Veterans Day events set
Veterans Day events set
Kwami Abdul-Bey files as challenger to Rep. David Ray; Playoff Primer as Maumelle and North Little Rock have games this Friday plus sports and headlines
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!Pandemic deaths back to “0”
The state Department of Health, on its Covid dashboard, showed that in the past week, there were no new deaths reported. The numbers were updated Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The total number of reported dead Arkansans remains at 13,352 or the state’s 30th largest city. Passing Harrison’s 13,338.
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The Headlines
Meetings: The North Little Rock School Board has a special call meeting and workshop at 5:30 p.m. tonight. The North Little Rock City Council meets at 6 p.m. next Monday night at City Hall.
Events: Veterans Day is Saturday and city offices in Maumelle and North Little Rock will be closed. Federal, state and county offices will also be closed. There’s no trash or recycling pickup on Friday and it will run one-day delayed through next week.
Football: The high school football playoffs start today and for those traveling to Rogers you have plenty of eating options, but for those Maumelle fans headed to Valley View, while the high school is in Jonesboro, it is on the rural edge and far away from that city’s commercial districts. So, if planning a pre-game dinner stop, look at Searcy, Bald Knob or Newport. Searcy has the most variety, while Bald Knob has fast food, plus the extremely good Bulldog Restaurant, right off the freeway exit. Newport’s choices are all of the fast food variety. So plan accordingly.
ICYMI: Scoot on down to Scooter's
Veterans Day events set
The Maumelle Area Lions Club will have a Veterans Day ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Veterans Memorial at Lake Willastein, seen below.
The event is open to the public and Master Chief Petty Officer Jeff Tabor is the speaker.
For more, check out the flyer below.
The state Veterans Day Ceremony starts at 10 a.m. on Friday and runs through noon. It will be held at the State Veterans Home at 2401 John Ashley Drive in North Little Rock.
Economic Development Lunch set for Nov. 28
The Commercial Real Estate Council of Metro Little Rock will host an Economic Development Q&A and Lunch at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28. It will be held at the Wyndham Riverfront in downtown North Little Rock.
Jack Thomas, who some might remember as the standout quarterback at CAC from a few years back, is now the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s vice president of economic development and will host the Q&A session.
The meeting will focus on the progress of metro Little Rock and recent economic development trends.
Tickets are $25 for members, $40 for guests, $190 for a member table of 8, and $300 for a guest table of 8, and are available at crecmlr.org/events.
For sponsorship, ticket, or other information, contact info@crecmlr.org or 501-539-0582.
Frozen coming to North Little Rock High School
The North Little Rock High School Theatre Arts Department will present Frozen: The Broadway Musical starting tonight and running through Sunday at the Performing Arts Center.
North Little Rock Rock is the only high school in the state performing the musical this school year,
The schedule of performances is:
Today, 7 p.m.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Saturday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Sunday, 3 p.m.
To buy tickets, click here.
Kwami Abdul-Bey files as challenger to Rep. David Ray
Gibson resident Kwami Abdul-Bey announced this week he was going to challenge state Rep. David Ray in House District 69, that covers a small portion of Maumelle as well as Pulaski and Faulkner counties.
Abdul-Bey, above, a Clinton School graduate, is running as a Democrat and filing for office started on Monday and will continue through the rest of this week and conclude on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the state capital in Little Rock.
With his announcement, Abdul-Bey took some time and answered an email questionnaire from ArkansasNewsroom.com.
His responses have been lightly edited and formatted for publication below.
>> Have you run for public office before, and, if not, what inspired you to run this campaign cycle?
This will be my first "official" foray into candidacy for elected office here in Arkansas. I say "official" because I was elected Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas Boys State decades ago when I went to Little Rock Central High School. But that was not real, per se. However, it did give me my first taste of actually campaigning for office. In my adult life, I have held a few volunteer municipal board and commission positions over the last couple of decades in the City of Little Rock: the Task Force for the Prevention of Youth Violence, the City Beautiful Commission, and the Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission.
