State of the Cities
Caleb Norris to deliver annual report at luncheon next Thursday; CAC, Maumelle win state tournament openers and both teams play tonight, A busy week in the Arts ahead plus headlines and sports
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!Death toll stays steady
The total number of dead Arkansans this past week was 23.
Last week, it was 21, and the week before that it was 32.
The total number of dead Arkansans is now at 12,980.
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The Headlines
Upcoming meetings: The North Little Rock School Board will hold a workshop and special meeting at 5:30 p.m. today and click here for the agenda. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall.
Upcoming events:The Maumelle State of the City luncheon is next Thursday. Also that day a memorial will be held for the late Al Canelli. It starts at 4 p.m. at Lake Willastein and past the suspension bridge. That will be followed by a reception at Cheer’s in Maumelle. Please RSVP with the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce so they can have a count for the reception. For details or to register, click the flyer below. The Small Business Startup Summit will also be held that day at the Arkansas Federal Credit Union Headquarters in west Little Rock. It starts at 10 a.m. The summit is free to attend but pre-registration is required. To register, click here.
Sports: Both CAC and Maumelle have state tournament games tonight at 8:30 p.m. The Mustangs are at Lamar while the Hornets are at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
State of the Cities
The Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce is having a luncheon next Thursday at the Jess Odom Community Center where Mayor Caleb Norris will issue the annual State of the City report. The luncheon will start at 11:30 a.m. with the presentation to follow at noon. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door. For more details, click the flyer below.
North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick issued the annual State of the City report and it can be read by clicking here. The city also put together a video report and it can be viewed below.
Art notes
Insalaco to be honored Wednesday
North Little Rock’s Vince Insalaco will receive the Charlotte Gadberry Award from ACANSA next Wednesday, March 8, at a ceremony at the Argenta Community Theater.
The sold-out event will start at 6 p.m. and donations are still being accepted here.
The Charlotte Gadberry Award honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the artistic community in central Arkansas. Insalaco has been the Producing Artistic Director of the Argenta Community Theater since its start in 2010 when he co-founded the organization with Judy Kohn Tenenbaum
Insalaco, above, has been a producer, director or actor in productions for more than 40 years.
“Vince has been a partner with the ACANSA Festival since the very beginning,” said John Gaudin, President of ACANSA’s Board of Directors. “We want to celebrate his commitment to showcasing the talent pool we have in Central Arkansas and his determination to offer superb educational opportunities to local students. Vince’s dedication to the arts is beyond deserving of this recognition.”
Proceeds from the event support ACANSA’s Free Spring Break Art Camps, which offer arts education opportunities to local students across the spectrum of artistic disciplines.
For more information, call Gaudin at 501-225-5600 or email info@acansa.org.
Chicago in Little Rock on March 17
Chicago makes a two-day, three-show stop at Robinson Center in Little Rock this month.
The shows are Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18.
The Friday show starts at 7:30 p.m. while the Saturday shows are a 2 p.m. matinee and then an evening show at 7:30 p.m.
To buy tickets online, click here.
They can also be purchased by calling 501-244-8800 or going to box office at 426 W. Markham.
The Producers closes this week at Argenta Community Theater in downtown North Little Rock. The play started Wednesday and tickets are limited as several performances are already sold out. The show’s run ends on Saturday, March 4.
Tickets range from $25 to $35 and can be purchased by clicking here.
The Producers
Starring in The Producers as Max Bialystock is Jay Clark, who is also the senior pastor at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock. Michael Klucher is Leo Bloom and Klucher is a teacher at North Little Rock High School and also serves as the scene designer for the school’s very good drama department. The pair are seen below.
It should be noted the show contains adult humor and references and is not recommended for younger audiences. Tickets for remaining three days of shows are limited and for more information, click here.
Spamalot
Spamalot starts this week at the Wildwood Center for the arts in rural west Little Rock
Opening night is this Friday, March 3 and will close on Sunday, March 12.
