Students eligible for prizes with vaccine
FAYETTEVILLE -- A series of prize drawings for University of Arkansas, Fayetteville students vaccinated against covid-19 so far has "more than 7,000" entries, a UA spokesman said Tuesday.
The first prize drawing is set for today. UA has announced that at least 15 prizes will be given away each week during the fall semester. Five-hundred dollar scholarships, $100 parking permit credits and $100 bookstore gift cards are among the prizes, as well as a more limited number of travel or event packages that include a Grand Canyon trip.
Proof of vaccination is required to claim prizes, according to UA, and students vaccinated before the start of the fall semester are also eligible to win.
UA students are also eligible for a city-run incentive program offering $100 to those who become fully vaccinated against covid-19 from Aug. 17 through Oct. 15. The incentive is being offered to city residents and those with jobs in Fayetteville.
Students going to in-person classes in Fayetteville can show current student identification or documentation verifying they are enrolled, Lisa Thurber, a city spokeswoman, said in an email.
"University students are an important part of our community, and we hope they will take steps to protect themselves and Fayetteville by getting vaccinated," Thurber said.
-- Jaime Adame
Covid delays Delta Roots Music Festival
HELENA-WEST HELENA -- The Delta Roots Music Festival has been postponed until spring.
The rising number of covid-19 cases in Phillips County compelled the Sonny Boy Blues Society board of directors to reschedule the festival for April 9, according to a news release. The festival was initially scheduled for Sept. 25.
The second Delta Roots Music Festival will honor the memory of Phillips County native Levon Helm, who was the drummer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of The Band, which backed Bob Dylan in the 1960s.
All acts scheduled for 2021 are tentatively planning to play the 2022 festival, including headlining act The Weight Band, The Cate Brothers, Fonky Donkey, Rodge Arnold, Duane Stevens Band, Mother Hubbard & The Regulators, Arkansas Brothers, Bailey Hefley and the Live Wire Band.
"All ticket sales will be rolled over to the 2022 festival, unless otherwise specified," according to the release.
-- Bill Bowden
UCA students hit 61% in vaccinations
The University of Central Arkansas has at least 61% of its student population fully or partially vaccinated against covid-19, the top administrator for the Conway campus said Tuesday.
The data comes from an analysis done by the state Department of Health and the state Division of Higher Education, said Houston Davis, the college's president, in a message addressed to faculty and staff.
Davis, in the emailed message, said the campus' health clinic "continues to see a steady stream of vaccination appointments among the student population since this data was provided, so we are confident that this percentage has increased."
He did not say when the data was provided, but added that the rate put UCA "among the top two Arkansas four-year public institutions for students."
A state Health Department report on covid-19 in schools dated Monday listed the Conway campus as having 44 active infections, the second-highest total for colleges in the state behind the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's total of 135 active cases among students and staff.
"As of this Monday, at least 75% of all full- and part-time employees have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as recorded through our vaccine incentive program," Davis said.
Davis said the Bears football team had a 100% covid-19 vaccination rate for its coaching staff and players on scholarship, while the overall rate was 81% for athletic personnel and students who compete on the school's athletic teams.
-- Jaime Adame