Business permit citations on way
Businesses in North Little Rock that haven't renewed a city business permit for 2017 will soon be getting citations in the mail, according to the city clerk-treasurer's office.
There were 817 delinquent businesses in the city as of Thursday, out of the almost 4,000 registered for business permits from last year, City Clerk-Treasurer Diane Whitbey said. Many may no longer be in business, but they need to notify the city so they can be taken off its delinquent list, she said.
Businesses still operating will be subject to possible fines unless their city permits are renewed within the time period noted on the citations.
"We think the majority of people will come in and take care of it," rather than go to court, Whitbey said.
City business permits are due for annual renewal Jan. 1 and are delinquent as of April 1 each year, with a 25 percent penalty based on the total due. After July 1, the penalty increases to 50 percent of the total due.
The average permit fee is $180, Whitbey said, but there are many variables affecting the cost, such as inventory and the number of employees.
Library seeks input at May 15 meeting
A meeting focused on ways for the William F. Laman Public Library System to better serve its patrons is set for 6 p.m. May 15 at the main library, 2801 Orange St.
Attendees will be able to share thoughts on what services they expect from the library and what events, programs or amenities they would like to see in the future, the library said.
"Come join us and tell us what works, what doesn't and what we can do better," a library news release said.
The Laman Library system consists of the main library and its Argenta Branch, 420 Main St., and its online services. It is independent of other library systems in central Arkansas. Library cards are available for free to anyone living in Pulaski County.
More information about the library system is available at lamanlibrary.org.
Maritime museum receives 3 awards
The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum received three state awards last month from the Arkansas Museums Association for its commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The museum in North Little Rock was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Achievement in Exhibitions award for its Pearl Harbor exhibits and a permanent display of a 10-foot-by-10-foot diorama of Pearl Harbor as it looked just before the attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
The diorama, which took nine months and 1,500 man hours to create, according to the museum, was created by model builders Ken MacLeod, Dix Wood and Bill Owens.
Allison Hiblong, the maritime museum's director of operations, received the 2016 Distinguished Museum Professional of the Year award, and Stephanie Slagle, the North Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau's communications manager, won an Outstanding Achievement award for the coordination of the Arkansas Remembers Pearl Harbor event on the 75th anniversary on Dec. 7. About 1,200 people attended the event, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The maritime museum is at 120 Riverfront Park Drive, on the banks of the Arkansas River east of the Main Street Bridge. More information on the museum is available at aimmuseum.org.
Metro on 05/07/2017