Maumelle to get mini-golf
Eclipse rundown; Fidelity accepting fund applications; Maumelle's Millikan shines at Baldwin Wallace; Education news and notes plus headlines
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The Headlines
Meetings: The North Little Rock School Board will have its regular, monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night. Note: The North Little Rock City Council meeting has been pushed back to Tuesday, April 9 on account of the total solar eclipse on April 8.
Events: This Sunday is Easter. So hop on down to the store and buy you some jelly beans. The Brach's at Kroger's this year are exceptionally good and, thankfully, don't have any black jelly beans in the mix.
Opening Day!: Happy Opening Day to all who celebrate. Take this impossibly hard baseball quiz from the Washington Post’s George Will by clicking here.
Maumelle to get mini-golf
If there's one thing Maumelle's known for, besides the Mexican restaurants, drive-thru coffee shacks, an almost inexplicable lack of understanding between what's here and what's in North Little Rock, is the golf.
There's good golf here and there's about to be more.
The Maumelle Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight, to discuss a proposed "putting course" at 280 Maumelle Village Drive. The application is represented by Holloway Engineering and is also described as a "mini golf course in a C-3 zone."
The property is currently a vacant lot, as seen below shaded in blue, and the owner is H&M Partners, who are also developing the land.
The Planning Commission agenda notes, "this same development was previously approved at a location on Murphy Drive and due to a land swap with the City, the proposed development has moved to this location."
So, if all this sounds vaguely familiar, thanks for reading! ArkansasNewsroom.com wrote about those plans here in 2021.
The staff recommendation is for it to pass muster by the Planning Commission.
To review the rest of the relatively light agenda, click here.
Eclipse rundown
Blackout on the Boulevard set
As the April 8 total solar eclipse nears, plans are finalizing for area activities and watch parties both North of the River and across the state as most of Arkansas will experience at least a partial eclipse.
Among those is the city of Maumelle and the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce joining forces for a four-day dubbed “Blackout on the Boulevard” that will start Friday, April 5 and conclude on Monday, April 8, or shortly after the totality moves past and on to northeast Arkansas.
Times to remember on Monday, April 8
Start of partial eclipse: 12:34 p.m.
Start of total eclipse: 1:51 p.m.
Maximum eclipse: 1:52 p.m.
End of total eclipse: 1:54 p.m.
End of partial eclipse: 3:12 p.m.
All four days will be held at Lake Willastein and will feature live music, other entertainment, and, of course, a total solar eclipse.
There will also be carnival rides and food trucks. Hot air balloon rides will also be available and a beer garden for adults.
For more, go to www.maumellechamber.com.
North Little Rock will have a three-day Moon Block Party at Argenta Plaza starting on Saturday, and there will be viewing parties, with some admission costs, at Burns Park and also on the USS Razorback, the World War II submarine floating in the Arkansas River.
Fidelity accepting fund applications
Fidelity Communications will begin accepting spring 2024 applications on Monday, April 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 April 30.
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
Last year, the company awarded grants to more than 50 nonprofits, including organizations devoted to the above priority areas as well as teen suicide prevention, homelessness resources, poverty disruption, child advocacy and more.
“We are honored to support nonprofit organizations helping those most in need in the communities we serve,” said Julie Laulis, Cable One President and CEO. “Being a strong local partner is central to our values and we are proud to help make a positive difference where we live and work.”
The Charitable Giving Fund is an extension of the company’s existing corporate social responsibility efforts, which include:
Supporting national organizations dedicated to advancing education and diversity, including the Emma Bowen Foundation and the National Diversity Council.
Supporting the mission of Special Olympics, which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition, as well as health, arts, leadership, and advocacy programs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Planting trees through the Arbor Day Foundation on behalf of customers who switch to paperless billing. Since 2015, the company has planted 140,000 trees in its markets and national forests within the company’s footprint.
Supporting the mission of Keep America Beautiful in cleaning up and beautifying communities across the U.S.
Fighting hunger in local communities through volunteerism and donations, as well as supporting organizations such as Feed My Starving Children. Since 2018, Cable One has donated more than 51 tons of food and nearly $500,000 to address food insecurity.
For more information about the Fidelity Charitable Giving Fund, visit www.fidelitycommunications.com/charitablegiving.
Maumelle's Millikan shines at Baldwin Wallace
Geneva Millikan of Maumelle was recently part of the talented cast and crew from Baldwin Wallace University that staged Mary Zimmerman's "The Secret in the Wings" under the direction of assistant professor Keira McDonald during the fall 2023 semester.
