paid advertisement
sd7/26x4wsp
Monday, August 2, 2021
Sunday, August 1, 2021
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Bradley County accepting applications for a driver in the Solid Waste Department
paid advertisement
sd7/27x1w
Friday, July 30, 2021
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 7-30-21
Members are scheduled to return to the House Chamber next week.
On Tuesday, August 3, we will convene as a Committee of the Whole to address the Governor’s recent state of emergency proclamation.
Citing an increase in infections and hospitalizations due to the Delta Variant of COVID-19, the Governor declared a statewide public health emergency on July 29.
Legislation passed in the 2021 Regular Session now requires the General Assembly to convene.
Under Act 403, if the Governor declares a statewide state of disaster emergency related to public health, the House of Representatives and the Senate shall each convene as a committee of the whole within eight business days of the declaration to vote upon and debate any concurrent resolution to terminate the declaration.
Act 403 states the emergency shall not continue for longer than 60 days unless renewed by the Governor, so long as the Legislative Council does not vote to deny the request for renewal.
The act provides that if the Governor notifies the Legislative Council of his desire to renew a statewide state of disaster emergency related to public health, he may also request the renewal of an executive order or proclamation issued to meet or mitigate dangers to the people and property of the state presented or threatened by a statewide state of disaster emergency related to public health.
The Governor also announced he is calling for a special session to make changes to Act 1002.
Act 1002 passed during the 2021 Regular Session. It ends mandatory face-covering requirements not imposed by a private business or state-owned or state-controlled healthcare facility and prohibits a state agency or entity, political subdivision of the state, or a state or local official from mandating a face mask, face shield, or other face covering. The Governor indicated any proposed changes would focus on allowing individual school boards to implement mask policies.
We will continue to update you on any proposed legislation or schedules for the special session.
You can watch the proceedings live on our website at www.arkansashouse.org.
Thursday, July 29, 2021
Governor Hutchinson declares a public health emergency and will call a special legislative session to amend the statewide mask ban for schools
Governor Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday, July 29, 2021 that he is declaring a public health emergency statewide, and that he will call a special session of the Arkansas State Legislature to propose amending Act 1002, which currently bans all mask mandates for schools and local governments in Arkansas, to change the law and make it possible for local school districts to decide for themselves about mask mandates at the local district level.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Warren Ways & Means Committee discusses topics from American Rescue Plan Funds to Water and Sewer
Members of the Warren City Council Ways & Means Committee met Tuesday, July 27 to discuss the recently approved sewer bond issue and to start discussing the use of funding the city has received through the American Rescue Plan. Present were Committee Chairperson Dorothy Henderson, Council Member Emily Moseley and Council Member Memory Burks Frazer, who attended via phone. Also in attendance were Mayor Pennington and two members of her staff along with Water and Sewer Manager Tenay Reep. The meeting was open to the public and the press was represented.
Tenay Reep went over the status of the recently approved sewer upgrade bond issue and modest rate enhancements recommended by the Water and Sewer Commission to sufficiently amortize the bonds. The committee reviewed the information and agreed to present it to the full Council for action.
The Mayor then updated the committee on information she has available concerning the City's potential use of American Rescue Plan Funding. Warren has received $577,249.22 and expects about that much more. The money is set aside in a special account in order to satisfy all federal regulations. The committee members were given written information on how the money must be spent. The Mayor stated the regulations are not finalized and she continues to research the City's options with help from the Arkansas Municipal League and the Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District. The City has until 2024 to finalize its plan to spend the money and until 2026 to spend it all. It is hoped the final regulations on spending are available by mid August, 2021.
The committee talked about using the funds for water and sewer, streets, and a variety of other city needs.
Chairperson Henderson stated that further meetings of the committee will be upcoming to start considering the 2022 city budget. Council Member Burks Frazer asked questions about the process for considering employee raises. Council Member Henderson indicated that would be part of the committee's discussions in future meetings.
SRC writer wins three Arkansas Press Awards
Special to the Saline River Chronicle
LITTLE ROCK – A Warren native who contributes feature stories to the Saline River Chronicle, this past weekend, won three separate awards in the Arkansas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.
Maylon Rice, a native of Warren, former newspaperman at McGehee, Wynne, Bentonville, Little Rock and Fayetteville, who is now retired, won three awards in the contest. Rice grew up working for the Eagle-Democrat after school in Warren.
Rice won Best Political Column for the Washington County Enterprise Leader in Prairie Grove, for a small sized weekly newspaper with a column written headlined: “Putting People’s Faces On The Covid-19 Numbers.” Each column writer must submit three separate columns for an entry in this category.
In a rare occurrence, another of Rice’s three entries in the Best Political Column category, “Asa Shows Concern For Others Over Politics In Covid Battle,” was judged as the Second-Place winner in the category.
Rice won both first and second places in Best Political Column. Rice writes a political column each week and the columns are picked up and reprinted in the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader, the Bella Vista Village Voice newspapers along with the Washington County Enterprise-Leader which is printed for the Farmington, Prairie Grove and Lincoln communities in western Washington County.
In a separate category, Free Lane Recognition, Rice wrote a feature story on a local woman’s self-published family history book, and won third place. It was entitled: “Accident Helped Local Woman Finish Family History.”
The feature story was on the personal efforts taken by Susan Parks-Spencer, a local author and historian to finish a World War II era diary of the Parks family in Prairie Grove from war time letters, diaries and newspaper clipping of the community. This feature article was also published in the digital edition of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last summer.
As Rice does for the Saline River Chronicle, he draws no pay or salary for these articles.
This year’s event, held virtually for APA members. The Michigan Press Association, judged the Arkansas’s newspapers awards of stories, columns, and articles written in 2020, is the annual Better Newspaper Contest for the state association.
