The good and bad of Election Night
Commercial Real Estate Council honors real estate legends; Remembering Sharon Kay Heflin plus sports and headlines
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MEETINGS: The North Little Rock City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube and the public is welcome.
EVENTS: Next Tuesday, North Little Rock will have a grand opening and tour of the city’s Event Center at 120 Main St. The building is located at the previous City Services building. The event will start at 4 p.m. and for more, call 501-975-8866 or email nlreventcenter@nlr.ar.gov. Banana Ball is Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park. There’s still ways to get tickets and for more, click here.
The good and bad of Election Night
Tuesday night was Election Day and it was a mix of good news and bad news,
First up, the good news and in no particular order:
The election is over! No more texts, calls and mailers in the mailbox. That’s cause to celebrate.
It was mostly a good night for Maumelle.
The sales tax extension passed and five of the six projects were approved by voters. The one that failed was Question 7 and it was for field turf for some of the fields operated by Maumelle Parks & Rec.
The net result is the city will be issuing bonds to pay off the previous bonds from the last sales tax increase, and now, instead of $34.26 million in new bonds, it will be $29.16 million in bonds.
The headline is that the long-desired indoor pool was approved by voters at the Center on the Lake.
Proposed bond issue
Total: $34.26 million
Question 1: Refunding 2018 bonds - $3.05M
Question 2: Street improvements - $3.86M
Question 3: Center on the Lake/Indoor pool - $5.39M
Question 4: Public Safety Training facility - $5.19M
Question 5: Fire station improvements - $8.45M
Question 6: Lake Valencia improvements - $3.22M
Question 7: Field turf for Parks & Rec - $5.1M
Work on all the approved projects will begin later this year.
It was also a good night for state Rep. Brandon Achor, who won the Republican primary for state Senate, and will now move on to November where he will face Allison Grigsby Sweatman, who won the Democratic primary.
It should be a lively race for state Senate District 13.
It was also a good day for turnout as 63,403 came out with the majority coming with early voting at 33,507 and 29,656 on Tuesday.
The reality was that early voting was decisive, which has been a theme the last several elections.
Now, the bad news, and, again, in no particular order.
Pulaski County Judge Harry Hyde got crushed in the Democratic primary by Wendell Griffen and Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones also lost his bid for a second term.
Griffen won, 62.7 to 37.3, which was somewhat unexpected. Hyde, a former state legislator, seemed to be in trouble, given the number of non-stop texts he was sending out. but losing by more than 10,000 votes is wild.
It was also a day for North Little Rock. Wait, how so?
Hyde and Jones are both long-time North Little Rockers with deep roots in the community. And, for reasons that are complicated, the city has had an over-sized role in county governance for decades. North Little Rock’s Debra Buckner won her re-election bid for county treasurer, but she’s the last North of the River resident in county-wide office.
For election results, click here, the Maumelle sales tax results are below.
Pretty health turnout with 4,112 votes cast.
These results are not yet certified, and final numbers could change slightly. So all the usual caveats.
Question 1
FOR 2,440 59.34%
AGAINST 1,672 40.66%
Total Votes Cast 4,112
Question 2
FOR 2,861 69.97%
AGAINST 1,228 30.03%
Question 3
FOR 2,253 55.00%
AGAINST 1,843 45.00%
Question 4
FOR 2,252 55.41%
AGAINST 1,812 44.59%
Question 5
FOR 2,473 60.48%
AGAINST 1,616 39.52%
Question 6
FOR 2,234 54.86%
AGAINST 1,838 45.14%
Question 7
FOR 1,869 45.72%
AGAINST 2,219 54.28%
Commercial Real Estate Council honors real estate legends
Commercial Real Estate Council of Metro Little Rock will honor Tom Ferstl and Mark Saviers with the Legend award for their legacy of commercial real estate accomplishments and inspiring achievements in metro Little Rock at the 8th Annual Commercial Real Estate Awards this Thursday, March 12, at 5: p.m. at the Little Rock Junior League Headquarters Building, 401 S Scott Street.
Tom Ferstl
Tom M. Ferstl has spent more than six decades shaping the real estate valuation profession in Arkansas. Born April 19, 1939, in Fort Smith, he built his career on education, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Ferstl earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1967, his MBA from Northwestern University in 1968, and his Juris Doctor from UA Little Rock in 1972. His professional career included leadership roles as Vice President and Manager of Republic Mortgage Company and as Chief Appraiser for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation before founding his own ventures, including Ferstl Enterprises and Affiliated Appraisers of Arkansas.
