Council seeks inputon property storage
A public hearing is scheduled for North Little Rock's July 14 City Council meeting on a proposed city ordinance that would restrict what residents are able to store on their porches, yards and carports.
Ordinance 14-46 would amend Chapter 8 of the North Little Rock City Code concerning Nuisance Abatement and Property Maintenance. It proposes to prohibit having furniture outside that wasn't specifically made for outdoor use. Outside storage of appliances also would be prohibited except for a freezer or refrigerator that is in use under a covered carport.
"If it's not made for outside, it's not supposed to be outside," City Alderman Debi Ross, a co-sponsor, said about the proposed regulations.
The legislation is the result of a city task force's recommendations. The ordinance has been on the council agenda for five meetings but has received very limited comment during previous public hearings.
"We want some feedback," City Alderman Steve Baxter, the other co-sponsor, said during the last council meeting. "We haven't heard anything. I haven't received any emails or phone calls about it."
The City Council meets at City Hall at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. Aldermen's contact information is available at northlittlerock.ar.gov.
Fellow's new storycaps summer series
Hope Coulter will be featured at Laman Library's "Meet the Author" series at 7 p.m. Tuesday at William F. Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., the final session of the summer series.
The event is free and open to the public.
Coulter, the 2014 Laman Writers Fellow recipient, will read from her new short story "Tales from the New World Viennese" and other recent fiction projects. These will include a poetry collection Coulter is to submit to publishers, according to a library news release.
The $10,000 library fellowship is awarded annually to aid Arkansas authors in their writing and publishing process.
Coulter is also scheduled to read from her short story in Vienna later this month during the International Conference on the Short Story in English, according to the news release.
A question-and-answer session with attendees will follow Coulter's readings.
Salvation Army setsvolunteer training
The Salvation Army will have a mandatory training session Saturday for its volunteers who will work with children.
The Safe from Harm training course will be 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the North Little Rock Corps, 5100 Locust St.
The course will be the only such session for anyone wanting to volunteer for The Salvation Army's Target Back-to-School Shopping Spree and also is required for disaster volunteers. Recruitment of disaster volunteers will begin in September.
Volunteers are required to have a background check, and those being trained must bring a photo identification to the course. More information is available by calling (501) 374-9296 or emailing kathy_barbeire@uss.salvationarmy.org.
Metro on 07/07/2014