Evening shows start at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by clicking here.
Clue
This month, North Little Rock High School is staging Clue: On Stage (High School Edition). First show is March 15 and it concludes on March 17.
Buy tickets in advance by clicking here.
Education news and notes
Dean's List at Arkansas’s Fulbright College named
North of the River students were named to the Fall 2022 Dean's List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
To qualify for the Dean's List, the following local students achieved at least a 3.75 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours.
Olivia Allen of Sherwood
Laura-Jane Bentley of Maumelle
Rebecca Besier of Sherwood
Anna Bolding of North Little Rock
Reece Couch of Maumelle
Christian Cummings of Maumelle
Allyssa DeZaldivar of Sherwood
Marshall Donn of North Little Rock
Jaslynn Dorsey of Maumelle
Lindsey Eagan of North Little Rock
Lillian Hamlin of Maumelle
Aidan Harvell of Maumelle
Jackson Hastings of Sherwood
Harper Haynes of Maumelle
Adrienne Henry of North Little Rock
Willow Holt of North Little Rock
Morgan Ison of North Little Rock
Ellen Johnson of North Little Rock
Hannah Johnson of Maumelle
Gweneth Keith-Powell of North Little Rock
Benjamin Kindall of Maumelle
Camille Kita of North Little Rock
Grace Maddox of Maumelle
Luke McClanahan of Maumelle
Jacob McKinney of Maumelle
Devan Mishra of Maumelle
Hannah Mosley of North Little Rock
Danny Nguyen of Maumelle
Katelynn Nicholas of North Little Rock
Madison Nichols of Sherwood
Olivia Phillips of North Little Rock
Laine Rainbolt of North Little Rock
Grant Smith of North Little Rock
Nada Tolba of North Little Rock
Alexis Trezza of North Little Rock
Emma Turner of Sherwood
Matthew Whittle of North Little Rock
Kylie Williams of Maumelle
Ashley Williford of Sherwood
Eli Young of Maumelle
Josie Zakrzewski of North Little Rock
"These students are the very best of Fulbright College," said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean. "This achievement demonstrates their academic excellence and commitment to our mission of peace through education. It's an honor to recognize these outstanding students who made the Dean's List and who make Fulbright College, the University of Arkansas, and their hometowns incredibly proud."
Ole Miss names Fall 2022 Chancellor's Honor Roll
Ole Miss announced the following North of the River students were named to the Fall 2022 Honor Roll lists, including Chancellor's Honor Roll:
Peyton Price, of North Little Rock
Jenna Villiger, of Sherwood
Brick Gore, of Maumelle
Abby Vest, of North Little Rock
Alexander Bromley, of Sherwood
Clarence Matthews, of Maumelle
The Chancellor's Honor Roll is reserved for students who earn a semester GPA of 3.75-4.00.
"The remarkable students achieving Chancellor's Honor Roll are among the best and brightest at the University of Mississippi," said Chancellor Glenn Boyce. "I commend them for their hard work and dedication resulting in their outstanding academic achievements and this well-deserved recognition."
In order to be eligible for honor roll designation, a student must have completed at least 12 graded hours for the semester and may not be on academic probation during the semester.
Stephens named to Dean's Honor Roll: Avery Stephens, of North Little Rock was named to the University of Mississippi's Fall 2022 Honor Roll lists. Stephens was named to the Dean's Honor Roll, which is reserved for students who earn a semester GPA of 3.50-3.74. In order to be eligible for honor roll designation, a student must have completed at least 12 graded hours for the semester and may not be on academic probation during the semester.
UMGC students named to Dean's List
More than 9,800 University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) students were named to the Dean's List for the fall semester. To be eligible for the honor, a student must complete at least six credits during the term, earned a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the term, and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 at UMGC.
