Maumelle, North Little Rock candidates set
Some surprises in the field; Back-to-School gets closer plus headlines and sports
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Meetings: The North Little Rock City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall.
Events: At 4:45 p.m. today, North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick will be part of the CEO Soak Arkansas to make a splash against ALS. The event will be downtown and to donate, click here.
Survey time: The Central Arkansas Library System is currently conducting a survey of interested patrons on a strategic plan going forward. The Maumelle library is among the CALS branches. Click on the survey here.
Tickets for sale: Tickets are now for sale for this fall’s Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. To buy tickets, click here. Daily tickets start at $30. Packages will eventually be available as well but not yet.
Upcoming events for the end of summer
The North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department will host end-of-summer and back-to-school events at the community centers over the coming weeks. These events are free to the public and will have games, activities, school supplies, door prizes, and more.
Saturday, Aug. 10: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sherman Park Community Center will host the Family Fun Fest in the center and at their pool at 624 Beech Street. Call 501-340-5373.
Thursday, Aug. 15: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Glenview Community Center will host a Back-to-School Splash Bash at their splash pad at 4800 E 19th Street. Call 501-945-2921.
Maumelle, North Little Rock candidates set
Regardless of what happens on Election Day, Maumelle and North Little Rock will be both getting some new faces in city government, along with some familiar faces returning.
First up, the unopposed incumbents.
North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick will get his third, and second consecutive, term in office as he did not draw an opponent. Neither did City Clerk Diane Whitbey.
On the City Council side, Nathan Hamilton and Ron Harris are both running unopposed in their wards.
In Maumelle, Ward 3 council member Terry Williams and Ward 4’s Doug Shinn are both running unopposed as well.
Back to North Little Rock, six terms on the city council was enough for Charlie Hight and he decided not to seek a seventh. Running to replace Hight are Scott Fowler and Somer Clark-Day while Council member Maurice Taylor drew an opponent in Nicole Hart.
Things get more interesting in Maumelle as the Council is guaranteed to get two new faces.
First will be Wes Booker in Ward 2 as incumbent R.J. Mazzoni did not file for re-election and with Steve Mosley’s earlier decision to step aside after three terms on the Council, Ward , Position 1 had three file to be Mosley’s replacement.
They are: Barry Brown, LJ Wesley and Michael Chastain.
City Council races in Maumelle and North Little Rock are staggered with four seats being open every two years.
Maumelle Mayor Caleb Norris, City Clerk Tina Timmons and City Attorney Andrew Thornton won their four-year terms in 2022 and won’t be back on the ballot until 2026.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. You must be registered to vote by Oct. 7 and click here to check your voter registration.
Early voting will start Oct. 21 and conclude on Monday, Nov. 4.
A runoff election, if needed, will be held on Dec. 3 with early voting starting on Nov. 26 and ending Dec. 2
List of candidates
Maumelle
Ward 1, Position 1
Barry Brown
LJ Wesley
Michael Chastain
Ward 2 , Position 1
Wes Booker
Ward 3, Position 1
Terry Williams
Ward 4, Position 1
Douglas W. Shinn
North Little Rock
Mayor Terry Hartwick
City Clerk Diane Whitbey
Ward 1, Position 1
Nathan Hamilton
Ward 2, Position 1
Nicole Hart
Maurice Taylor
Ward 3, Position 1
Ron Harris
Ward 4, Position 1
Scott Fowler
Somer Clark-Day
Photos courtesy Pulaski County Clerk’s office
Back-to-School nears for PCSSD, NLRSD and CAC
While the first day of school has already passed for Maumelle Charter students, that’s not the case for Central Arkansas Christian, Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock school districts.
CAC will have students return next week, Wednesday, Aug. 14, while North Little Rock and PCSSD students will be back the following week, Monday, Aug. 19.
Football is also in the air as benefit games have also been set with CAC traveling to Mountain Home on Tuesday, Aug. 20 while North Little Rock will play at El Dorado on Friday, Aug. 23.
CAC's benefit game will kickoff at 5:30 p.m. while North Little Rock's will start at 6 p.m.
PCSSD | First day of school: Monday, Aug. 19
For the district's back to school guide, click here.
NLRSD | First day of school: Monday, Aug. 19
For the district’s back to school guide, click here.
For the open house schedule by school, click here.
CAC | First day of school: Wednesday, Aug. 14
For more click here,
ACHI analysis: Most postpartum moms have no follow-up visits
More than half of postpartum mothers in Arkansas who experience an acute mental health or other behavioral health event requiring an emergency room visit or inpatient stay do not have a follow-up outpatient visit, a new analysis by the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement finds.
As part of continuing analyses of the factors contributing to Arkansas’ maternal health crisis, ACHI examined outpatient, emergency room, and inpatient behavioral health events among 80,704 mothers who gave birth between Jan. 1, 2019, and June 30, 2022. ACHI also reviewed the timing of follow-up visits among postpartum Arkansas mothers following a behavioral health event requiring an emergency room visit or inpatient stay. The analysis found that 59% of postpartum mothers had no follow-up behavioral health visit within 120 days of an emergency room visit, and 56% had no follow-up behavioral health visit within 120 days of an inpatient stay.
