Arkansas Times | September 2022

NURSES GUIDE | SAVVY KIDS: KEEPING KIDS SAFE | MR. MEOWINGTON

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022

LITTLE ROCK SHOWDOWN MAYOR FRANK SCOTT JR. AND STEVE LANDERS FACE-OFF IN A DIVISIVE ELECTION

BY LINDSEY MILLAR

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Voice of Jet Black in Cowboy Bebop, Mark Rolston Ogremon in Digimon and Homura Lori Petty Aliens, Lethal Weapon 2, and Ay, the Fourth Raikage in Tank Girl, Point Break The Shawshank Redemption, Naruto Shippuden A League of Thier Own, Orange The Departed, Saw film series, is the New Black, Gotham and The Shield

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SEPTEMBER 2022

NORTH LITTLE ROCK CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

BALLET QUETZALLI: Seis Puentes Education and Resource Center marks Hispanic Heritage Month with a festival in the Argenta District of North Little Rock (Page 14).

FEATURE 23 A CITY DIVIDED

The Little Rock mayoral race is heating up, and the election will likely be decided largely along lines of class, race and geography.

By Lindsey Millar

9 THE FRONT

Q&A: With Daniel Cockrell, the new director at the Old State House Museum.

Big Pic: All the bizarro town names you can handle (and some you can’t).

13 THE TO-DO LIST

Pianist Michelle Cann plays Florence Price, Ani DiFranco at UA Pulaski Tech, Blue Man Group at Robinson Center, FORMAT Fest in Bentonville, The Mountain Goats with Lilly Hiatt, the revival of the Argenta Reading Series and more.

19 NEWS & POLITICS 84 FOOD & DRINK Longtime assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Harris reflects on some highprofile cases.

By Debra Hale-Shelton

33 SAVVY KIDS

Staying grounded during tough times.

By Katherine Wyrick

74 CULTURE

The radio wizards of Rural War Room are keeping it weird.

By Sean Grigsby

78 CULTURE

A Q&A with Colour Design on their latest, “Nothing Matters Now.”

By Stephanie Smittle

4 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

The pop-up shop sparking bagel mania in Little Rock.

By Rhett Brinkley

90 HISTORY

On the outlaw operations, political connections and scandalous downfall of the Arkansas Loan and Thrift Corporation.

By Ernest Dumas

94 CANNABIZ

Hemp’s been heralded as a wonder crop. So why isn’t business booming?

By Griffin Coop

98 THE OBSERVER

How Mr. Meowington was crowned king.

Rhea

PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt EDITOR Lindsey Millar

Drug Store PHARMACY • UNIQUE GIFTS ONE-STOP SHOP

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mandy Keener

BEST PHARMACY

SERVING LITTLE ROCK SINCE 1922 • 2801 KAVANAUGH LITTLE ROCK 501.663.4131

SENIOR EDITOR Max Brantley MANAGING EDITOR Austin Bailey ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Stephanie Smittle ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rhett Brinkley CANNABIZ EDITOR Griffin Coop REPORTER Mary Hennigan REPORTER Debra Hale-Shelton EDITORIAL INTERN Mary Ruth Taylor CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Mara Leveritt PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Chilson

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DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Jordan Little DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Wythe Walker ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Mike Spain GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sarah Holderfield DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Phyllis A. Britton

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brooke Wallace, Lee Major, Terrell Jacob and Kaitlyn Looney ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden

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VOLUME 49, ISSUE 1 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each month by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, Suite 200, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, 201 EAST MRKHAM STREET, SUITE 200, Little Rock, AR, 72201. Subscription prices are $60 for one year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985. Current single-copy price is $5, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $5.00 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially. ©2022 ARKANSAS TIMES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

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THE FRONT Q&A

NEW HEAD OF OLD STATE HOUSE DANIEL COCKRELL MAKES THE CASE FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING.

The Old State House grounds have witnessed some of the state’s most important historical events. Tell me more about that. The grounds of the Old State House have been a center for human activity for several hundreds of years. Since becoming a state in 1836 this building has been present for the adoption and signing of our past and present (1874) state constitutions. The secession conventions, an armed takeover of the state, the debating and passing of Jim Crow laws, the research proving mosquitoes transmit malaria and two presidential election night watch parties are just a few of the major historical events that have taken place here.

On a broader scale, how would you explain the importance of museums like this one? What place do they have in a world when much of the information they provide can be found online?

In one word: experience! We can look at all the online content available on a place, but is that the same as being there? ... When you are standing in front of a one-of-a-kind item from a famous historical event with an expert on that subject, you will experience that subject and make a personal connection with an understanding in a way that cannot be provided online. Museums are a forum for exchange, not just a oneway transmission of information.

You’ve said that while teaching Arkansas history you felt drawn to the Old State House. Can you explain that feeling? What about the site appealed to you?