Over the last three legislative sessions, I have witnessed, firsthand, the intentional harm that the legislature has caused members of vulnerable communities for the sole purpose of fulfilling the mandates of out-of-state special interest groups and to get a good grade on their scorecards. This most recent session was particularly brutal in how legislators showed complete indifference and disregard to hundreds of citizens who traveled hours to only be allowed five minutes or less to express their views on how legislation would affect their day-to-day lives. I do not believe that this is how a representative democracy is supposed to work.
>> How long have you lived in the district?
In 2011, I moved back home from living in Philadelphia and Brooklyn simultaneously. I bought my current home in the unincorporated town of Gibson in 2012 and have lived there ever since.
I am a trained redistricting demographer / cartographer. And, looking at the map for District 69, I can tell you that it is a heavily gerrymandered district that seems to benefit only one person because there are no real communities of interest that have been kept whole. Between Highway 67 in Jacksonville to Highway 365 in Mayflower, there are really no whole cities or whole towns, and just a small handful of whole communities in District 69. The only part of the City of Maumelle that is in District 69 is the neighborhood where Rep. David Ray lives. Things that make you go HHMMM!
>> Given your education and experience, what would you bring to the office if elected?
I recently earned my Master of Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service where I studied and researched participatory democracy and public deliberation. And, I learned how citizens all over the United States and the world are making constructive efforts to take back their governments from politicians who have not shown themselves to be responsible stewards of the public trust and power that they have been loaned. So, I have a lot of ideas on how we Arkansans can follow that same path and really take hold of this constitutional direct democracy that we have. We recently saw the beginnings of this process with the work of CAPES and are seeing it now with the very impressive series of town hall meetings going on in response to the attack on Arkansas' FOIA law led by Representative David Ray to cover up Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' misdeeds.
I also have a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies from Liberty University School of Law and a Professional Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice from Vermont Law School. When I am elected, I will lead the way to helping Arkansas to redefine public safety in a way that allows public safety to be "reunited" with public health and public welfare. Because, from a strictly historical constitutional framework, health, safety, and welfare are supposed to be seen as a whole, not three separate disconnected things.
Also, I currently work as the Elections Coordinator/Organizer at the Arkansas Public Policy Panel where my main responsibilities are to promote and defend direct democracy here in Arkansas, which is one of only fifteen states in America that enjoy such fundamental rights. In that position, I led the statewide team that defeated Representative David Ray's Issue 2 in the last election cycle. When I am elected, I will work to ensure that election integrity is married to electoral accessibility. Yes, we must protect the ballot. No, we do not need to hide it.
Finally, as a former United States Air Force Academy cadet, I possess a unique leadership quality that I have found to be very useful throughout my own life and I even teach it to my children: I will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate anyone else who does.
>> What are some areas that are of particular focus for you as you look at this race?
While I do have a foundational platform that includes advancing government transparency and accountability, repairing the long-term damage that the LEARNS Act has done in its few short months of existence, particularly to rural school districts, and redefining public safety where all Arkansans' humanity is of utmost importance, I am also very interested in participatory democracy. So, my campaign is in the process of planning monthly town hall meetings throughout District 69 so that we can sit and converse with constituents to learn from them what they see are their most relevant concerns in their own daily existence that the legislature can assist them with addressing. Then, I will add what I learn to my platform to make it people-centered. I have already reached out to Representative David Ray with an invitation to join me in these town hall meetings. I have not yet gotten a response.
>> What is the biggest difference between you and David Ray, the incumbent?
I can think of two big differences between Rep. David Ray and I right off the top:
First, I believe that I truly understand that a public official works for the public, and for no one else. His legislative record tells me that he has difficulty with understanding that. The only scorecard that I am interested in being graded on is when the people of District 69, and the citizens of Arkansas, have told me that I have successfully done the job that they sent me to the State Capitol to do. My interest is in human-centered, community-driven, data-informed, and solution-oriented public policy that is tailored specifically to fit the wants and needs of everyday Arkansans. I am not interested in carrying water for out-of-state special interest groups and in-state corporate interests that have agendas that conflict with the wants and needs of those everyday Arkansans.
