District planning
June graduation
The North Little Rock School District plans to hold an on-location graduation sometime in June, the superintendent said Friday.
Mayor Joe Smith held his weekly covid-19 news conference Friday during which Superintendent Bobby Acklin discussed how the school district plans to move forward with the remainder of the school year, senior activities and plans for the 2020-21 school year.
Acklin said the district created a graduation committee to help give high school seniors a sense of accomplishment during the coronavirus pandemic. He said members of the graduation committee include administrators, Parent Teacher Association presidents, student body presidents and others.
The school superintendent said there will be a virtual graduation in May, but there are additional plans.
Acklin said the district reserved the Barton Coliseum for June 23 "in hopes things loosen up, and we can have an actual graduation."
Acklin said he will push the date back even further if needed, but he wants an actual graduation for the students.
Justice Building
work continues
Construction on the North Little Rock Justice Building is progressing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, city officials said.
Capt. Jay Kovach of the North Little Rock Police Department said in an email Tuesday that construction crews began pouring concrete for the footings this week.
The justice center will be in the 2600 and 2700 blocks of Poplar Street, where the Arkansas National Guard's Fisher Armory was and the North Little Rock School District administration building is now.
Kovach said the administration building will be torn down soon, as well.
The proposed 80,000-square-foot complex will feature a sleek brick-and-glass exterior.
LED lights will surround the roof of the two-story building, which will allow the facility to be lit up at night. Also, the colors of the lights can be changed easily, said Ken Henton, the principal in charge at Hoefer Wysocki, an architectural, planning and interior design company from Leawood, Kan., that is working on the complex.
Replacing the city's police and courts building was a large portion of a sales tax package that the city put to voters in 2017. The current building at 200 Pershing Blvd. dates to 1961, when the Police Department had about 100 fewer officers. The courts annex was added in 1964.
Mayor joins D.C.
virus conference
Mayor Joe Smith announced Friday that White House staff members told him the coronavirus pandemic isn't ending anytime soon.
Smith held his fourth weekly video announcement on the virus in North Little Rock. He said he, along with mayors across the country, had a conference call this week with Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx who told them the situation would go on for a while longer.
"This is the new norm for a little while," Smith said. "Stay home, stay safe, be smart, take care of others, wear your masks and keep your distance."
The mayor suggested creating different patterns or designs on masks to lighten the mood during a tough time.
SundayMonday on 04/19/2020