Mediation ordered in legal-fees dispute
U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. last week referred a dispute over legal fees in the ongoing Pulaski County school desegregation lawsuit to U.S. Magistrate Jerome T. Kearney, who will conduct a settlement conference among the parties.
Attorneys for the Joshua intervenors, who are black students in Pulaski County, are seeking payment of about $1.8 million in legal fees for their monitoring of desegregation efforts in the Pulaski County Special School District between July 2012 and April.
The Pulaski County Special district has countered with a lesser amount of $1.2 million and the negotiations reached a stalemate, prompting a request to Marshall by the attorneys for help from a magistrate.
Central student 5th at world contest
Little Rock Central High School senior Karina Bao, representing the United States, placed fifth among 25 at the Brain Bee World Championship Neuroscience Competition.
The 18th annual event was held June 30-July 4 in Copenhagen. The students were judged in the areas of neuroanatomy, neurohistology, and patient diagnosis, with both a written exam and live judging sections.
The top performing student was from Romania, followed by students from Canada, New Zealand and Iran.
3 schools damaged during thunderstorm
The July 14 thunderstorm and tornado threat that chased former world leaders into the hallways and lower levels at Little Rock Central High resulted in relatively minor building damage not only at Central but also at Hall and J.A. Fair high schools, district officials said.
At Central, there was some water-damaged floor coverings in several rooms that had to be replaced as the result of roof damage, Little Rock School District spokesman Pamela Smith said. A small canopy from the gym to the main building also was damaged.
"At Fair, we had minor roof damage to the football concession building; and at Hall, we experienced minor flashing damage, as well as damage to the auditorium's overhead door. No serious damage at other schools other than tree limb removal. Our director of facilities services does not expect the total to exceed $50,000," Smith said.
At the time of the storm, former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, along with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and three members of the Little Rock Nine -- students who integrated Central High in 1957 -- were at Central for a graduation ceremony for Presidential Leadership Scholars, a program for mid-career professionals administered by the presidential centers for Clinton, Bush, George H.W. Bush and Lyndon Johnson.
Scott Field closed after new sod laid
Scott Field at Little Rock's Forest Heights STEM Academy has been closed for several weeks and a re-opening date has not been set.
A Little Rock district spokesman said the field and track that are widely used by members of the public will be opened once newly laid sod has taken root.
Metro on 07/24/2016