Little Rock vyingfor Monopoly spot
Little Rock is in the running to become a space on a new Monopoly game set to be released this fall.
Hasbro Inc., the creator of Monopoly, is running a contest to find the top 20 cities in the United States.
Sixty cities are in the running, and the top 20 will be featured as property spaces on the Monopoly Here & Now game sometime in the fall. As of last week, Little Rock ranked No. 37.
The top 20 will be chosen by which cities receive the most votes at www.buzzfeed.com/votemonopoly. Votes will be accepted through Wednesday. People can vote an unlimited amount of times.
The city that receives the most votes will become the boardwalk space on the game board.
LR police to add 30 Fords to fleet
The Little Rock Police Department plans to purchase 30 new Ford vehicles made specifically for law enforcement use to replace some of its aged inventory.
Officers currently drive Dodge Chargers, Ford Crown Victorias and Chevrolet Impalas.
It was a joint decision between the Police Department and the city's Fleet Services Department to switch from buying Dodge Chargers back to buying Ford.
Ford's Police Interceptors include specific features inspired by officers. The vehicles come in both a car and sport utility model.
The city plans to purchase 14 SUV Interceptors and 16 Sedan Interceptors from Landers Ford for a total of $759,263.10.
"A team of police officers and some members of my staff got together and just decided that the Ford Interceptor really fits their needs a little bit better than a Dodge Charger," Fleet Services Director Wendell Jones said.
The city Board of Directors will decide whether to authorize the purchase at a 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday at City Hall.
Generally, the city retires a vehicle for every new vehicle it purchases. Jones said the Police Department has 30 vehicles with between 150,000 to 200,000 miles on them. Those will likely all be retired, though there is the possibility of keeping a few, he said.
Dr. Seuss birthday parties planned
The Cat in the Hat and Pete the Cat will host a party Monday at the Park Plaza Mall in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday, also known as Read Across America Day.
The Central Arkansas Library System is partnering with the National Education Association, which created Read Across America Day, to put on several parties across the city Monday.
From 4 to 7 p.m., the Cat in the Hat and Pete the Cat characters will be at the Park Plaza Mall where children can partake in crafts and book readings.
There are also events scheduled at several libraries. Dr. Seuss's Birthday Bash will be at 6 p.m. at the McMath Library on John Barrow Road, and Dr. Seuss Family Night will be at 6:30 p.m. at Terry Library on Napa Valley Drive.
Another Dr. Seuss Family Night will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Thompson Library on Rahling Circle. Two events are scheduled for Saturday, both at 10:30 a.m. They are Dr. Seuss Story-time with Lupe Pena Valadez at the Main Library in the River Market District, and Dr. Seuss on the Loose Party at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library and Learning Center on West 10th Street.
Libraries' March Madness begins
The Central Arkansas Library System wants patrons to partake in March Madness with a new bracket contest.
Starting today, Little Rock's libraries will serve as bracketing locations for the library system's Heroes and Villains: Character Face-Off competition.
The competition will determine patrons' favorite literary character. There are eight heroes and eight villains to choose from. Each week in March, patrons will be asked to vote for their favorite character at any library branch or on the library website at www.cals.org.
During the first week, voters can try to predict the winner for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card. There is no limit to how many times participants can vote.
Segregation topic of author's talk
Author and Lonoke County native Aretha Dodson will talk about her experiences going to segregated public schools in Arkansas and later working for the same school district after integration at a lecture Wednesday.
The talk is based on Dodson's memoir, That's the Way It 'Wuz' Back Then. She's this month's guest of the Butler Center's Legacies and Lunch lecture series. The talk will begin at noon and should last for an hour. It will be at the Main Library's Darragh Center located at 100 Rock St. in the River Market District downtown.
Dodson's book details her own experiences, interviews she conducted and clippings from the Lonoke Democrat.
It details "the hardship and suffering of black families during the early twentieth century, segregated schools in the South and the unrest experienced in the South during the desegregation of schools," a news release said.
Dodson is a school improvement educational consultant who worked for Lonoke public schools for almost 40 years.
Metro on 03/01/2015