Curb service signs offered to eateries
The North Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau has partnered with Trade Graphics Sign Shop to offer, at no cost, "Curb Service Available" yard signs to restaurants in the city.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday ordered the closure of all restaurant dining rooms, bars and gymnasiums in the state as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose with each passing day.
Restaurants may still offer delivery, drive-thru and carry-out service. Rules issued by the state Department of Finance and Administration's Alcoholic Beverage Control Division on Thursday allow restaurants with wine and beer permits to sell and deliver unopened containers of wine and beer with food for off-premises consumption.
The rules also allow liquor stores to offer curbside service and delivery, and encourage those with drive-thru windows to use those exclusively.
Bob Major, president and chief executive officer of the North Little Rock visitors bureau, said in an email that it was decided to offer signs to help restaurants. "We are very concerned of the impact on the restaurant industry not only in North Little Rock, also in Arkansas and across the United States," he said. "The impact of covid-19 not only affects the loss of business of our restaurants, but also causes confusion to the public who may be looking to pick up a meal to take home or back to work."
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Major said restaurants can order their signs directly from the sign shop.
He said when they are ready, an agency staff member will deliver the signs to the restaurant.
Joint push getting food to vulnerable
CareLink and the Patrick Henry Hays Senior Citizens Center are working together to provide food boxes to some of the most at-risk individuals in North Little Rock during the coronavirus pandemic.
North Little Rock on March 12 closed all community centers, adult fitness centers and the Hays Senior Citizens Center in an attempt to limit the spread of covid-19.
Hays Center Director Bernadette Gunn Rhodes said the center worked with CareLink to identify the most at-risk individuals who rely on CareLink's daily breakfast program, which was held at the center.
She said CareLink contacted those individuals and arranged to take them food boxes that are meant to supplement their food supplies for up to two weeks.
CareLink is a nonprofit that provides resources for older people in Central Arkansas.
Library offers free eCards on request
The William F. Laman Public Library is offering North Little Rock residents and surrounding communities the opportunity to request a free Laman Library eCard to access digital entertainment and information.
The library system closed on March 12 in an attempt to limit the spread of covid-19.
Robin Campbell, a spokesman for the library system, said library cardholders can still access free audio books, e-books, movies, music, animated kids' stories, digital magazines, newspapers, foreign language learning programs, and other databases at lamanlibrary.org.
He said to request a library card, patrons can email their names, physical and email addresses, birthdays, phone numbers, and four digit PINs to ecard.requests@lamanlibrary.org.
Metro on 03/22/2020