Williams, UConn headed to Arkansas
Neal Moore offers up his take with Moore on Maumelle, Murals take shape in Art-Genta plus sports and news headlines
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The headlines
DC Fallout: Hearing held for Conway’s Stager
Conway’s Peter Stager Biden Takes the Reins, Calls for a United Front Against Covid and Other Threats
Sports headlines
She’s back: Williams, UConn to play at Arkansas on Jan. 28
Central Arkansas Christian alum Christyn Williams will return to her home state on Thursday, Jan. 28, when the UConn women’s basketball team travels to Fayetteville to face the University of Arkansas.
The game was announced Wednesday after both teams lost games because of COVID-19 complications. Arkansas had been scheduled to play Vanderbilt, but the Commodores’ season ended Monday when they decided not to continue because of pandemic concerns.
The Arkansas-UConn game is set for 4 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. UConn is ranked third nationally; Arkansas is 15th.
CAC coach Steve Quattlebaum said he hoped to be able to take some players to Fayetteville to see their former teammate, now a UConn junior, play in person.
“I’ve already texted to see if we can get some tickets, but with Covid, I don’t know if we’ll be able to,” he said. “I haven’t been able to watch many games in their new conference.”
Previously, Quattlebaum saw Williams and the Huskies play at SMU, Oklahoma and Tulsa.
“She’s a candidate for All-American and for Player of the Year,” he said. “Evidently she was in the doghouse a little bit last week. She scored the fewest points she’d ever scored, but in their last game she scored 17. She must’ve worked herself out of the doghouse.
“We’re just super proud. I’ve never really coached a kid who had so much desire to be the best she could be. It’s unbelievable the way she’s worked. It’s paying off for her, and I hope it continues. She wants to play in the WNBA, and I hope she gets to. I think she will.”
Moore on Maumelle: My Take
January 20, 2021 brings a song to mind:
“I can see clearly now; the rain is gone …”
Twenty-five thousand troops were deployed to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Democrat Joe Biden and his vice president, the first female and first female person of color, Kamala Harris. Sadly, the actions of the insurrectionists of Jan. 6 made it imperative to protect the Capitol and those duly elected to office.
But it’s time to move forward.
Will they make America better? I think so, but it will take time to unravel the mess of the past four years. Hopefully, unlike the last administration, they will focus mightily on the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. Life as we know it is dependent on preventing the spread of the virus.
I was encouraged that among his first actions in office will be to stop building that stupid border wall and to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization.
I don’t envy the tasks that lie ahead for the Biden administration but it’s time to get back to “by the people and for the people.”
One more: “It's a new dawn, It's a new day…”
P.S. You can take your Trump flags down now. He has left the building.
Foodie Notes
We gave the Firefly 501 Burger food truck a try recently and we weren’t disappointed. We tried the Firefly Burger and the Philly Cheese Steak, and both were excellent and abundant. They were served with good, crispy french fries and what appeared to be homemade onion rings. I plan to try their entire menu featuring a lot of burger variations. Check out their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/501Firefly. They are open Wednesday-Friday, 4 to 8 p.m. and located next to Morning Side Bagels on the Boulevard.
Kosuke Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi announced that they have reopened after a short closure. Check their Facebook page for updates.
The Shocking Truth About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Last week’s social studies lessons (conducted virtually at home) with my third grader focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We watched a video, read a short bio, did a crossword puzzle, developed a timeline of his life and, most importantly, read accounts of his fight for civil rights, his “I Have a Dream” speech and his murder in Memphis.
As my 8-year-old and I went through each of the assignments, my student was astonished that all of the information was actually true. She was in disbelief that Black and white students couldn’t go to school together. She was astounded that Blacks and whites did not have equal rights. She was horrified that King’s and his brother’s homes were bombed because they were marching for equal rights. And she was downright mystified why anyone would want to kill him because of what he believed.
I was so proud of her for being surprised. We should remain surprised.
Gimme My Damn Shot!
As it stands, I am on the list to receive the vaccine in early April when they start administering the vaccine to those 65 years or older. I guess I’ll have to wait, but I’m impatient. The virus has now directly hit my family with two members having had the virus. One was very sick and the other seems milder. So, in a sense, we are fortunate.
Teachers and those 70-plus are now on the list of those receiving the vaccine. I’ll be standing in line shouting, “Gimme my damn shot!” Others will shout back: “Shut up, crazy old man.”
True enough.
Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King
and recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the Earth.
Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood, that we are bound together
in our desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and strong.
We are bound together by the task that stands before us and the road that lies ahead.
We are bound and we are bound.
“Shed a Little Light” -- James Taylor
Don’t be numb. Don’t be dumb. Wear your mask and keep your distance.
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.
North Little Rock: Murals make downtown Art-genta
The Argenta Mural Project started in 2020 and has already produced some startling beautiful results.
The project was started by developer and businessman John Gaudin with artworks by seven local artists scattered around Argenta.
Maybe the most prominent mural is at Flyway Brewing, 314 Maple St., and was done by Nancy Jordan. It features ducks and geese and other birds in flight and is quite striking as it covers the south-facing wall of the brewery. Jordan also did murals at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and on the back wall of Blake’s Furniture along the alley
Other artists and locations include:
Nancy Jordan, Diamond Bear Brewery
Perrion Y. Hurd, 4th and 5th streets
Nancy Griffey Jordan, Diamond Bear Brewing Company
Jessica Jones, 400 N. Olive St.
Kevin Kresse, 700 Main St.
Kreese also did the Dogtown Proud mural at 400 Main St., and Emily Wood has an ongoing mural at 413 Main St.
A map of the murals can be found at www.northlittlerock.org.
