PCSSD sets public meetings on superintendent search
Districts issue statements on immigration; Education News plus sports and headlines
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MEETINGS: A special call meeting of the school board for the North Little Rock School District is at 5:30 p.m. tonight. The published agenda is mostly regarding student expulsions. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall.
EVENTS: PCSSD is to have a public meeting on the superintendent search at Maumelle High School tonight. For more, keep scrolling.
PUBLIC NOTICE: MAUMELLE PLANNING COMMISSION VACANCY
The Maumelle City Council is accepting resumes from residents interested in serving on the Maumelle Planning Commission. The Council will make an appointment to Position 1 for a four year term ending Jan. 31, 2029. Resumes should be submitted to Tina Timmons, City Clerk/Treasurer, and 550 Edgewood Drive, Maumelle, Arkansas 72113 no later than 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. Resumes can be emailed to cityclerk@maumelle.org. All applicants will be interviewed by the City Council at the next scheduled Council meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 at 6 p.m. The City Council will appoint immediately following the interviews. For additional information please call Scott Grummer at 501-851-2500.
PCSSD sets public meetings on superintendent search
The Pulaski County Special School District announced this week that four public, community meetings would be held around the county starting tonight and continuing into next week.
The first round of meetings are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. tonight.
The first meeting will be held in the cafeteria at Maumelle High School and it will be followed by a meeting at the cafeteria at Robinson Junior High School.
The second round is next Tuesday, Feb. 4, with the 6 p.m. meeting in the seminar room at Mills High School with the 8 p.m, meeting in the seminar room at Sylvan Hills High School.
Jerry Guess is again serving as the interim superintendent and for more information, click here.
Districts issue statements on immigration
Both the Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock school districts issued statements on immigration and deportation in response to federal moves after the change of presidential administrations.
With a renewed push on illegal immigration and enforcement, President Donald Trump has said he wants millions of illegal immigrants sent back to their former countries, or, as he said Wednesday, sent to a concentration camp of sorts at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which would be expanded to accommodate 30,000 people.
Trump’s plan runs into two roadblocks though. One, anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parent’s immigration status, and is in the Constitution as the 14th Amendment. It is known as “birthright citizenship.”
The other is the Arkansas State Constitution says any resident of Arkansas, who is school-age, is guaranteed a public education.
Arkansas, for decades, has had a nationally recognized education program for the children of farmworkers, who worked the fields seasonally. The citizenship of those students doesn’t matter.
The U.S. The Supreme Court has also ruled that “a school district cannot deny any educational rights to any student, regardless of immigration status,” PCSSD said in its statement.
Immigration status is not collected, or tracked, at enrollment by the school districts.
PCSSD added the district “wants to ensure that all students and families feel safe and welcome at school” and that they “will follow school safety protocols, District policy, and state and federal laws, which provides guidance on who is allowed to contact students during the school day. We do not allow people to enter our school buildings without permission and proper clearance. We are required by federal law, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to limit who has access to student documents.”
North Little Rock’s statement was less direct and said the district would continue to provide, “a safe, learning environment for all students, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or immigration status.”
It also noted that immigration policies were still to be finalized but wanted to assure parents, “there is zero tolerance for discrimination” and “student information, including the immigration status of their family members, will not be shared with anyone.”
That assurance comes with a caveat as the district said it, “will honor and abide by all federal and state laws.”
The district also encouraged parents to “continue business as usual” and, “please do not retreat from activities out of concern for immigration and deportation concerns.”
The district also said it would not provide legal advice and contact an immigration lawyer with further questions.
Education News
UA Little Rock names Fall 2024 Chancellor's List
UA Little Rock announces its Fall 2024 Chancellor's List, recognizing students with superior academic performance in a semester.
To be eligible for the Chancellor's List, students must earn at least nine credit hours and at least a 3.9 GPA.
North of the River UA Little Rock students who made the Chancellor's List include:
Noah Browning of Maumelle
Conner Callaway of Maumelle
Hannah Fatherree of Maumelle
Isaac Fredricks of Maumelle
Zachary Harrison of Maumelle
Isabella Immel of Maumelle
Karen Johnson of Maumelle
Jennifer Kirtley of Maumelle
April Knight of Maumelle
Katherine Lee of Maumelle
Susan McClain of Maumelle
Brandon Nichols of Maumelle
Michael Parrott of Maumelle
Brian Ruehr of Maumelle
Logan Scheiderer of Maumelle
Alycen Singleton of Maumelle
Tristin Twisdale of Maumelle
For North Little Rock and Sherwood students, click here.
More than 725 UA Little Rock students were named to the Chancellor's List for the Fall 2024 semester.
UA Little Rock names Fall 2024 Dean's List
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has announced the students who have been named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2024 semester.
To be on the Dean's List, UA Little Rock students must earn at least nine credit hours and maintain at least a 3.5 GPA.
The Dean's List recognized nearly 1,315 students with superior academic performances at the end of the semester.