Second, in the first class that I took at Liberty University, I learned about and had to write a paper on President George Washington's Farewell Address. In it, he warned America about the evils of partisanship and how the two-party system will destroy America if we allow it to do so. These words were quite prophetic. I am non-partisan and have been so my entire life because that is how I was raised. So, I have the ability to speak with all Arkansans and listen to their concerns without worrying about their political party. I am not a liberal. I am not a conservative. I am an Arkansan in the Land of Opportunity, in the Natural State. So, I have the frame of reference to truly become a statesman for the benefit of all Arkansans. Ray's public communication, and the types of bills that he chooses to sponsor, send a crystal-clear message to me that he is the type of politician that President Washington warned us about.
>> Anything else you'd like to add?
I am also interested in giving a platform to the high school students from the Pulaski County Special School District, the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, the North Little Rock School District, the Vilonia School District, and the Mayflower School District who live in District 69. In January, I will begin working on assembling a District 69 Student Congress that will have representatives from all of the included high schools. And, when I am elected, I will have that Student Congress act as my advisor in the House of Representatives so that the youth of Arkansas can finally have a real voice in their government. I also will train them to become candidates themselves in municipal, county, and school board offices, as well as volunteer for boards and commissions. There is a non-profit in Ontario, Canada, that currently does this, and I want to implement this here in Arkansas.
Pickleball Courts open at Burns Park
A new, 12-court Pickleball complex opened this week at North Little Rock’s Burns Park.
Construction began in February of this year but was delayed by the March 31 tornado that was a direct hit on Burns Park.
The facility cost $750,000 to build and was constructed by JCon Incorporated but multiple city departments assisted and that reduced overall cost.
Coming later this month will be the Arvest Big Dill Pickleball tournament that is scheduled to start Friday, Nov. 17 and conclude Sunday, Nov. 19, weather permitting.
“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport around,” North Little Rock Terry Hartwick said. “I am glad we now have such a nice, outdoor facility for the pickleball community to enjoy.”
Arkansas Federal Credit Union, First Orion partner
First Orion, the downtown North Little Rock technology company, recently announced that it was partnering with Arkansas Federal Credit Union to implement INFORM.
What’s INFORM? It is described as a tech “solution that delivers branded calls to subscribers.” Or, more succinctly, if the credit union calls, it won’t say “unknown caller” on your phone, with the hope being you’re more likely to answer.
First Orion said in the announcement, that companies using INFORM, “saw an 11% increase in engagement rate while experiencing a call decline rate decrease of 21% when making outbound calls to its members.”
That’s not bad and the credit union said they were happy to be on board.
“We’re excited to be early adopters of this technology and provide an enhanced relationship for our 150,000 members,” said Rodney Showmar, the president and CEO of the credit union.
[Editor’s note: As a holder of a bank account at the credit union, we’re excited to see how it works.]
Since INFORM was put in place, the credit union said they saw a “surge in answered calls, an increase in calls lasting one minute or more, and a reduction in members rejecting their incoming calls.”
Again, not bad.
First Orion said that INFORM is being used across the country by various companies and that they average six million calls a day.
Playoff Primer
Maumelle and North Little Rock play this Friday as CAC has a first-round bye
As expected — Maumelle, Central Arkansas Christian and North Little Rock — are all headed to their respective high school football playoffs this Friday.
Maumelle (7-3) beat Beebe, 30-14, last Friday and finished as the No. 4 seed from the 5A-Central. The Hornets head to Valley View this Friday for the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Valley View, on the edge of Jonesboro, is 9-1 on the year, the 5A-East champs and the No. 1 seed from that conference.
The Blazers started the season with a 55-40 loss to Harding Academy but have since reeled off nine consecutive wins.
Most have been blowouts with the closest margin of victory being a 31-21 win against Southside Batesville.
As a team, Valley View has averaged 38.7 points per game and given up 18.4 points on defense.
The winner of the first-round game will be at home for the second round and will face the winner of Shiloh Christian and Hot Springs in the second round.
