Jake Sandlin
Stories by Jake
100 water bills include wrong return address
posted: 05/26/2012 3:15 a.m. Discuss
Almost 100 Central Arkansas Water customers received return envelopes from Arkansas Urology with their recent monthly bills because of a billing company error, Graham Rich, chief executive officer of the utility, said Friday.
OUR TOWN: North Little Rock notebook
posted: 05/20/2012 4:59 a.m. Discuss
Baring Cross site of forum on survey A Baring Cross neighborhood meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday at ACTS Church, 1224 Franklin St., to discuss the results of a residential survey taken late last year by Argenta Community Development Corp.
CATA routes, stops now on phones, PCs
posted: 05/17/2012 5 a.m. Discuss
Figuring out when and where to catch a Central Arkansas Transit Authority bus and knowing its route is now only a few clicks away on a smart phone or personal computer, even if it’s hit-andmiss for a while.
NLR council OKs bonds’ restructure
posted: 05/15/2012 4:09 a.m. Discuss
With neither objection nor endorsement from the public, the North Little Rock City Council approved a $60-million restructuring of electric system revenue bonds Monday night with a unanimous vote.
NLR looks to alter electric-plant debt
posted: 05/14/2012 4:39 a.m. Discuss
Reworking a series of revenue bond issues into a $60 million package won’t impact North Little Rock Electric Department rates, but failing to restructure those bonds would negatively affect the utility, General Manager Mike Russ said.
City rules on ‘adult’ stores get 2nd look
posted: 05/14/2012 4:38 a.m. Discuss
Maumelle officials are contemplating a draft proposal of regulations that would restrict retail stores from having open displays of sexually oriented merchandise among their regular inventory.
NLR declares day to tout tourism
posted: 05/11/2012 2:27 a.m. Comments 2
Pulling out a slogan from his city’s Chamber of Commerce, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays called the city Arkansas’ “sports and entertainment capital” while proclaiming Thursday as North Little Rock Tourism Day.
NLR utility aims to avoid ‘cash crunch’
posted: 05/09/2012 5:36 a.m. Comments 3
A proposed $60 million restructuring of North Little Rock Electric Department revenue bonds that includes extending the payoff date for the city’s hydroelectric plant by 10 years is meant to avoid a coming “cash crunch,” the utility’s chief said Tuesday.
Helena to dedicate replica of fort key in 1863 Union defense of city
posted: 05/07/2012 3:56 a.m. Discuss
Embracing its Civil War heritage, Helena-West Helena will dedicate at noon Friday a block-long replica of the Union’s Fort Curtis, part of an overall effort to encourage tourism and capitalize on the war’s sesquicentennial observance.
Watershed study’s delay adds time for JPs to gather opinions
posted: 05/06/2012 3:31 a.m. Discuss
A study on which the Pulaski County Quorum Court once intended to base proposed zoning regulations for the Lake Maumelle Watershed won’t be released before mid-August instead of this spring, a U.S. Geological Survey official said last week.
OUR TOWN: North Little Rock notebook
posted: 04/29/2012 4:41 a.m. Discuss
Books for swap at ‘little libraries’ The Laman Library has set up a “little free library” at two North Little Rock locations in a free book-exchange program to promote literacy.
NLR property owner sues over rejected hillside cut
posted: 04/28/2012 2:55 a.m. Discuss
A hillside cut rejected by the North Little Rock City Council last month has prompted the property owner to file two lawsuits to have the decision overturned in Pulaski County Circuit Court.
NLR opts for healthy snacks
posted: 04/25/2012 5:12 a.m. Discuss
North Little Rock aldermen chewed over recommendations Monday night for offering more nutritious snacks in city vending machines and at city-sponsored events before dishing out their approval.
NLR kicks logos off the curb
posted: 04/25/2012 5:10 a.m. Discuss
Painting a sports team’s logo on a street curb next to a house address isn’t being a good sport or neighbor, the North Little Rock City Council decided Monday night.
Food on NLR council’s plate
posted: 04/22/2012 4:37 a.m. Discuss
Vending machines, concession stands and city-catered events in North Little Rock would offer more healthful food and beverage options under proposed city guidelines.
NLR marina work expected to start in May; permit last obstacle
posted: 04/21/2012 2:46 a.m. Discuss
Construction of a $3.8 million marina on the Arkansas River just west of downtown North Little Rock will start in early May, pending a final permit from the city, developer Jim Jackson said Friday.