North of the River UA Little Rock students who made the Dean's List include:
Jennifer Kirtley of Maumelle
Christian Johnston of Maumelle
Michael Parrott of Maumelle
April Knight of Maumelle
Susan McClain of Maumelle
Zadie Neill of Maumelle
Breanna Newman of Maumelle
Logan Scheiderer of Maumelle
Dakota Thomas of Maumelle
Akelia Creggett of Maumelle
David Fong of Maumelle
Zachary Harrison of Maumelle
Ayan Huda of Maumelle
Karoline Putnam of Maumelle
Brian Ruehr of Maumelle
Elisha Robinson of Maumelle
Isaac Fredricks of Maumelle
Isabella Immel of Maumelle
Karen Johnson of Maumelle
Justin Le of Maumelle
Katherine Lee of Maumelle
Mychaella Parrish of Maumelle
David Pearson of Maumelle
Hayden Phillips of Maumelle
Elisabeth Roedel of Maumelle
Lydia Thomas of Maumelle
Tristin Twisdale of Maumelle
Stephona Williams of Maumelle
For North Little Rock and Sherwood students, click here.
Fulbright College names Fall 2024 Chancellor's List at the University of Arkansas
More than 2,000 students were named to the Fall 2024 Chancellor's List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
To qualify for the Chancellor's List, students must achieve at least a 4.00 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours.
"Earning a place on the Chancellor's List is an extraordinary achievement that speaks volumes about these students' dedication to their scholarly pursuits," said Brian E. Raines, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "This honor exhibits their unwavering commitment to reaching for the highest levels of academic success."
"We also want to acknowledge the families, supporters, Fulbright College faculty and staff, and the broader University of Arkansas community, whose encouragement and guidance have been instrumental in supporting these students throughout their journey." Raines added. "We are incredibly proud of these students and their exemplary hard work and passion for learning."
North of the River students honored were:
Juliet Adzokpa of Maumelle
Reece Couch of Maumelle
Caroline Culpepper of Maumelle
Christian Cummings of Maumelle
Evan Gassaway of Maumelle
Amiyah Grigsby of Maumelle
Lillian Hamlin of Maumelle
Harper Haynes of Maumelle
Kathryn High of Maumelle
Sammie Lee of Maumelle
Cindy Liu of Maumelle
Kadyn Loring of Maumelle
Gavin McCleary of Maumelle
Gage Pulliam of Maumelle
Sarah Reaves of Maumelle
Whit Weatherton of Maumelle
Kylie Williams of Maumelle
Riley Wilson of Maumelle
For North Little Rock and Sherwood students, click here.
Fulbright College names Fall 2024 Dean's List at the University of Arkansas
More than 1,100 students were named to the Fall 2024 Dean's List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
To qualify for the Dean's List, students must achieve at least a 3.75 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours.
"It is with great pride that we celebrate the outstanding achievements of these students who have earned a place on the Dean's List this semester," said Brian E. Raines, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "This recognition reflects not only their academic excellence and dedication but also their resilience and commitment to learning."
"We also want to recognize these students' families and supporters, the Fulbright College faculty and staff, and the wider University of Arkansas community who have all helped champion these students every step of the way on their pursuit of academic excellence," Raines added.
More than 8,000 students call Fulbright College home and are pursuing areas of study and research across the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Learn more about Fulbright College at fulbright.uark.edu.
North of the River students honored were:
Lydia Krebs of Maumelle
Braeden Morris of Maumelle
For North Little Rock and Sherwood students, click here.
North of the River basketball
Maumelle Charter boys
Conference: 3A-6
Record so far: 8-22 and 1-8 in league play
Last week: Lost a pair of conference games.
What’s ahead: Episcopal visits this Friday, while the Falcons travel to Lisa Academy North next Tuesday as only four regular season games remain.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Friday, Jan. 31: Vs. Episcopal ... 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. . 4: At Lisa Academy North ... 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: At Rose Bud ... 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11: At St. Joseph ... 8:30 p.m.
Maumelle Charter girls
Conference: 3A-6
Record so far: 11-18 and 1-9 in league play
Last week: Lost a pair of games last week.
What’s ahead: Episcopal travels to Maumelle Charter this Friday, then at Rose Bud on Feb. 7.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score -
Friday, Jan. 31: Vs. Episcopal ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: At Rose Bud ... 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11: At St. Joseph ... 7 p.m.
Maumelle boys
Conference: 5A-Central
Record so far: 17-6 and 7-1 in conference play
Last week: The Hornets bounced back from its first loss in the 5A-Central to beat Vilonia and Little Rock Catholic last week.
What’s ahead: The Hornets travel to Beebe this Friday then host Little Rock Parkview this next Tuesday.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Friday, Jan. 31: At Beebe ... 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. . 4: Vs. Parkview ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: Vs. Jacksonville ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14: At Sylvan Hills ... 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 18: At Greenbrier ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 21: Vs. Little Rock Christian ... 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 25: At Vilonia ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 28: At Catholic ... 7 p.m.