Also on Maumelle's side of the bracket is 5A-Central champ Pine Bluff as the Zebras will face Nettleton while Hot Springs Lakeside takes on Harrison.
Little Rock Parkview, the best team in 5A this season, is on the other side of the bracket and will host Alma in the first round tonight at War Memorial Stadium.
This year's 5A state championship game is at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2 at War Memorial Stadium.
Class 4A
CAC (8-2): By virtue of its 53-0 steamrolling of Lamar last Friday, the Mustangs tied for the 4A-4 conference championship and also earned the No. 1 seed from the league.
This year, that means CAC will have a first-round bye and will face the winner of Nashville and Crossett in the second round on Friday, Nov. 17.
CAC averaged 48.1 points a game this season, second best in Class 4A and just behind Elkins and its 53.6 points a game.
Elkins looms as a potential quarterfinal, Black Friday football game on Friday, Nov. 24 but the Elks have to beat Clinton this Friday, then defeat the winner of Highland and Monticello.
Also on CAC's side of the bracket is Harding Academy, another undefeated team, but that wouldn't be until the semifinals on Friday, Dec. 1.
CAC also has homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Class 4A state championship game is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Class 7A
North Little Rock went 3-7 on the year after last Friday's, 27-13, loss to Cabot.
The 3-4 record in the 7A-Central was good enough to be the No. 5 seed from the league and the 'Cats head to Rogers (7-3) as the Mounties are the No. 4 seed from the 7A-West.
The winner of that game travels to Bryant, the 7A-Central champ, on Friday Nov. 17. As the No. 1 seed from the league, the Hornets have a first-round bye.
Also on North Little Rock's side of the bracket is Bentonville, idle for this week, and Cabot and Springdale Har-Ber.
Undefeated Fayetteville leads the other side of the bracket and have homefield throughout with a 9-1 Conway looming in the semifinals.
The Class 7A state championship game is at Noon on Saturday, Dec. 2 at War Memorial Stadium.
Friday night lights
Maumelle Hornets
Aug. 25 ... Maumelle 20, Sylvan Hills 0
Sept. 1 ... Maumelle 41, Batesville 27
Sept. 8 … White Hall 42, Maumelle 21
Sept. 22 ... Pine Bluff 41, Maumelle 25
Sept. 28 ... Maumelle 34, Mills 28
Oct. 6 ... Robinson 48, Maumelle 38
Oct. 13 ... Maumelle 26, Morrilton 14
Oct. 20 ... Maumelle 56, Watson Chapel 14
Oct. 27 ... Maumelle 44, Vilonia 28
Nov. 3 ... Maumell 30, Beebe 14
Friday, Nov. 10 ... Maumelle at Valley View … 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 17 … Second round of the playoffs … 7 p.m.
BOLD indicates home game
For the roster, please click here.
CAC Mustangs
Aug. 25 ... CAC 52, Lonoke 16
Sept. 1 ... CAC 40, Perryville 6
Sept. 8 ... CAC, 50 Bauxite 45
Sept. 15 ... Harmony Grove 43, CAC 42
Sept. 22 ... CAC 40, Little Rock Hall 27
Sept. 29 ... CAC 50, Mayflower 34
Oct. 6 ... CAC 44, Pottsville 43
Oct. 13 ... Clinton 53, CAC 50
Oct. 20 ... CAC 60, Dover 12
Nov. 3 ... CAC 53, Lamar 0
Friday, Nov. 10 ... CAC has a bye. First round of playoffs
Friday, Nov. 17 … CAC hosts the winner of Nashville/Crossett in second round of the playoffs … 7 p.m.
BOLD indicates home game
For the roster, please click here.
