Stories by Paige Eichkorn

Rotary Club honors the Little Rock Nine The Little Rock Nine, racial equality trailblazers as teenagers who overcame opposition to become the first Black students to enroll at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, receieved the inaugural... June 7, 2023

Mental health services at Pulaski County jail still in dispute Turmoil over the Pulaski County Quorum Court's decision to reject a $2.2 million proposal for county jail mental health services provider Turn Key continues to affect Chief Detention Officer Charl... June 5, 2023

Former LR prep football star convicted of sex-trafficking charges A federal jury on Friday found a former Little Rock prep and college football star guilty of two counts of sex trafficking.Deonte Womack, 48, was found guilty of the two charges after four women testi... June 3, 2023

North Little Rock will end tornado debris pickup on Sunday Residents of North Little Rock affected by the March 31 tornado can have debris picked up through this weekend by Crowder Gulf Disaster Recovery and Debris Management, the city announced Friday.Sunday... June 2, 2023

Jury finds former Little Rock football standout guilty on 2 counts of sex trafficking A federal jury on Friday found a former Little Rock prep and college football star guilty of two counts of sex trafficking.Deonte Womack, 48, was found guilty of the two charges after four women testi... June 2, 2023

Fundraiser for ALS group exceeds goal The inaugural CEO Soak Arkansas, held Thursday at Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock, exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 for the ALS Association, organizers said.Simmons First Foundation Chairman T... June 2, 2023

Comment period opens in North Little Rock for report to HUD The city of North Little Rock has opened public comment for its Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, which is submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development each y... May 30, 2023

Deadline to assess property is Wednesday Wednesday is the last day for residents in Arkansas' 75 counties to assess their personal and business property and avoid a 10% penalty.This includes — but is not limited to — automobi... May 30, 2023

Development in Pulaski County raises concern in rural areas Pulaski County hosted its third public vision meeting for residents to share their ideas and comments on future land use in the unincorporated areas of the county last week.Many landowners who showed ... May 30, 2023

Saline County library facing more scrutiny The Saline County Library board delayed a vote earlier in the month that would grant the county judge power to relocate or remove "controversial" books from youth sections in the Benton and ... May 29, 2023

North Little Rock parks director resigns to work in private sector After nearly three years as North Little Rock’s parks and recreation director, Steve Shields has accepted a job at Carty and Company Inc., a Memphis-based investment broker.“I’m exci... May 25, 2023

Pulaski County Quorum Court won’t add funds for jail The Pulaski County Quorum Court rejected an ordinance to amend its budget to include an additional $2.2 million for the county jail's medical department Tuesday.The sponsor of the ordinance, Quoru... May 24, 2023

Pittman is new COO at Rock Region Metro Rock Region Metro has appointed a new chief operating officer, Lois Pittman, succeeding the previous COO, Emmanuel Twumasi.Pittman will head the operations department, be a peer to other executive lea... May 22, 2023

Central Arkansas' P.A.R.K. program for at-risk kids hosts graduation Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids, an educational program for at-risk students in Central Arkansas, hosted its 28th annual graduation ceremony on Thursday.It was the first in-person graduation the orga... May 19, 2023

Saline library chief decries GOP’s ‘x-rated’ book billboard Motorists driving along Interstate 30 toward Benton near its local Walmart have recently been seeing a billboard that reads: "STOP X-RATED LIBRARY BOOKS" and "SalineLibrary.com."Th... May 17, 2023

Land uses studied in Pulaski County Pulaski County is asking for county residents' input in its land use study.The study will focus on the future of the unincorporated areas of the county by looking at land use, infrastructure and d... May 15, 2023

Principal hopefuls queried on vision for North Little Rock school The North Little Rock School District invited the Seventh Street Elementary School community to an open interview for two candidates for the school's principal last week.Deputy Superintendent Torr... May 15, 2023

Golden Eagle aids volunteer cleanup Jessie Harris, a survivor of the March 31 tornado in North Little Rock, protected himself as a tree from his neighbor's yard went through his roof into his kitchen and living room.The EF3 tornado ... May 14, 2023

County will consider funds for parks, youth Pulaski County quorum court will consider an ordinance that would make $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds available for its general fund, county youth services and for updating county playgr... May 11, 2023

Property sale clears way for Argenta hotel The North Little Rock City Council approved the sale of the old Greyhound bus station property on Washington Avenue to a hotel firm, setting the stage for a potential 14-story hotel that would include... May 9, 2023

Airport changing managers NORTH LITTLE ROCK — After 12 years of serving as the North Little Rock Airport manager, Clay Rogers is stepping down to pursue other ventures.Barry Bray, an experienced pilot with an extensive a... May 7, 2023

North Little Rock Airport changing managers after 12 years After 12 years of serving as the North Little Rock Airport manager, Clay Rogers is stepping down to pursue other ventures.Barry Bray, an experienced pilot with an extensive aviation background, will t... May 5, 2023

North Little Rock airport gets new manager After 12 years of serving as the North Little Rock Airport manager, Clay Rogers is stepping down to pursue other ventures.Barry Bray, an experienced pilot with extensive aviation background will take ... May 4, 2023

Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub building renovation shifts to phased schedule Winrock International announced Tuesday it is changing to "a phased construction schedule" to upgrade the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub in North Little Rock instead of its originally plan... May 2, 2023

Burns Park debris-clearing continues North Little Rock cleared enough debris in Burns Park to open its youth baseball fields last week.But most of Burns Park -- one of the largest municipal parks in the nation -- remains closed to the pu... May 1, 2023

North Little Rock School District weighs teacher salaries under state law The North Little Rock School District is preparing for how the Arkansas LEARNS Act will affect its teacher salary schedule for the coming school year.Funding for the minimum starting salary of $50,000... May 1, 2023

