Stories by Eplunus Colvin

Red Cross assesses flood damage American Red Cross officials worked Friday from Pine Bluff to Stuttgart in their effort to assess flood damage in southeast Arkansas caused by multiple days of heavy rain. Missouri/Arkansas region te... June 12, 2021

Educator completes master's fellowship Jalon Hughes, a former health and physical education teacher in the Watson Chapel School District and newly hired Southwood Elementary assistant principal in the Pine Bluff district, was recognized du... June 11, 2021

Answers sought in jailed man's death What happened to Dezmen McBride? The 18-year-old, who was being held at the Dub Brassell Detention Center, died at approximately 12:18 p.m. Saturday, and the family is seeking answers to what they de... June 10, 2021

Hiring requests rejected by county officials Several vacant positions in various Jefferson County departments will remain vacant for now. At Monday night's Quorum Court meeting, justices of the peace voted down one after another, with a few exc... June 9, 2021

Council upholds employee suspension The Pine Bluff City Council upheld a recommended suspension of an animal control officer who was alleged to have been caught on camera beating a dog with a catchpole. It was also announced at the meet... June 8, 2021

Library going for new inside look "Out with old and in with the new" is the motto interim director of the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System Ricky Williams is taking to modernize the inside of the Pine Bluff Public Library to ... June 3, 2021

Despite panel debate, hiring requests OK’d Jefferson County’s hiring freeze and the county judge’s urging to eliminate positions did not stop the Quorum Court’s Human Resource Committee from approving numerous requests to fill vacancies during... June 2, 2021

Pine Bluff: Utility hasn't paid yet Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility officials say they still have not been paid approximately $188,000 they say is owed to the city by Liberty Utilities. Ken Johnson, general manager of the Pine Bluff syst... May 31, 2021

UAPB fraternity earns top honor The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's Gamma Sigma chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi received Kappa's National Edward Giles Irvin Award for Medium Chapter of the Year. According to a news release from t... May 30, 2021

Streamlined county operations are urged Jefferson County department heads have been asked to evaluate their offices and consider cross-training and automating their office in an effort to establish a more efficient, streamlined, effective a... May 29, 2021

City officials air their views on public safety Editor's Note: This is the second of a two-part series on the results of the United Citizens of Pine Bluff's public safety survey results. After hearing the survey results and responses to open-ended... May 27, 2021

Residents, city leaders examine results from public-safety survey Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series. In this segment, the members of the United Citizens for Pine Bluff discuss their public safety survey results with city leaders and department hea... May 26, 2021

Pine Bluff City Council to decide on potential suspension of animal control officer in dog’s beating An animal control officer was seen on camera beating a dog with a catchpole resulting in a proposed three-day suspension by Animal Control Director Marcus Graydon, according to city officials. The sus... May 25, 2021

'Flushable' wipes clog sewers "Flushable" wipes are flushable, right? Wrong. While they do disappear down the drain when flushed, that's when the problems start. According to Ken Johnson, general manager of the Pine Bluff Waste... May 22, 2021

Block party, tours set along Pine Bluff's Main Street Whether it's your walking shoes or your boogie shoes, downtown Pine Bluff will be hosting two fun-filled events guaranteed to get your feet moving and grooving from noon to midnight Saturday in the Hi... May 21, 2021

Agency sets purchase for downtown project With the green light to make the final decisions regarding eminent domain, the Urban Renewal Agency is now entered into a contractual agreement on four downtown properties while filing a complaint in ... May 20, 2021

In survey, 40% of respondents say city feels like unsafe place Forty percent of Pine Bluff residents do not feel safe living in the city, more than 20% said they didn't feel safe in their homes at night, and 7 out of 10 said the city was not a clean and attractiv... May 19, 2021

Council OKs measure on drawing city limits A resolution was approved during the Pine Bluff City Council meeting Monday directing the immediate implementation of a 2014 resolution for the city to solicit proposals for a survey to establish the ... May 18, 2021

County exec presents plan to sustain budget When Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson took office in 2019, there was $30,000 in the Jefferson County Reserve Fund. During his first year, the account increased to nearly $1 million, according to... May 14, 2021

Anti-blight proposal gets committee's OK A proposed ordinance to fight blight through proactive property registration will be presented to the full council after it was given a "do pass" recommendation during Tuesday's Development and Planni... May 13, 2021

Farmers tell JPs of hauling-fee concerns Representatives from the farming industry voiced their concerns during a private meeting with Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson and then later during the Quorum Court meeting on Monday over an or... May 12, 2021

City's jail-bed dispute going to court A lawsuit filed by the City of Pine Bluff against Jefferson County over jail-bed space fees has not been settled, and now the two sides are headed to court. City Attorney Althea Scott, on behalf of t... May 11, 2021

Policies advanced on use of body cameras Public Safety Committee members sent two policies Friday to the full council that would provide guidance to Pine Bluff's animal control department on the use of physical force and body-worn video came... May 8, 2021

Committee mulls fix for illegal dumping Illegal dumping of trash, furniture and appliances is getting out of hand in the city of Pine Bluff and council members are brainstorming solutions to deal with the problem. During the Public Health ... May 7, 2021

Jefferson County panel favors imposing hauler fee An appropriation ordinance to establish a permit for hauling companies that use county roads became a concern for some justices of the peace during the Jefferson County Quorum Court Budget and Finance... May 6, 2021