North Little Rock 'Cats
Aug. 25 ... Catholic 17, North Little Rock 7
Sept. 1 ... Fayetteville 58, North Little Rock 20
Sept. 15 ... Parkview 52, North Little Rock 14
Sept. 22 ... North Little Rock 41, Little Rock Central 6
Sept. 29 ... Conway 36, North Little Rock 7
Oct. 6 ... North Little Rock 44, Little Rock Southwest 13
Oct. 13 ... Jonesboro 37, North Little Rock 7
Oct. 20 ... North Little Rock 47, Fort Smith Northside 21
Oct. 27 ... Bryant 52, North Little Rock 21
Nov. 3 ... Cabot 27, North Little Rock 13
Friday, Nov. 10 ... at Rogers … 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 17 … Winner plays at Bryant, second round of the playoffs … 7 p.m.
BOLD indicates home game
For the roster, please click here.
Sports
Maumelle Charter basketball schedule
Nov. 9 ... Thursday ... at Western Yell County … JHG, JHB, VG, VB … 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 10.... Friday ... LR Hall … VG, VB … 5:30 p.m.
Nov 11 … Saturday … MCMS (Jamboree) … 7G, 7B … TBA
Nov. 13 … Monday … Palestine Wheatley … 7G, JHG, VG … 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 14 … Tuesday … at Mt. Ida … 7G, JHG, VG … 5 p.m.
Nov. 16 ... Thursday ... Dewitt … JHG, JHB, VG, VB … 4 p.m.
Nov 16 ... Thursday ... Episcopal Collegiate … 7G,7B … 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 17.... Friday ... at Mills … JHB, VG,VB …. 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 … Monday … at LR Central … JHB,VB … 5 p.m.
Nov. 27-Dec.2 …. Monday-Friday ... at Battle at the Cove … VG,VB
Dec 2 …. Saturday at Stuttgart (Jamboree) … 7G,7B … TBA
Dec. 4 … Monday at Dover … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 … Tuesday … Dover … JVG, JVB, VG,VB … 5 p.m.
Dec. 8.... Friday ... at CAC … JHG, JHB, VG, VB … 4 p.m.
Dec. 11 … Monday at Mayflower … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 12 … Tuesday … Mayflower … JVG, JVB, VG, VB … 5 p.m.
Dec 14 ... Thursday ... CAC … 7G,7B … 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 14 ... Thursday ... Malvern … VG,VB … 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 15.... Friday ... Abundant Life (Homecoming) … VG, VB … 5:30 p.m.
Dec 16 … Saturday at Perryville (Jamboree) … 7G,7B … TBA
Dec. 27-28 at Malvern Classic … VG… TBD
Dec. 27-29 at Episcopal Christmas Tournament … VB … TBD
Jan 2. … Tuesday … Danville … JHG,JHB,VG,VB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan 4. ... Thursday ... Lee Academy … JHG, VG,VB … 4 p.m.
Jan. 5.... Friday ... at Perryville … JHG, JHB, VG, VB … 4 p.m.
Jan. 8 … Monday at Lamar … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 … Tuesday Lamar … JVG, JVB, VG, VB … 5 p.m.
Jan. 11 ... Thursday ... Baptist Prep … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 12.... Friday ... at Baptist Prep … JVG, JVB, VG, VB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 … Tuesday … Atkins … JHG, JHB, VG,VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan 16 … Tuesday … Lisa West … 7G,7B … 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 ... Thursday ... Dover … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 19.... Friday ... at Dover … VG, VB … 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 23 … Tuesday … CAC … JHG, JHB, VG, VB ... 4 p.m.
Jan. 25 ... Thursday ... Mayflower … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 26.... Friday ... at Mayflower … JVB, VG, VB … 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 30 … Tuesday … Perryville (Senior Night) … JHG, JHB, VG, VB ... 4 p.m.
Feb. 1 ... Thursday ... Lamar … 7G, 7B, JHG, JHB … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 2.... Friday ... at Lamar … JVG, JVB, VG, VB 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 3-7 … Jr. High District Tournament … JHG, JHB … TBA
Feb. 6 … Tuesday … Baptist Prep … JVG, JVB, VG, VB … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 ... Thursday ... at Atkins … JVG, JVB, VG, VB … 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 12-17 … Sr. High District Tournament … VG, VB
Feb. 21-24 … Regional Tournament
Feb. 27- March 2 … State Tournament