I began my teaching career with an Arkansas history class, and it quickly became one of the most interesting subjects I taught. It is the story of our state and its people: our story. ... There is a picture of the Old State House on the cover of the textbook I used for that class; my students and I looked at an image of this building almost every day.

Now that you’ve assumed your new role as director, what plans do you have for the museum moving forward?

My plan is to encourage the growth of community engagement and statewide outreach. ... I would like for every Arkansan to see themselves in the stories we tell. Today is tomorrow’s history. I plan to continue working with artists, musicians, students, historians, community leaders, teachers and members of the general public to bring dynamic and diverse voices to the layers of our rich cultural heritage of preserving the past. The next Louis Jordan or Johnny Cash might be

walking the streets of rural Arkansas as we speak.

Do you have any favorite historical anecdotes you like to tell about the site?

Having been an interpretive specialist here for several years, a number of personal stories and memories of events past have been shared with me. There is a large cannon on the site that begs lots of questions from guests. It is named Lady Baxter and has sat approximately right where it is since 1874. I like to tell of the last time it was fired. They loaded a powderonly round to signify the end of the BrooksBaxter War. There are reports of the windows across the street being blown out when it fired. Another favorite is the story of the time that a small primate of some kind escaped from the testing labs of the medical school in the Old State House and had a grand time with the guests at the Marion Hotel next door.

BRIAN CHILSON

Daniel P. Cockrell has been working at the Old State House almost long enough to become an exhibit himself. An educator at the museum since 2005, Cockrell continues to share his enthusiasm for Arkansas history as the museum’s new director.

What’s the most scandalous or surprising bit of history on display at the museum?

One of the biggest reactions we get from guests is when we talk of the knife fight on the floor of the House of Representatives that ended in the speaker of the House stabbing a fellow representative to death.

Part of the museum’s mission is to interpret Arkansas’s history from statehood to present. In your experience, have you found parallels between past and present? Are there lessons to be found in the history of the site that are relevant today? I think that most who investigate their history will see parallels to their own time. One of the questions that museums answer for people is how we got here. What events led us to who we are today as a society and culture?

If you only had 20 minutes for a visit, what part of the museum would you want to see?

Today it would be the “Play it Loud: Concerts at Barton Coliseum” exhibit. This exhibit is an experience that allows the audience to draw on their own knowledge of popular culture and memories of the concerts and artists that are featured in the exhibit. My favorite room, however, is the 1836 House of Representatives. That room is the one that is exhibited as it was intended to be used as the first state Capitol of Arkansas. This room has been the location of some of the most influential historical events that took place in our state.

Are the cannons on the grounds functional?

It is not functional at present. The hole where the friction primer would have been inserted has been spiked and sealed, therefore rendering it inoperable.

— Mary Ruth Taylor ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 9

THE FRONT BIG PIC

CRUMROD, NIMROD AND WEINER-DELIGHT, OH MY! ARKANSAS BOASTS SOME UNUSUAL TOWN NAMES.

BY MARY HENNIGAN AND GRIFFIN COOP

O

ne’s hometown is something to be proud of; its name? Maybe not so much. Quirky town names are the norm around The Natural State. What would Arkansas be without Possum Grape or Flippin? Or without Crumrod and Nimrod?

(Do you think they’re related? We digress.)

Arkansas town names are a quizzical bunch, and some even elicit the occasional giggle.

(Weiner? Really?) Though some are now unincorporated, we couldn’t help ourselves from tipping our hats to some of the state’s best designations. Here’s to you, Bald Knob.

POSSUM GRAPE This town gets its unique name from the wild grape popular in the area for making jam and wine; they’re a deep purple color, even painted on a mural on an old, run-down store in town (possum also included, of course).

However, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas says the name might have been spurred from a local disagreement in 1954 — a dispute about naming the town either “Possum” or “Grape.”

I’m not sure settling on one or the other would have made a better name for the town than both combined. Whatever the story, the unincorporated community sits about 30 miles northeast of Searcy in Jackson County. Long ago, the economy was driven by the pearling industry; divers collected mussel shells in the White River and sold them to a button factory about 15 miles away in Newport. Today, mostly farmers live in Possum Grape and travel to nearby towns for almost all their needs; not more than a church, liquor store and auto business still exist. MH BALD KNOB Bald Knob, that strangely named outpost in White County, was originally named Shady Grove, which sounds both inviting and mysterious like that town in the TV show “Twin Peaks.” We can’t help but think that, in a different time, Shady Grove would have made this list just as proudly. As for Bald Knob, it was named for a large outcropping of stone, the White County Historical Society’s William Leach wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

Salt extraction and quarrying have been big industries there over the years but nothing was bigger than the strawberry industry. Bald Knob farmers sold $3.5 million worth of strawberries in 1951 (that’s about $39 million today). Bald Knob even called itself the Strawberry Capital of the World and was home to a three-fourths of a mile strawberry shed, the longest in the world. Sounds pretty sweet … but we still like Shady Grove. GC

10 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

WEINER Like these other towns, I can’t help but get a kick out of the buildings’ names; the Weiner Post Office, Weiner Christian Church, Weiner Gym and Weiner Elementary School — can you imagine being 12 years old in a town called Weiner? About a decade ago there was a move to try and consolidate the schools Weiner and Delight into one; it was unanimously shut down because of the 200mile distance between the two, but it’s hard to shake the idea of a Weiner-Delight school.