North of the River students honored include:
Mario Borgelin of North Little Rock
Heaven Woodward-Merkerson of Sherwood
UMGC was established in 1947 to serve adults in the workforce. Today, the university enrolls some 90,000 students annually, offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, as well as certificates in more than 125 fully online, hybrid and face-to-face programs and specializations.
Middle Tennessee State names Fall 2022 Dean’s List
Natalie Grummer of Maumelle is among more than 5,920 Middle Tennessee State University students recognized on the latest dean's list for their academic achievements for the fall 2022 semester
To qualify for this distinction, an undergraduate student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours.
Grummer is currently majoring in Recording Industry at the Murfreesboro university.
Sports
Basketball: Maumelle, CAC win state tournament opener
It was a great, but not perfect, opening round of high school basketball state tournaments for North of the River teams.
Maumelle and Central Arkansas Christian both won their first round games, but North Little Rock boys lost its opener.
As a result, both CAC and Maumelle play this evening, weather permitting, in their respective classifications.
A note about the weather: The forecast is for some extreme weather across the state with significant chances of tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms. While basketball games are played inside, action could be delayed, or even postponed, when there’s tornado warnings issued for the tournament site.
First up was Maumelle, as the Hornets beat Sheridan., 60-51, on Tuesday afternoon in the Class 5A State Tournament in Pine Bluff.
Maumelle is now 19-11 on the season and will face Greene County Tech at 8:30 p.m. tonight.
The Eagles of GCT are 23-8 overall and defeated Siloam Springs, 57-45, in the first round. Tonight’s game is the first between the two schools this season.
The winner advances to the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 4 and would face the winner of Pine Bluff/Nettleton.
To view the bracket, click here.
CAC defeated Newport, 57-45, and will face No. 1 seed Dumas at 8:30 p.m. this evening in all purple and gold matchup.
Dumas is 28-7 overall and the Bobcats are riding a 19-game winning streak. They’ve also managed to win 27 of their last 28 games.
The Mustangs are now 24-7) and the winner would advance to the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. The would face the winner of Charleston and Manila.
For the bracket, click here.
In Class 6A, North Little Rock lost to Fayetteville, 59-50, on Wednesday. North Little Rock’s season is over at 17-10, while Fayetteville is now 21-9 and will face Bentonville West at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
The semifinal is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 4 and the bracket is here.
North Little Rock enters the 6A girls state tournament 24-5 and will have a first-round bye. Daryl Fimple's squad gets Springdale Har-Ber at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
Har-Ber is 20-8 overall. North Little Rock is 24-5 and beat Harber, 68-55, on Dec. 9
The semifinals are at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 4 and the winner would face the winner of Bentonville/Cabot.
To view the bracket, click here.
CAC boys
Record so far: 24-7
Upcoming games
Class 3A State Tournament at Lamar … Today … Dumas … 8:30 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: See above
Maumelle boys
Record so far: (19-11)
Upcoming games
Class 5A State Tournament at Pine Bluff … Today … Greene County Tech … 8:30 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: See above
North Little Rock girls
Record so far: 24-5
Upcoming games
Class 6A State Tournament at Rogers … Friday … Springdale Har-Ber … 7 p.m.
For the roster, click here.
The week that was: North Little Rock lost a thriller to Cabot, 51-50, last Friday night.
North Little Rock boys
Record so far: (17-10)
Upcoming games
Season complete.
The week that was: See above.
Maumelle girls
Final record: 11-19 and season is complete.
The week that was: Maumelle ended its regular on a high not and beat Beebe, 31-29, last Friday.
CAC girls
Final record: 9-16 and season is complete
Maumelle Charter boys
Final record: 9-20 and season is complete.
Maumelle Charter girls
Final record: 6-28 and season is complete
Sports: State basketball finals schedule set
Hot Springs will again host this year’s state high school basketball championships.
Title games begin Thursday, March 9 and will conclude Saturday, March 11.
Tickets will not be sold at the door and will need to purchase tickets from the participating schools.