ACHI also found that 29% of the postpartum mothers, or more than 23,000, had an outpatient visit related to a mental health diagnosis during the 12 months following a birth, compared with 17% during the nine months before a birth. Two percent of mothers, more than 1,600, had an emergency room visit for a mental health diagnosis during the postpartum period, and 2% required an inpatient stay.
“Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation, but maternal deaths are not the whole story,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “Behavioral health conditions are one of the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Fortunately, there is hospital access to stabilize pregnant women or new mothers during an acute event, but we must also work to ensure they receive the follow-up care necessary to help them continue to heal.”
Additional ACHI findings include:
Behavioral health events were more likely to occur in the postpartum period compared with the prenatal period.
455 mothers included in the analysis were seen in the emergency room for a substance use disorder during the postpartum period, and 500 required an inpatient stay for a substance use disorder.
Postpartum mothers consistently had lower rates of follow-up visits after an emergency room visit or an inpatient stay compared with all women ages 18-44 in Arkansas.
A previous ACHI analysis of severe maternal morbidity, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term health consequences,” found that more than one-third of severe maternal morbidity events occurred between six weeks and one year after a birth. The severe maternal morbidity definition did not include behavioral health conditions.
ACHI also noted in a previous infographic that 19.7% of new Arkansas mothers reported experiencing postpartum depression in 2021. In the best-performing state, Vermont, just 8.7% of new mothers reported experiencing postpartum depression in 2021.
“We assume that when the mother goes home from the hospital, all is well with her and her baby, but frequently that is not the case,” said Thompson. “This should be a wake-up call to all of us that we need to continue to support our mothers throughout their birthing journeys. That includes learning to recognize signs of depression and other mental health challenges our mothers may be experiencing and reaching out to help. Families, neighbors and faith-based communities can all play a part.”
An infographic containing findings from the maternal behavioral health analysis is The data source for the analysis is the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative’s All-Payer Claims Database.
More of ACHI’s findings on maternal and infant health in Arkansas are available at achi.net/maternal-infant-health.
ACHI is a nonpartisan, independent health policy center that serves as a catalyst for improving the health of all Arkansans through evidence-based research, public issue advocacy, and collaborative program development.
Sports
Touchdown Club sets schedule of speakers
In a sure sign football is getting closer, the Little Rock Touchdown Club announced its fall schedule of weekly speakers.
The Touchdown Club meets at the DoubleTree Hotel, located at 424 W. Markham St. in Little Rock with lunch being served at 11 a.m. with the speaking program beginning at 11:50 a.m. The goal, most weeks, is to be finished by 1 p.m.
Meeting days are on Monday, with the exception of the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 2, so the meeting that week will be on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Membership dues start at $90 and can be paid online at LRTouchdown.com.
The speaker lineup includes:
Monday, Aug. 19: Sam Pittman, head coach, University of Arkansas
Monday, Aug. 26: Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers
Tuesday, Sept. 3: Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
Monday, Sept. 9: Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams, Southern Methodist University
Monday, Sept. 16: Hunter Yurachek, University of Arkansas
Monday, Sept. 23: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State University, Texas A&M University
Monday, Sept. 30: Greg McElroy, ESPN, New York Jets, University of Alabama
Monday, Oct. 7: Dan Mullen, ESPN, University of Florida, Mississippi State University
Monday, Oct. 14: Nathan Brown, head coach, University of Central Arkansas
Monday, Oct. 21: D.J. Williams, Green Bay Packers, University of Arkansas; Jarius Wright, Minnesota Vikings, University of Arkansas; Joe Adams, Carolina Panthers, University of Arkansas
Monday, Oct. 28: Butch Jones, head coach, Arkansas State University
Monday, Nov. 4: Colt McCoy, University of Texas
Monday, Nov. 11: Barry Switzer, University of Oklahoma, Dallas Cowboys; Ken Hatfield, University of Arkansas; Fred Marshall, University of Arkansas
Monday, Nov. 18: Jordan Rodgers, SEC Network, Vanderbilt University
Monday, Nov. 25: David Pollack, University of Georgia, University of Cincinnati
Upcoming Travs games
Opponent - Tulsa
Today, 6:35 p.m.
$3 Thursday: Enjoy $3 Beer Garden Tickets and Concessions deals, including Hot Dogs, Soft Drinks, Cotton Candy, and a Select Canned Beer & Seltzer!
Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Post-Game Drone Show: Join us at Dickey-Stephens Park for the first ever sanctioned drone shows in Central Arkansas! | Presented By CHI St. Vincent
Marvel's Defenders of the Diamond Night & Jersey Auction
Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
George Kirby Bobblehead Giveaway: Presented By Dr Pepper | First 1,000 Fans (one item per person)
Post-Game Drone Show: Join us at Dickey-Stephens Park for the second ever sanctioned drone show in Central Arkansas! | Presented By CHI St. Vincent
Sunday, 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
Family Sunday: Get $2 General Admission tickets by presenting a physical or digital church bulletin (only available at DSP Box Office)
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game!
At Wichita, Tuesday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 18.
Pandemic deaths unknown
The state Department of Health again didn’t have a Covid report available for this week and numbers for the year haven’t been updated since last week. The state’s dashboard says there’s been 294 Covid-related deaths in 2024. The virus has now killed 13,938 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