Millikan, below, a graduate of Maumelle High School majoring in acting (BFA), played the parts of Mother, Nursemaid, Royal Dancing Couple, Snake Leaves Singer and Allerleria in the production.
"Fairy tales have a rich tradition of exploring themes of struggle, triumph, and morality . . . Exploring the stories that you were told as a child and the dreams that follow can be a fascinating journey of self-discovery," McDonald said of the play that explores the dark underside of a group of lesser-known fairy tales in a highly theatrical piece. "We hope that you can connect with these stories. We wish that they help you persevere through the struggles that come from being a human being while remaining honest and kind."
"The Secret in the Wings' is one of an extensive number of performance experiences providing real-world opportunities for students at Baldwin Wallace University. Productions include plays, musicals, operas, music concerts and dance concerts.
Mills principal wins PCSSD Inspiration in Education Award
The Pulaski County Special School District recently awarded its third quarter Inspiration in Education award for the 2023-2024 school year at the March Board of Education meeting.
Damian Patterson, above and center, interim principal at Mills University Studies High School, received this quarterly Inspiration in Education award. The District received a total of 19 nominations for this quarter’s award, two of which were for Patterson.
Patterson began serving as interim principal at Mills University Studies High School in January 2024. In this short time, he’s made quite an impact on both staff and students.
“Although he has been here at our school for a very short time, we as a staff have seen the climate change for the better,” said Gale V McBride, a MUSHS teacher. “He has been visible everyday to the student body. He says positive things to the students and tries to make connections with them.
Over the past 11 years, Patterson served as an assistant principal at Maumelle Middle School, Mills University Studies High School, and, most recently, Joe T. Robinson High School. This experience working across multiple feeders within PCSSD has helped him connect with both students and staff.
Several board members also shared positive remarks about Patterson and the impact he’s made during his time with PCSSD. Specifically, Eli Keller shared a personal story about the connection between his son and Patterson from when he (Patterson) worked at Maumelle Middle.
The Board of Education created the Inspiration in Education award to honor certified and support staff members who are inspirational to their students or colleagues in their roles at PCSSD. Additionally, the award recognizes employees who exhibit traits including leadership, mentoring, dedication, excellence and effectiveness in their places of work.
The Inspiration in Education award is presented to the winner quarterly in October, December, March and May. Anyone may nominate a PCSSD employee for the award. The applications are reviewed by the Superintendent's Cabinet for ranking, and the highest scorer is named the quarterly winner and receives the award from the PCSSD Board of Education.
Education notes
Phi Kappa Phi inducts new members
The following North of the River students were recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
Stacey Hobby of North Little Rock at Arkansas State University.
Tracy Sheehy of North Little Rock at Arkansas State University.
They are among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
North Little Rock’s Wooley graduates from Emporia State University
Elizabeth Wooley of North Little Rock was one of nearly 500 students who graduated from Emporia State University in December 2023.
Wooley graduated with a Master of Library Science with a concentration in Leadership and Administration .
Andrews graduates from Ole Miss
Daniel Andrews, of Sherwood, was among the more than 670 students who graduated from the University of Mississippi in December 2023.
Andrews, who majored in Business Administration, received a Master of Business Administration degree in the Graduate School.
December 2023 graduates are invited to walk across the stage at the 2024 Commencement exercises, which will be held May 8-12.
Art notes
Hamlet to be performed at North Little Rock High School
This week is going to be a big week for Shakespeare enthusiasts as the Theater Arts department at North Little Rock High School is going to be staging a production of Hamlet.
Shows start today and conclude Saturday, March 30, Easter weekend, and will be held at the high school’s Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens.
For more information, call 501- 771-8127 or click here to buy tickets online. Tickets must be purchased on the internet as no cash will be accepted at the door.
Camp Healing Hearts set for May 17
Methodist Family Health’s Kaleidoscope Grief Center is currently accepting applications to attend its free overnight grief camp, Camp Healing Hearts.
It will be held at Camp Aldersgate in Little Rock and will start at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 17 and conclude the next day.
The camp is available to any Arkansas family who has experienced a death in the last three to six months.
Grief can be a terrible thing and the camp is designed to help those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. It is for children from 5 to 18 and an adult caregiver is also required to attend with the child.
There’s 100 spaces available and to apply for the free camp, go to MethodistFamily.org/Camp-Healing-Hearts and complete the form online.
Application deadline is Sunday, May 5.
For more information, call Dao Ward at 501-537-3991 or toll-free at 800-756-3709.