State tournaments began on Tuesday with semifinal games at locations around Arkansas scheduled for Saturday.
The finals schedule is below:
Thursday, March 9
Unified Game , 10:30 a.m.
Game 1: 4A Girls, Noon
Game 2: 4A Boys, 1:45 p.m.
Game 3: 5A Girls, 6 p.m.
Game 4: 5A Boys, 7:45 p.m.
Session 1 doors open 10 a.m. and Session 2 doors open 5 p.m.
Friday, March 10
Unified Game , 10:30 a.m.
Game 1: 6A Girls, Noon
Game 2: 6A Boys, 1:45 p.m.
Game 3: 1A Girls, 6 p.m.
Game 4: 1A Boys, 7:45 p.m.
Session 1 doors open 10 a.m. and Session 2 doors open 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 11
Game 9: 2A Girls, 11:30 a.m.
Game 10: 2A Boys, 1:15 p.m.
Game 11: 3A Girls, 6 p.m.
Game 12: 3A Boys, 7:45 p.m.
Session 1 doors open 10:30 a.m. and Session 2 doors open 5 p.m.
Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center gets reaccredited
The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center network has received full accreditation with no conditions, after a review by its national association.
Jody Keenan, chair of the America’s Small Business Development Centers Accreditation Committee, announced the accomplishment in a Feb. 20 letter.
America’s Small Business Development Centers, the national accrediting body for SBDC programs, reviews each state or regional network every five years. Mandated by Congress, the accreditation review process assures that SBDC programs operate efficiently and effectively. Accreditation is also a requirement to receive federal funding.
The review included general and technology accreditation standards developed and deployed in cooperation with SBDC federal funding partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Accreditation is important for each SBDC network and is essential for the national SBDC program to be recognized as a provider of high-quality business advising and education that results in credible economic impact,” said Keenan, who is state director of the Virginia SBDC.
Keenan and fellow committee member Mike Daniel of California’s Orange County/Inland Empire SBDC visited Arkansas Nov. 7-11 for the on-site portion of the review. Feb. 5, the committee voted to award full accreditation without conditions and cited multiple best practices in its final report.
“Reaccreditation is a significant achievement, and I commend our leadership team and network staff for their commitment to helping small businesses start, grow and thrive,” said Laura Fine, ASBTDC state director. “We are extremely proud of never having any conditions with any of our accreditation reviews, spanning back decades.”
In Arkansas, the lead center is part of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business, Health, and Human Services. Nine institutions host regional offices: Arkansas State University, ASU Mid-South, ASU-Mountain Home, Arkansas Tech University, Southern Arkansas University, and University of Arkansas campuses at Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Monticello and Pine Bluff. The service areas are seen below.
The ASBTDC network assisted Arkansas small businesses with obtaining more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in capital investment ($804,624,250) over the last decade, including an all-time best $102 million in 2022. Over the last 10 years, the ASBTDC network helped clients create 18,132 jobs.
The latest America's SBDC Annual Report showcases a sampling of Arkansas entrepreneurs and business owners assisted by the center:
Jason and Vanessa Ellingburg – The Ellingburg Farm, Charleston
Lawrence Teasley and Brandon Mack – Retro City Sneaker Boutique, El Dorado
Brittany Scott – SMART Repro, Jonesboro
Collin Whittington – Morii, Fayetteville
Mark McManis, Dale McManis, and Fred Perkins – NeuroMedPro, Little Rock
Jason Piazza – Hugo’s, Fayetteville
Isaac Traylor – 3-I Pressure Washing and Detail, North Little Rock
Scott Tavegia – Little T's Mini Golf & More, Mountain Home
Cody McPherson – Crumbl Cookies, Jonesboro
Sally Mengel – Loblolly Creamery, Little Rock
ASBTDC serves emerging, existing and expanding small businesses. Learn more at asbtdc.org.
Publisher’s note: ArkansasNewsroom.com is a client of the ASBTDC.