Dogtown Wire

An update from the Certified Arkansas Farmers’ Market Manger Jody Hardin:

New produce (projected) in season this Saturday at the Certified Arkansas Farmers’ Market in Argenta: Watermelons, Sweet Corn, Cantaloupe, Plums, Peaches, and more Tomatoes.  More Blackberries and Blueberries, too.

Falling Sky Farm will be coming back with more Pastured Poultry.

AR Travelers June Home Games: Home games played at the Dickey-Stephens Park. 6/26-6/28 vs. Midland; 6/28-7/1 vs Frisco RoughRiders; Visit www.travs.com for a complete schedule and game times. For tickets call 501-664-1555.

June 28: Certified AR Farmer’s Market: Located along the Trolley route in the parking lot on Main between 4th and 5th streets. Open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7a.m. to NOON. Some of the state’s top local farmers will provide all types of local produce, meats, poultry, eggs and plants. For details contact Jody Hardin at 501-231-0094 or visit www.arkansasfood.net.

June 28-29: American Taekwondo World Championships at the State House Convention Center. For details visit www.ataonline.com.

June 28 - July 2: USTA National B/G Opens at the Burns Park Tennis Center. Call 501-791-8585 for details or visit www.burnsparktennis.com.

There is an interesting posting and many comments on Max Brantley’s Arkansas Times blog concerning the hullabaloo at the Central Arkansas Water Commission.

Kate Althoff, who is mentioned in the posting, spoke extensively before the City Council at Monday’s meeting about the reappointment of Rose Law Firm lawyer Jane Dickey to the Central Arkansas Water Commission.

Barry Hass spoke to the council Monday as well and said he “was a member of the police advisory council for 18 months that helped craft the comprehensive watershed management plan to help protect Lake Maumelle.”

Both Hass and Althoff question Dickey's appointment.

Lake Maumelle is the main source of our water supply here in North Little Rock so one would think it is a bit important how this source is treated by those in control of it.

Firefighter Jason Bryant sat next to me to give blood this morning, my blood brother if you will.

That was the blood donation tally at 9:30 when I left the Senior Citizens Center

I’m back, in one piece and safely say giving blood is a piece of cake, or at least a Daylight bakery supplied donut which I consumed after my turn in the seat.

It took about 10 minutes for the survey to be completed by the Red Cross staff and then about 30 minutes for me to donate a “double up” unit. This is a method that takes out blood and then gives you back a plasma/saline solution mix that results in a more better result.

I will write a more detailed piece later.

Giving a simple unit of blood takes even less time in the chair.

So, get down to the Senior Citizens Center to make sure we quickly pull away from the Little Rock team!

A breeze outside the NLR Boys and Girls Club almost felt cooler than the inside of the building Thursday.

The kids at the Jim Wetherington Boys and Girls Club have had to deal with some sweltering days at 1212 Wetherington Place since late May.

Copper thieves came in the night and totally ruined the club’s larger air conditioning unit and damaged the smaller one, said Cindy Doramus, the chief executive officer of Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas.

“I’ll be the first one to say this has taken longer than I would have anticipated to get this thing fixed,” Doramus said Thursday by phone. “They came and tore up our biggest unit out there; I mean they tore it up to the point where we had to replace the entire thing.”

Student registration for the fall 2008 semester at Pulaski Technical College (PTC) will take place July 8-Aug. 13.
 
Students can register in the Campus Center on Pulaski Tech's main campus at 3000 West Scenic Drive in North Little Rock.

The hours are 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Argenta Community Development Corporation (CDC ) is now a host site for The Benefit Bank of Arkansas. 

The free internet-based, counselor-assisted service helps low- to moderate-income individuals and families access federal benefits they may be eligible for. These include the Earned Income Tax Credit, ARKids B, food stamps, Temporary Employment Assistance (TEA), Medicaid and more. Tax preparation and voter registration services are also available.

Each year in Arkansas $280 million in benefits and tax refunds are left unclaimed. The Benefit Bank of Arkansas helps connect people to these resources.

Friday

University of Arkansas at Little Rock  Gallery I "Pairings"  paintings from the permanent collection through July 10. Gallery II "Afloat" etchings, silk screen & digital project by Shahzia Sikander through July 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Fri. Call 569-8977 for more information.

Arkansas State Capitol: "American Presidents: Life Portraits" oils and sketches by Charles Fagan. For more information call 683-1441.

Saturday

Lights Over the Lake by the  Conway Symphony Orchestra starts at 7 p.m. at Beaverfork Park in Conway. For more information visit, www.conwaysymphony.org.

Tomorrow is the Badges and Hoses Blood Drive and the city’s police and fire team have their marching aortas---err, orders to show the Little Rock team they are a mere drip in comparison.

In that vein it’s time to go with the flow, it is time for North Little Rock types to roll up their sleeves and get pumped up to pump those little squeezy balls the nice nurses give you to stick it to the south side.

With Chief Danny Bradley putting (get it---to putt) up his dignity to become Little Rock Police Chief Stuart caddy for a gold game, we can’t have Bradley become a version of Bill Murry from Caddy Shack.