Maumelle girls
Conference: 5A-Central
Record so far: 6-15 and 1-5 in conference play
Last week: The Hornets won a thriller on Tuesday against Mount St. Mary to earn Maumelle its first conference win this season.
What’s ahead: Beebe is Friday with Little Rock Parkview next Tuesday.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Friday, Jan. 31: At Beebe ... 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. . 4: Vs. Parkview ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: Vs. Jacksonville ... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14: At Sylvan Hills ... 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 18: At Greenbrier... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 21: At Little Rock Christian ... 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 25: At Vilonia ... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 28: At Mount St. Mary ... 7 p.m.
Central Arkansas Christian boys
Conference: 4A-5
Record so far: 4-13 and 1-5 in league
Last week: CAC beat Heber Springs on Tuesday to get the first conference win of the year for the Mustangs.
What’s ahead: Lisa Academy West visits Friday with a trip to Pulaski Academy next Tuesday.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Friday, Jan. 31: Vs. Lisa Academy West ... 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: At Pulaski Academy ... 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11: Vs. Morrilton ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14: Vs. Robinson ... 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 18: At Clinton ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 21: At Heber Springs ... 7 p.m.
Central Arkansas Christian girls
Conference: 2A-5
Record so far: 1-22 and 0-10 in conference action.
Last week: CAC is on a 19-game losing streak and last won in November.
What’s ahead: CAC hosts South Side tonight.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Thursday, Jan. 30: Vs. South Side ... 6 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 3: Vs. Jacksonville Lighthouse ... 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 6: At Bigelow ... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7: At Conway Christian... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14: Vs. Robinson ... 7 p.m.
North Little Rock Boys
Conference: 6A-Central
Record so far: 12-5, 3-1 in league play
Last week: North Little Rock rolled past Bryant on Tuesday and solidified its second place standing in the 6A-Central.
What’s ahead: Cabot is here Friday with Little Rock Central visiting next Tuesday.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Friday, Jan. 31: Vs. Cabot ... 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. . 4: Vs. Central ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: Vs. Conway ... 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14: Vs. Jonesboro ... 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 25: At Bryant ... 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 27: At Cabot ... 7:30 p.m.
North Little Rock girls
Conference: 6A-Central
Record so far: 14-8, 3-2 in league
Last week: North Little Rock beat Bryant on Tuesday.
What’s ahead: The ‘Cats get Cabot this Friday.
For the roster, click here.
Date ... Opponent ... Score
Friday, Jan. 31: Vs. Cabot ... 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. . 4: Vs. Central ... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. . 7: Vs. Conway ... 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11: At Little Rock Southwest ... 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14: Vs. Jonesboro... 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 25: At Bryant ... 5
Thursday, Feb. 27: At Cabot... 6 p.m.
Health
The journey
The first thing you notice is how good it smells.
Like really good. Like, how do they make it smell that good?
The answer, I was to learn later was, diffusers.
Diffusers, like dustboards and how the vacuum exactly works, have been added to my list of mysteries to investigate further but, for now, this is about a trip to Core Wellness in west Little Rock to explore various therapeutics and such that are offered there.
Core Wellness, for those unfamiliar, is an upscale gym and wellness center off Cantrell Road and more or less directly behind the Tops Shoes. Some might call that area the Pankey Community while others do not.
The physical address is 5310 Highland Drive, and GPS will tell you when to turn off Cantrell as there’s no sign on the highway.
It is dubbed, “Little Rock’s home for holistic wellness” and besides smelling terrific, they have a staggering array of therapeutics and other services on site along with, perhaps, the best furnished exercise area I’ve ever seen.
The gym portion is only open for private training while the services offered, in addition to the personal training, offered are:
Infrared sauna
Red Light Therapy
Emsculpt
Compression Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Cold Plunge and a host of others.
For the complete list and more about Core Wellness, click here.
The website will also give you costs for individual visits as well as various levels of memberships.
I was there to check out the Infrared Sauna, which is also known as a dry sauna.
Other types are wet saunas and much more familiar to most as they’re the ones with hot rocks you put water on to generate steam and it gets really hot, really fast.
A dry sauna uses infrared to generate heat and for the user, it starts out warm but it gets hotter as it goes. The session was timed for 30 minutes and bereft of electronics, that don’t work in the heat, and forgetting to bring reading material, it was a peaceful half hour of sweat and contemplation. Like, why am I here? Why does it keep getting hotter? This feels like it is good for me?
Anyway in the interest of body labbing, and perverse, personal interest, I had packed a digital scale and weighed before I got it, and then again after I got out.
I had managed to sweat out a pound and a half, so that was pretty good but mentally I felt detoxified. If that’s an actual thing, I don’t know, but my body just felt clearer.
Core Wellness is also offering a community event on Feb. 13 and to register, or for more information, click here.
Part 4 of a 12-part series.
Pandemic deaths climb
The state Department of Health updated the state’s dashboard this week, and added four additional deaths for 2024 for a total of 514 deaths for the past year. There’s no tab created for 2025 either. The virus has now killed 14,144 Arkansans since the pandemic began more than 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
I enjoyed reading about Core Wellness.