In 1967, Tom Ferstl founded what would become Ferstl Valuation Services with a simple but powerful goal: to provide reliable, trustworthy, and certified real estate appraisal services. In 2000, his son, J.T. Ferstl joined the company. The father-son partnership established a legacy rooted in loyalty, respect, and pride in their work. Today, the firm stands as one of the oldest and largest full-service appraisal companies in Arkansas, known for tackling complex assignments and serving as trusted advisors across the region. Ferstl’s distinguished career includes numerous professional honors, reflecting a lifetime dedicated not only to business success, but to strengthening the profession for future generations.
Mark Saviers
Mark Saviers is one of the founders of Tempus Realty Partners. He has served as General Partner of Asset Strategies of Tempus since inception in 2016. Mark has 43 years of experience in developing, leasing, and acquiring office buildings, business parks, data centers, warehouses, and corporate headquarters/campuses. His extensive work in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Illinois with the Trammell Crow Company Myers and Crow & Saviers, Ltd., included acquiring and managing Westlake Corporate Park in west Little Rock, at that time a campus of six office buildings and about 30 acres of to-be-developed land. On one of those land parcels, Saviers led the team to develop a build-to-suit office building for Aegon Transamerica.
Saviers is one of three co-founders and a current board member of Cushman & Wakefield/Sage Partners, a commercial real estate firm with offices in Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock. He is the author of the book Flipped, which tells the story of how God helped his brother-in-law and partner of Sage, Tommy Van Zandt, survive and thrive after a tragic accident in 2009, and how faith, family, friends, and community came together to create triumph over tragedy. Saviers is married to his high school sweetheart, Vicki, and they are proud parents of two grown sons, Marshall (married to Beth) and John Mark (married to Melissa) and grandparents to four grandchildren. He enjoys fishing, hunting, and traveling with family and friends.
Past recipients of this award include Dickson Flake, Jimmy Moses, James Hathaway, Gus Vratsinas, Rick Ashley, John Flake, and Timothy Grooms.
Tickets are available at crecmlr.org/events. For more information contact info@crecmlr.org or 501-291-2210.
Nominations open for Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame
The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame is seeking nominations for the 2026 Induction Class.
The Hall was created to honor, in perpetuity, women whose contributions have influenced the direction of Arkansas in their community or the state.
Nominees are not limited to a certain field or accomplishment and can include pioneers, philanthropists, educators, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, business leaders and political figures.
Nominations must be submitted by this Friday, March 6. Criteria and nomination forms can be found on the website at www.ARWomensHallofFame.com. The 2026 Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27 at the North Little Rock Event Center in the Centennial Bank Ballroom. Visitors to the website will find more information about the event and the hall’s past inductees.
Sharon Kay Heflin
November 29, 1946 - February 26, 2026
Sharon Kay Windham Heflin, 79, went to be with her Savior on Thursday, February 26th, 2026, following a battle with Alzheimer’s. Born in Little Rock, Sharon was the only child of R.W. ‘’Windy’‘ Windham and Ruth Elizabeth Pillman Windham. After attending Little Rock Central High School and graduating in three years from Ouachita Baptist University, Sharon married her high school sweetheart, Johnny Heflin, in 1967. She joined Johnny in building the family’s Terminix franchise into a successful family business where she filled a variety of positions until her retirement in 2024.
As an active member of Second Baptist Church in downtown Little Rock for over 50 years Sharon served on multiple committees, was an ordained deacon, and an occasional Sunday School teacher. Alongside her faith and spending time with her family, Sharon was passionate about working with not-for-profits throughout central Arkansas. Providing vision and hands on leadership, she served on and/or chaired boards benefiting the Baptist Health Foundation, Alzheimer’s Arkansas, Argenta Community Theater, American Heart Association, Centers for Youth and Families, Thea Foundation, Gaines House, UA-PTC, AR Kids Read and many others. Sharon’s ability to connect with an organizations mission and find ways to accomplish their goals was a precious gift.
Sharon was preceded in death by her husband, Johnny, her parents Ruth and RW ‘’Windy’‘ Windham, her mother and father in law Lynn and Jay Heflin. She is survived by her sons, Jay (Andrea) Heflin and Marc (Billie) Heflin all of Little Rock, her grandchildren, Grace Heflin of West Hollywood, Calif., Ben Heflin, Lynn Heflin, and Anna Heflin all of Little Rock, her brother-in-law Dr. Boo (Mary) Heflin of Hot Springs Village, her nieces and nephew Judy (Mike) Malone of Arlington, Texas, Sherry Heflin of Mesquite, Texas, and David Heflin of Roanoke, Texas, along with several great and great-great nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, and in memory of Sharon’s genuine desire to help others, the family requests that any memorial gifts be made to an organization of your choice that focuses on lifting up others in our community.
Visitation is Second Baptist Church in Little Rock this Friday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The memorial service will follow at 2 p.m.