New Arkansas law limits foreign drones New legislation prohibits law enforcement agencies from purchasing small, unmanned aircraft, or drones, from a "covered foreign entity" starting in 2027.According to Act 525 of 2023, a &quot... May 1, 2023

Regional planners in Arkansas center on Little Rock Air Force Base A group of Central Arkansas counties and cities are forming a Little Rock Air Force Base Regional Planning Committee that officials say will be the first of its kind in the U.S.Officials said the comm... April 28, 2023

Central Arkansas cities, counties to form Little Rock Air Force Base planning committee A group of central Arkansas counties and cities are forming a Little Rock Air Force Base Regional Planning Committee officials say will be the first of its kind in the U.S.Comprised of Austin, Cabot, ... April 27, 2023

North Little Rock council votes on community block grant recipients At the end of a 30-day public comment period Monday, the North Little Rock City Council voted to approve its annual Community Development Block Grant action plan and to make recommendations for the 20... April 25, 2023

North Little Rock council votes on community block grant recipients NORTH LITTLE ROCK -- At the end of a 30-day public comment period Monday, the North Little Rock City Council voted to approve its annual Community Development Block Grant action plan and to make recom... April 25, 2023

Pulaski County panel approves 13 deputy jobs The Pulaski County Quorum Court budget committee has approved 13 new deputy sheriff positions, half the number Sheriff Eric Higgins requested.The decision followed a discussion Tuesday night about Hig... April 20, 2023

North Little Rock to explain short-term rent rules The city of North Little Rock is taking steps to carry out a new ordinance regulating short-term rentals.Officials are hosting a meeting at the North Little Rock City Council Chamber in City Hall at 2... April 19, 2023

North Little Rock to close a section of Military Drive on Wednesday The City of North Little Rock said it will close a section of Military Drive for debris removal and transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday.Military Drive and Charles Boyer Drive in Burns Park ... April 18, 2023

North Little Rock School District gears up for school remake The North Little Rock School Board's unanimous approval to remake Seventh Street Elementary is setting off activity on hiring staff, assembling a student body and creating a community advisory pan... April 16, 2023

Benefiel selected to create new Clinton center sculpture Artist Joan Benefiel is a committee's choice to create the next sculpture at the Clinton Presidential Center to take the place of a sapling from Anne Frank's chestnut tree originally dedicated... April 16, 2023

Artist selected to create new Clinton center sculpture replacing Anne Frank tree Artist Joan Benefiel is a committee’s choice to create the next sculpture at the Clinton Presidential Center to take the place of a sapling from Anne Frank’s chestnut tree originally dedic... April 15, 2023

3 present artworks to replace tree in Little Rock Three finalists presented their sculpture prototypes at the Clinton Presidential Center on Friday to have the chance to permanently take the place of a sapling from Anne Frank's chestnut tree that... April 15, 2023

North Little Rock council establishes regulations for short-term housing rentals City council members passed an ordinance establishing regulations for short-term rentals in North Little Rock on Monday after more than a year of debate, with seven for and one against.The ordinance f... April 11, 2023

New mural going up on the side of Rock Town Distillery A new large-scale fine art mural will take the place of a previous work by Shannon Wallace Norman on the side of Rock Town Distillery.Norman's SoMa-themed work featured people, music and nature an... April 10, 2023

Little Rock Compassion Center serves Easter meal If it wasn't for the Little Rock Compassion Center, Ron Johnson says he'd be dead."I know for a fact that I'd be dead right now," Johnson, who works as a cook at the West Rooseve... April 10, 2023

Burns Park in North Little Rock closed due to extensive tornado damage, along with two Little Rock parks NORTH LITTLE ROCK -- Burns Park, North Little Rock's iconic and rambling multipurpose park, is closed for the foreseeable future, a victim of Friday's tornado, Mayor Terry Hartwick said Tuesda... April 5, 2023

Wynne works on returning kids to school School officials in storm-ravaged Wynne are hoping to get students back to class in one week's time after Friday's confirmed EF3 tornado tore through the city, destroying its high school and o... April 3, 2023

Wynne works on returning kids to school in one week’s time WYNNE -- School officials in storm-ravaged Wynne are hoping to get students back to class in one week's time after Friday's confirmed EF3 tornado tore through the city, destroying its high sch... April 3, 2023

Five people dead, dozens injured after tornadoes roar through Arkansas on Friday Suspected tornadoes tore through central and eastern Arkansas on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens.Cross County Coroner Eli Long said that after midnight there were four confirm... April 1, 2023

Little Rock residents, workers speak about Arkansas tornado Fifteen minutes after the whirling claw of a tornado raked across the Kingwood neighborhood in west Little Rock, Martin McAvoy stood in the rain on his small front porch, smoking a cigarette and griml... March 31, 2023

Lockdown lifted at Mills Middle and High Schools in Little Rock after threats called in Mills Middle and Mills High Schools in Little Rock were put on lockdown for roughly two hours Thursday after two calls were made threatening a shooting.The incident began with an initial phone call at... March 30, 2023

Quorum Court amends budget for new management system The Pulaski County Quorum Court amended its budget on Tuesday to appropriate American Rescue Plan funds for a new integrated records management software system for the sheriff's office.The system ... March 29, 2023

North Little Rock Police Department drones fly despite legislation to phase them out Earlier this month, Pulaski County sheriff's office deputies were dispatched to Pryer Lane in reference to a violation of a protection order.Deputies had information that a male suspect ran inside... March 26, 2023

Rock Region Metro to receive upgrade Rock Region Metro is planning to implement a new computerized system that would help address every facet of the transit agency's day-to-day operations.The Intelligent Transportation System would b... March 22, 2023