What's for lunch?
What's for lunch?
PCSSD has boxes for that; commentary from Neal Moore and Bill Russell, plus news and sports headlines
Welcome to Arkansas Newsroom, a bundled newsletter covering news and sports in central Arkansas. For some answers to frequently asked questions, click here.
Subscribe to the site by clicking the button below …
The headlines
Getting Covid-19 vaccine was ‘easy’
Brandon Achor, with Achor Family Pharmacy, is seen administering the Covid-19 vaccine last week at a mass vaccination clinic held at Maumelle Charter for school employees. (Photo from Facebook)
Sports headlines
Basketball: Maumelle Charter keeps winning; Homecoming Court set
Thursday night’s Homecoming Court for Maumelle Charter will be:
Freshman Representatives: Olivia Stephens, Paige Quast, Camden Henson and Carson Nowlin
Sophomore Representatives: Lydia Krebs, Anna Tuxhorn, Harrison Sweat and Burt Garrison
Junior Representatives: McKinley Moses, Sophie Jones, Aiden Hudgens and Dustin Gunn
Senior Representatives: Ashanty Pandohie, Raine Fosburgh, Jaya Salgaonkar, Ethan Christmas, Blake Mesaris and Hayden Henson
Flowergirl: Josie Hudgins, 4th grade
Crownbearer: Levi Parker, 2nd grade
Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at the game.
Bill Russell: House Bill 1218 is Censorship in Action
Guest commentary
Every Arkansan should read House Bill 1218 which our State Representative Lowery introduced and was co-sponsored by State Senators Mark Johnson and Gary Stubblefield. Read it for yourself by clicking here.
It reads like it might have originated in 1930s Germany, or something issued by Vladimir Putin.
In essence, it seeks to punish Arkansas public schools, colleges and universities for conducting classes, courses, activities, and events that pertain to race, gender, political affiliation, or classes of people -- anything promoting division between classes of people or the overthrow of the U.S. government. The Bill proposes that the State Education Department would interpret and define these words with enforcement help from the Attorney General.
So what does it mean?
I can tell you what it seems to mean to me. We will not have any “diversity” efforts in Arkansas Public Schools. Also, we may not have any teaching about “Women’s Suffrage.” Women did not get the right to vote in this nation until 100 years ago. They could not get credit or a bank loan without a man’s signature. Still today there is no Equal Rights Amendment.
We may not have any teaching about “Enslavement,” unless it possibly suggests that all slavery was just necessary and they didn’t have it so bad.
We may not have any teaching about the 1839 Trail of Tears removal of Native Americans off their own lands, not to speak of the National effort to eliminate these people. For sure, we will not even begin to touch LGBT protection and rights.
Schools may not celebrate African-American History or Cinco De Mayo Day or St. Patrick’s Day, because don’t you know, they “promote division.”
We may not teach any form of science -- after all the earth is flat and we never landed on the moon.
Facts can be divisive.
The irony of this blatant censorship measure seemingly designed to stifle educators and to pander to the radical right is that many of these same legislators just promoted “division” under their right to freedom of speech by questioning the validity of our recent elections and seeking to overturn the will of the people in four states. They might even have you believe that such rhetoric as “Trial by Combat,” and “Take Back Your Country” is permissible under our Constitution and not “divisive” or promoting the overthrow of the government.
But these darn Arkansas educators have to be kept in line with censorship legislation.
NO to House Bill 1218!
Bill Russell is retired Army Colonel and retired Communications Specialist with the University of Arkansas. He is a resident of Maumelle.
Moore on Maumelle: My Take
Inauguration Day 2021 was glorious. Not because my candidates won, but because it was an event designed to unify us as a country, albeit a staged show of national symbolism. But the contrast to the previous week was, to say the least, significant and astounding.
Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem beautifully. Amanda Gorman’s reading of her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” was incredibly moving and poignant. JLo added a little spice like only she can do. And Garth Brooks’ fans are already “burning their records” for his betraying them by singing “Amazing Grace.” Not much grace to be found in that crowd.