For more, click here.
Sports
State tournament roundup
Compiled by Collin Scott
The good news for Maumelle is that the Hornets made the Class 5A state tournament at Farmington.
The bad news is that wasn’t a long trip as Benton defeated Maumelle, 76-55, on Tuesday night in the first round.
This was a rematch from last year’s state championship game, which was also won by Benton.
Maumelle ended the year 13-18 and were the No. 4 seed from the 5A-Central, while Benton, 23-5, was the No. 1 seed from the 5A-Couth.
Benton faces the winner of Greene County Tech and Mountain Home at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The semifinals will be at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Staying on the boys side, North Little Rock (14-10) lost to Bryant in the regular season finale.
Returning starters from last season are Kevon Smith, Dayvian Withers, Javon Dodson, Javen Ashford and Felix Wade with Smith being the best of the bunch.
North Little Rock is the No. 2 seed from the 6A-Central and will face Bentonville West at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Bryant High School.
Bentonville West is the No. 3 seed from the 6A-West and defeated Little Rock Southwest on Tuesday.
The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of Springdale Har-Ber and Little Rock Central at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the semifinals.
On the girls side, North Little Rock (27-4) is the No. 1 seed from the 6A-Central and had a first-round bye as a result. The ‘Cats will face Fayetteville, the No. 4 seed from the 6A-West at 4 p.m. today at Bryant with the winner of that game facing the winner of Fort Smith Northside and Bentonville at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the semifinals.
Northside defeated North Little Rock, 57-53, on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Fort Smith’s Coke Classic, butDaryl Fimple’s bunch hasn’t lost since. North Little Rock’s best player is Katie Fimple, the coach’s daughter, and who has committed to Ouachita Baptist.
The state championship games start next week at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
For the girls regional and state tournament brackets, click here.
For the boys regional and state tournament brackets, click here.
To buy tickets for any of the above, click here.
State finals schedule set, will be televised
Arkansas TV will present the Class 6A-1A 2026 Centennial Bank High School Basketball State Championships live from Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs beginning Thursday, March 12, in partnership with the AAA) Games will be broadcast statewide over the air, on cable and on satellite on Arkansas TV.
The Arkansas high school basketball state finals will air live at the following times:
1A girls – Thursday, March 12, at noon.
1A boys – Thursday, March 12, at 1:45 p.m.
2A girls – Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m.
2A boys – Thursday, March 12, at 7:45 p.m.
3A girls – Friday, March 13, at noon.
3A boys – Friday, March 13, at 1:45 p.m.
4A girls – Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m.
4A boys – Friday, March 13, at 7:45 p.m.
5A girls – Saturday, March 14, at noon.
5A boys – Saturday, March 14, at 1:45 p.m.
6A girls – Saturday, March 14, at 6 p.m.
6A boys – Saturday, March 14, at 7:45 p.m.
Funding for Arkansas TV Sports is provided by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Image One. AAA’s sponsors for the state high school basketball finals, including Centennial Bank, Arkansas Farm Bureau and Everett Buick GMC.
Basketball schedules
Maumelle
Boys
Friday, Feb. 27 ... vs ... Catholic ... 7 p.m.
Girls
Friday, Feb. 27 ... vs ... Mount St. Mary Academy ... 6 p.m.
North Little Rock
Boys
Thursday, Feb. 26 ... vs ... Cabot ... 7 p.m.
Girls
Thursday, Feb. 26 ... vs ... Cabot ... 6 p.m.
Education news
Sparklight to award $30,000 for STEM education
Sparklight®, a leading fiber-fueled internet provider, is launching its 2026 “Dream Bigger” contest, awarding $30,000 to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for K–12 students. Twelve winning schools or organizations will receive $2,500 each.
Through the annual contest, Sparklight aims to help educators bring hands-on STEM experiences into classrooms and learning environments, equipping K–12 students with skills that spark curiosity, problem-solving and new ideas.
Entries for the 2026 contest will be accepted now through March 10 at sparklight.com/contest. Finalists will be selected by Sparklight, and the 12 winners will be chosen through public voting from March 12 through March 18 at sparklight.com/contest.
Smart Driver class set
An AARP Smart Driver Class will be held at Maumelle Center on the Lake on March 10 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
It is open to AARP members & non-member, $20 for members, $25 for non-members, cash or check only. Some insurance companies will give a discount with completion of the class – check with your insurance agent. To register, call or text Ellie Wilson 501-247-5935.
Health
Pandemic deaths unknown
The state Department of Health didn’t update the state’s dashboard this week, again, and deaths still total 532 for the past year. There’s no tab created for 2025 either and the virus has now killed 14,162 Arkansans since the pandemic began then. 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