Lions football squad draws council praise The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions football team was recognized during the Pine Bluff City Council meeting Monday night for competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Champio... May 4, 2021

Worker to help in blight removal The city of Pine Bluff has hired a code enforcement officer to help expedite blight removal in the Urban Renewal Agency areas, addressing a concern that agency officials expressed earlier this year. ... May 2, 2021

Boys & Girls Club gets first look at new van The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County visited Trotter Ford Lincoln automobile dealership Monday for the unveiling of its new 15-passenger van. H. Ford Trotter III made a donation toward the p... April 30, 2021

Revamp idea offered for downtown Pine Bluff space Go Forward Pine Bluff, under the leadership of CEO Ryan Watley, presented renderings that would transform a two-block area from Sixth Avenue and Main Street to State Street into a thriving community s... April 29, 2021

Floyd kin bore up, expresses hope Editor's note: This is part two of a two-part series that involves interviews The Pine Bluff Commercial conducted via Zoom with members of George Floyd's family after the conviction of Derek Chauvin. ... April 28, 2021

Floyd's family recalls his life Editor's note: This is part one of a set of interviews The Pine Bluff Commercial conducted via Zoom with members of Floyd's family following the conviction of Derek Chauvin. George Perry Floyd Jr. wa... April 25, 2021

City sets up clinic for shots April 30 The city of Pine Bluff in association with Doctor's Orders Pharmacy will hold another mass vaccination clinic Friday, April 30 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Originally pu... April 23, 2021

Verdict on Chauvin welcomed in PB area Darnella Frazier filmed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on George Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes on May 25, capturing the video that many credit as the reason for... April 22, 2021

Agency moves to speed eminent domain effort The Urban Renewal Agency's commission passed three resolutions Tuesday night that will speed up its effort to use eminent domain and improve the downtown area. The subject of eminent domain has been ... April 21, 2021

Parking change seeks to spur downtown As downtown Pine Bluff continues evolving, an update to the city's zoning regulations regarding parking was approved by the City Council on Monday. Opposed by council member Joni Alexander, the ordi... April 20, 2021

Churches adjust to challenges Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson strongly urged churches not to gather and to voluntarily follow the directive on large gatherings. Although places of worship were excl... April 18, 2021

Quick vote arranged on 13 new patrol cars New police units were ordered back in January for the Pine Bluff Police Department, but there was never an ordinance passed by the City Council to purchase them. With the arrival of the 13 units, an ... April 17, 2021

Agency celebrates Children's Week A sweet sound of laughter and cheer could be heard as Pine Bluff's Community Services Office, which serves Early Head Start and Head Start families with young children, celebrated Arkansas Children's ... April 16, 2021

Employee tells panel of disparity in salary Employment disparities were the topic of discussion during a Pine Bluff Administration Committee meeting when zoning official Lakishia Hill brought to the attention of the council members that after a... April 15, 2021

Panel hears agencies' job-addition requests Adding job positions was the topic of the day during the city's Administration Committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon -- one for the Parks and Recreation Department and the other for the Inspection an... April 14, 2021

Trash pickup fee still $26.72 after tinkering An appropriation ordinance to provide an increase in the monthly fee for Jefferson County garbage pickup was amended slightly by the Quorum Court during its regular meeting Monday. The ordinance, whi... April 13, 2021

Assessor's request up for JPs' consideration A vote on allowing the Jefferson County assessor to waive the bidding process will be needed during today's regularly scheduled Quorum Court meeting, at 5:30 p.m. at the County Courthouse, in order fo... April 12, 2021

Pothole repairs keep street crews hustling The Pine Bluff Street Department is working to keep up with demand on street repairs after heavy rains this spring pushed crews back to square one when it comes to patching potholes. During a Traffic... April 9, 2021

Police plan response to recent street racing Expect to see more aggressive traffic enforcement this weekend after an Easter weekend that kept the short-staffed Pine Bluff Police Department busy responding to drag racing and other traffic offense... April 8, 2021

Effort fails to exempt jobs from hiring freeze A vote to amend the Jefferson County hiring freeze ordinance to include additional employees for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office failed at the committee level Tuesday evening, and the measure wi... April 7, 2021

Vaccine hesitancy: Young adults debate whether to get inoculated Invulnerable to harm regardless of their behavior. That seems to be a core belief of some young people when it comes to getting the covid-19 vaccine. In Arkansas, anyone over the age of 16 is now eli... April 6, 2021

Police pledged $3,000 for sticking with city Pine Bluff police officers will receive a financial incentive at the end of the year if they remain employed with the city of Pine Bluff. The resolution laying out details of the bonus passed Monday ... April 6, 2021

City, county keep mask requirement The governor may have lifted the mask mandate this week, but masks are going to be required in public areas in Pine Bluff for the time being. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced during his Tuesday news con... April 1, 2021

Official: New building to cost less than to repair Plaza Hotel Rain leaking into the building and a pipe bursting from February's cold weather have combined to further erase any idea that the old Plaza Hotel could be renovated and brought back to life, a Pine Blu... March 30, 2021

Downtown displaying signs of beautification Pine Bluff's downtown Streetscape project is starting to see noticeable enhancements as work continues on the beautification project. The work, designed to help beautify downtown with new sidewalks a... March 27, 2021