CATA seeks peek at fueling-shift cost
posted: 04/18/2012 4:58 a.m. Discuss
A New Orleans-based engineering firm will calculate the cost of modifying Central Arkansas Transit Authority’s garage to accommodate an alternative to diesel fuel, pending contract negotiations, the agency’s board of directors decided Tuesday.
NLR’s modernizing mayor Laman dies
posted: 04/17/2012 4:29 a.m. Discuss
William F. “Casey” Laman, the former North Little Rock mayor credited with modernizing the city while governing with an iron-fisted style during 16 years in office, died early Monday. He was 98.
City’s golf course in full swing
posted: 04/15/2012 3:48 a.m. Discuss
On a pleasant Friday afternoon recently, Sonny Janssen took off early to play golf at The Greens at North Hills, Sherwood’s municipal course.
2 miles of trail to widen
posted: 04/12/2012 4:56 a.m. Discuss
About two miles of trail stretching between John F. Kennedy and North Hills boulevards in North Little Rock will soon be widened and paved to encourage city residents to use it for walking, jogging and biking, officials said Wednesday.
Pulaski County moving away from paper records
posted: 04/11/2012 5:04 a.m. Discuss
Pulaski County is taking steps to digitize district court records as the county is running out of room to store paper records, officials said Tuesday.
NLR council calls halt to hillside cuts, plans to review rules
posted: 04/10/2012 4:16 a.m. Discuss
The North Little Rock City Council approved a moratorium Monday night on all major hillside cuts to give the city time to review its regulations for such excavations, but not before granting a cut for an apartment complex.
OUR TOWN: North Little Rock notebook
posted: 04/08/2012 3:21 a.m. Discuss
Event to collect, recycle e-waste Used electronics will be collected April 18-19 in the Verizon Arena parking lot in North Little Rock for recycling, according to the North Little Rock Electric Department.
In NLR, recycling confusion
posted: 04/07/2012 3 a.m. Discuss
North Little Rock residents haven’t been told clearly enough about recycling changes that start Monday, while the city learns how to deal with misunderstandings as well, a city administrator said Friday.
Planning survey sent to Maumelle homes
posted: 04/05/2012 5:07 a.m. Discuss
Maumelle residents have been mailed a community survey questionnaire from the city as part of an effort to create a strategic plan for the city.
NLR alderman seeks 6-month hillside cut ban
posted: 04/04/2012 4:50 a.m. Discuss
A North Little Rock alderman will ask the City Council to implement a six-month moratorium on major hillside cuts at next week’s council meeting, just two weeks after the council denied a contentious hillside cut.
LR kicks off recycling program
posted: 04/03/2012 4:25 a.m. Discuss
Single-stream recycling started in Little Rock on Monday without any big problems, officials reported, as households due for pickup on the program’s first day filled their new 65-gallon carts with an array of recyclables.
Confederate event planned at Capitol
posted: 04/01/2012 4:02 a.m. Discuss
An annual observance of Confederate Flag Day, Confederate Memorial Day and Arkansas Confederate History and Heritage Month will be held Saturday on the state Capitol grounds in Little Rock.
OUR TOWN: North Little Rock notebook
posted: 04/01/2012 3:49 a.m. Discuss
Recycling bins to be repurposed North Little Rock High School-East Campus Environmental and Spatial Technology students are collecting old recycle bins to be placed in North Little Rock School District classrooms.
Glaze, former state justice, dies at 74
posted: 03/31/2012 3:53 a.m. Discuss
Tom Glaze, a former Arkansas Supreme Court justice whom law colleagues referred to as fair, dedicated and someone who gave great attention to detail, died Friday at his home in North Little Rock after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease.
NLR parks going on a wild goose (egg) chase
posted: 03/29/2012 4:18 a.m. Comments 2
North Little Rock park officials are tracking pairs of geese in the city’s Burns Park to detect nesting sites as a way to continue efforts to reduce the fowl’s numbers.
Church’s hill slice rejected by NLR
posted: 03/27/2012 4:32 a.m. Comments 2
Park Hill homeowners filled the North Little Rock City Council chambers Monday night and went home winners in a contentious debate over a proposed hillside cut that has taken almost two years to decide.
NLR to raise sewer rates next week
posted: 03/27/2012 4:17 a.m. Discuss
Sewer rates will begin to rise for North Little Rock Waste Water customers on April 1 to allow the city to meet a state-mandated requirement to correct sewage overflows problems.