Emily Youngquist reaches 500 books before Kindergarten
Emily Youngquist has reached 500 books in Warren Branch Library's 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! She is halfway there! For more information about this program, contact the Library at 870-226-2536 or come by 115 West Cypress St. in Warren.
Pastime: A really cold, cold soda pop, how refreshing
By MAYLON T. RICE
Special to the Saline River Chronicle
During these hot, Dog Days of Summer, a good, icy cold, cold drink sure sounds good.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Bradley County accepting applications for a driver in the Solid Waste Department
paid advertisement
sd7/27x1w
CDC updates recommendations for masks as Delta variant continues to grow
Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on masks to recommend that everyone, fully vaccinated and those not yet vaccinated, wear masks indoors when in areas with "substantial" and "high" transmission of COVID-19.
Several factors have led to this decision according to CDC officials. First, the prevalence of the Delta variant and the low vaccination rate throughout much of the United States, plus recently published data showing that the Delta variant "behaves uniquely differently from past strains of the virus that cause COVID-19," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a press briefing Tuesday.
While overall, vaccinated people seem to be more protected, the Delta variant has shown that even those fully vaccinated can have as much virus as those who are unvaccinated.
The CDC also recommended Tuesday that all children K-12 wear a mask. This guidance however cannot be mandated in Arkansas at this time because the Arkansas State Legislature recently passed a ban on all mask mandates for local governments, school districts, etc. Parents can still choose to send their children to school wearing a mask, but the staff cannot enforce any mask rules.
Last Thursday, the Arkansas Department of Health confirmed that two children have died from COVID-19.
Currently, Bradley County leads the State in vaccination rate at 46.1% of the population fully vaccinated, but that number is still far too low. Residents are urged to get vaccinated. It's safe, free, and the best thing you can do for our local community right now.
There are 64 known active cases of COVID in Bradley County as of Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 3:18 p.m. There have been 33 deaths in Bradley County from the virus.
Man charged for 2020 Banks murder
The Bradley County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that Dilan Ujene Estes was arrested Monday on a capital murder charge in connection with the September 13, 2020 murder of Crissy Hayes Jacks in Banks.
Meeting notice
There will be a Ways & Means Meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. in the Municipal Courtroom. Face masks are encouraged to be worn.
BCEDC honors Matts Mathur during July 2021 meeting
By Tim Kessler
Wil Maxwell spoke about the ups and downs of his family’s hardwood flooring businesses during the monthly Bradley County Economic Development Corp. meeting Monday.
He is the son of Tommy Maxwell, who started the businesses through Sykes Flooring and who now operates Maxwell Flooring in Monticello. Tommy Maxwell was recently inducted into the National Wood Flooring Association Hall of Fame.
Wil Maxwell and his sister, Kristi Prince, operate Townsend Flooring in Warren. Shay Dugal operates Ouachita Hardwood in Warren.
Altogether the companies employ almost 300 workers. They produce 2 ¼-inch, 3 ¼-inch, plank and various other sizes of hardwood flooring. They operate their own distribution network.
Maxwell said the companies have grown each year, although the years of 2008-09 saw a depression in the flooring industry. He said special precautions had to be made for COVID-19 restrictions and it has also proved challenging in keeping an active workforce. But he said from June 2020 to present, the factories have actually put in much overtime to keep up with demand.
“People are wanting to own homes. They’re able to work out of their homes,” he said.
“The next six months will be better than the last six months in terms of turnover,” Maxwell added.
In other action:
- A resolution was presented to LaDonna Mathur honoring her husband, the late Matts Mathur, who was a longtime BCEDC board member and chairman of the Nominating Committee.
- Accountant Bob Milton said the only revenue in May and June was $500 each month from a sawmill company lease. There were $1,148 in expenses in June, including property insurance. The organization has had a loss in income of $822 for the year.
- Treasurer Carlton Davis said a $90,000 CD had rolled over. A total of $15,000 was taken out of that fund for expenses.
- A $100 ad for the Bradley County Fair was approved.
- Warren Mayor Denisa Pennington said work started Monday on dirtwork and concrete work for the shooting range expansion. The city has demolished several unkempt houses and street paving has been completed. The Market on Main event was a success, with another one planned on Aug. 14. As for the J&E Food Group poultry plant, she said she talked to a new investor and engineer and plans are proceeding to get the plant open. She said she was disappointed in the turnout at a Town Hall meeting to discuss results of an economic survey. An Arkansas Board of Apportionment meeting about redistricting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the University of Arkansas at Monticello Fine Arts Center. Pennington and BCEDC board member John Lipton will attend it.
- Pink Tomato Festival Chairman and BCEDC board member James Wells reported that while this year’s festival was smaller, it had good sponsorship with a few events held. The carnival will be here this weekend, July 29-31.
- Board member John Gavin reported that last year’s livestock premium sale netted $27,000 and this year’s sale will be held in September. He said the tomato market this year had the “wettest, coolest spring,” which put harvests about two weeks behind. However, they finished at the usual time, with about 30 percent less harvest. Prices and quality of tomatoes were good.
Join the local Books & More Book Club
The Warren Library's Books & More Book Club met Thursday, July 22 at the Warren Branch Library to discuss the book Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky.
The club made a memorial donation in the name of member Marjorie Ross to purchase the book Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1916-2019 by Ibram Kendi. Next month's book will be The Round House by Louise Erdrich. If you would like to join them, please go by the Warren Branch Library to check out your book.
The Club will meet again Thursday, August 26, at 4:00 p.m. For more information, please call the library at 870-226-2536.
Monday, July 26, 2021
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)