Then we had Presidents Bush, Clinton, Obama and Biden gather at Arlington National Cemetery to honor our fallen. The Petulant One had left the building and moved on to hopefully play golf full time in a land far away. Something he is qualified to do.
“For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”— Amanda Gorman
There Are Dumb People Out There
A Louisiana woman faces up to 10 years in prison after she was charged in an attack on a 17-year-old restaurant hostess who was punched multiple times in the face and hit with a “Wet Floor” sign when she tried to enforce Covid-19 dining rules. Was it worth it?
Seems that the place most people ignore the masking ordinance is at convenience stores. I always spot two or three — usually male — customers who have no regard for the safety of others. I had my own personal encounter with the stupid at the Kum and Go. I spotted a man in a vest with “Safety” emblazoned on the back. On the front was the name of a recognizable national company. Ironically, Safety Man was not wearing a mask. I said to him, “Really man, you’re in safety and you can’t wear a mask?” He grunted something and moved away from me. You just can’t fix stupid.
Wear your mask.
Maumelle Convenience Store Comes in at Number 41
The Maumelle Food Mart at 10920 Maumelle Boulevard ended the fiscal year (June 30 ,2020) with sales of $831,582 in lottery tickets and a state ranking of No. 41 compared to No. 1 Quik Run on Baseline Road, at $2.3 Million.
Foodie Note
The McClard's Bar-B-Q truck from Hot Springs is coming to town! Don’t miss your chance to get some really good Q. They will be parked at, Fuller & Son, 9728 Maumelle Boulevard, Feb. 3 - 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or when they sell out).
Beaker Street Lives On
Those of a certain age were exposed to great music by radio legend Clyde Clifford. Clifford would broadcast late at night on the “Mighty 1090” KAAY, an AM station with a big signal at night reaching places as far away as Chicago.
As adventurous lads in Dallas County, Ark., we would head to the big woods to listen to Clyde play deep cuts from classic rock albums by artists that many of us had not heard. He would often play Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, etc. That was almost 50 years ago, and Clyde is still doing it. His real name is Dale Seidenschwarz, and he is having something of a resurgence.
Here’s how you can listen each Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight. I haven’t had much luck actually dialing them in on a traditional radio, but you can get them online by searching Arkansas Rocks on Facebook. In Little Rock – KLRG, 94.5 FM and 889 AM.
For requests, call 501-794-6994, or go to requests@ArkansasRocks.com
Don’t be numb. Don’t be dumb. Wear your mask. Keep your distance. Get your shot when you can.
See you on the Boulevard.
More news at www.ArkansasNewsroom.com.
Neal Moore is a public relations consultant and resident of Maumelle. Send your Maumelle news or comments to neal.moore@sbcglobal.net. Thanks, PJ.
School meals to go offered up during pandemic
As schools have made the pivot to virtual, school lunches have remained.
Maumelle Middle is among the schools across the state that are offering the option of boxed breakfasts and lunches for students.
Those boxes are for five-days and for any student.
“Any child 18 and under is welcome to a meal box,” Pulaski County Special School District Spokeswoman Jessica Duff said. “We prefer that parents call ahead to request, but it is not necessary.”
Duff said Maumelle Middle had 10 pickups on Monday.
The boxes are funded by the National School Lunch Program and are age appropriate.
“Grades PreK through 8 receive a slightly smaller portion than grades 9 through 12,” Duff said.
So, for example, a younger student would receive half a cup of fruit a day, while a high school student would get one cup of fruit.
Meal boxes include breakfast and lunch and Duff explained a typical prepared meal.
“Sausage biscuit, half cup fruit, 4 ounces of juice and 8 ounces of milk,” she said for breakfast, while lunch would be, “chicken alfredo, green beans, orange glazed carrots, whole grain roll, half cup of fruit and 8 ounces of milk.”
Snacks are not included.
So a five day box would include:
Five heat-and-serve prepared home meals
Five cups of vegetables
Five cups of different fruit
10 ounces of grain items
10 cartons of milk
Five prepared breakfast entrees
Five cartons of juice
Duff added, “ll come with heat, serve and storage instructions.”