Mayor wants vote on hillside
posted: 03/25/2012 6:21 a.m. Comments 2
Mayor Patrick Hays wants the North Little Rock City Council on Monday to decide whether to allow a long-debated hillside cut below homes in the Park Hill neighborhood for a church parking lot, he said last week, though opponents say they want more public debate.
CATA takes up Conway commute idea
posted: 03/21/2012 4:39 a.m. Discuss
Board members of the Central Arkansas Transit Authority on Tuesday broached an idea to study commuter bus service between Little Rock and Conway and other areas, but had more questions than answers.
OUR TOWN: North Little Rock notebook
posted: 03/20/2012 4:26 a.m. Discuss
Business license deadline nears Business owners in North Little Rock have until the end of the month to renew their business licenses for this year without being assessed a late penalty.
NLR alderman seeks curb-logo ban
posted: 03/17/2012 5:14 a.m. Discuss
Alderman Charlie Hight of North Little Rock is a big enough Arkansas Razorbacks fan that he has “PIGSUUE” on his vehicle’s license plate.
Rules over horse droppings latest pooh-poohed in NLR
posted: 03/15/2012 4:38 a.m. Discuss
There’s been a lot of poop coming up at North Little Rock City Council meetings lately.
Hays sees parking-lot progress
posted: 03/13/2012 4:33 a.m. Discuss
The North Little Rock City Council took “a step forward” Monday in resolving a controversial hillside cut proposed by a church, Mayor Patrick Hays said, by adding an amendment that would reduce both the size of the cut and the parking lot to be built for the church.
OUR TOWN: North Little Rock notebook
posted: 03/11/2012 5:13 a.m. Discuss
Peanuts, Schulz in library exhibit Laman Library will present “Inside Peanuts: The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz” beginning March 30 in the library at 28th and Orange streets in North Little Rock.
NLR council to get look at plan on sewer-rate rise
posted: 03/09/2012 5:26 a.m. Discuss
Sewer bills for North Little Rock Waste Water customers would rise in three steps under a proposal to be introduced Monday to the City Council.
Loss seen for Verizon Arena
posted: 03/08/2012 5:04 a.m. Discuss
A down year for concert tours stopping at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock in 2011 will have arena management dipping into its reserves to make up for a net loss in revenue, its general manager said Wednesday.
Geese at Burns Park dwindle to 34 a day
posted: 03/03/2012 3:43 a.m. Discuss
The number of geese at North Little Rock’s Burns Park has dropped to an average of 34 per day from about 200 late last year after goosechasing dogs worked the park for almost two months, a city official said Friday.
Hearing on NLR TIF suit delayed
posted: 03/01/2012 6:32 a.m. Discuss
A court hearing scheduled today on a lawsuit challenging a public project that would divert money from North Little Rock schools has been postponed, City Attorney Jason Carter said Wednesday.
NLR delays parking lot vote
posted: 02/28/2012 4:49 a.m. Discuss
Five residents who live above a hillside targeted for excavation to expand a church parking lot pleaded with the North Little Rock City Council to disallow those plans to go through.
Steele officially announces run for NLR mayor
posted: 02/26/2012 4:38 a.m. Discuss
Before a crowd of more than 100, state Rep. Tracy Steele asked for the opportunity to take North Little Rock “to the next level” as its next mayor.
GPS driving NLR to fix 2 addresses
posted: 02/25/2012 3:35 a.m. Discuss
North Little Rock’s Wyndham Riverfront Hotel and US Bank’s headquarters on Riverfront Place are hard places to find if guests and bank customers rely on GPS devices to pinpoint those locations.
Streetcar rides free on day before Easter
posted: 02/22/2012 5:40 a.m. Discuss
Families taking their children to downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock will be able to catch a free ride on the River Rail streetcars April 7 and have an Easter photo taken.
Hays still wants tugboat for NLR
posted: 02/19/2012 5:56 a.m. Discuss
Having a Pearl Harbor surviving tugboat added to North Little Rock’s Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum remains a target for Mayor Patrick Hays, who is still trying to find a way to get the boat from Northern California to Arkansas, he said last week.
NLR to donate $100,000 to arena
posted: 02/14/2012 4:13 a.m. Discuss
A $100,000 contribution approved by the North Little Rock City Council on Monday will help construct a conference center next to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame inside Verizon Arena for public use.