Anyway, this town of about 700 residents is in Poinsett County in Northeast Arkansas.

Its original name of West Prairie was old news when the railroad came through town.

The train station was named Weiner after a railroad official and the town became known as the same, though technically the town is still officially listed as West Prairie. From what I can tell online, the town doesn’t succumb to its name, so we’ll hold off on the inappropriate jokes for this one, but there are plenty. By the way, the school mascot is the Cardinal, not the … weiner. MH TOMATO On a bend near the Mississippi River in East Arkansas, the now unincorporated town of Tomato had other names in its past — Canadian Reach and Cedar Landing, Mike Polston wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. But local tradition says that while filing for township at the post office, (which was also the second smallest office in the nation in 1990) a local store owner asked for his daughter’s opinion for a town name.

As she was holding a can of tomatoes, she supposedly said, “Oh, why not just name it Tomato?” Other lore states the port town once had a tomato crate secured near the river bank for deliveries. Eventually, captains referred to the stop as Tomato. Because of its proximity to the river and flooding, the town buildings were put on log rollers and moved away several times. Today, only farmland remains. MH

FLIPPIN NAIL BEN HUR

OLD JOE

FORTY-FOUR

TOMATO

FIFTY-SIX WEINER POSSUM GRAPE BONANZA BALD KNOB NIMROD STEVE FRIENDSHIP MURFREESBORO

CRUMROD

OKAY BODCAW

FLIPPIN Flippin is best known as the home of Ranger Boats, but the history of its name might be just as noteworthy. It all started in the early 1800s with a settlement in the area called the Barrens, Eve West wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. The owner of the general store, according to local legend, was not pleased with a peddler selling stuff outside his store, so he pushed him out of town with the help of a goat who head-butted the peddler in his behind. The town, of course, then became known as Goatville for a while. Really. Thanks to a prominent citizen named Thomas H. Flippin, the town took on the name Flippin Barrens and, in 1921, it was officially named Flippin. In all honesty, we sort of miss Goatville. GC

SMACKOVER

FRIENDSHIP The meaning behind this Arkansas town is about as wholesome as you’d hope it to be.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, early residents decided to name this Hot Spring County town as a reflection of the close relationships among settlers in the area. I think it makes everything in town sound quite cute; the Friendship Station for the Ouachita Fire Department and the Friendship Baptist Church. Even the now-dormant, two-cell Friendship Jail sounds like it wouldn’t be too bad of a stay. But with a dwindling population, only about 150 residents occupy the town today. MH

FIFTY-SIX In 1918, a settlement called Newcomb applied for a post office but had its name rejected, Steven Teske wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. In substitution, the name Fifty-Six — for the number of the community’s school district — was chosen and never changed again. Winding roads and water crossings lead to Fifty-Six in the Ozark mountains of Stone County. It’s a nature-forward town with a small population of just under 200 folks.

You’ve probably passed through on the way to Blanchard Springs Caverns, the nearby and breathtaking cave tourist destination. The area is beautiful, with all of the best The Natural State has to offer — Mirror Lake, forests, waterfalls and camping under the bright, rural stars. The small town holds its own with a lil’ country store, a church and visitor lodging.

Numerical names must be a theme in the state; Arkansas also has the town Forty-Four in Izard County — supposedly for the number of names on a petition to the postal department.

MH ARKTIMES.COM

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FORMAT FESTIVAL

FRIDAY 9/23-SUNDAY 9/25. THE MOMENTARY, BENTONVILLE. $125-$2,800.

Northwest Arkansas is raising the bar with its inaugural FORMAT festival at the end of the month. With its neon green and chromatic advertising, it’s a stark difference to the forested surroundings, but the festival is aiming to be “as boundless and wild as the Ozark mountains,” according to a press release. The weekend promises music, art and technology experiences from a combined nearly 100 talented artists — a full-body sensory experience. The music range for this festival is huge. For a taste of country pop, hit the Elle King show. Needing an indie jam session with early 2000s hits? Don’t miss screaming to “1901” and “If I Ever Feel Better” from Phoenix. Thundercat’s skills on the bass are unmatched — he’s worked with dozens of talented vocalists, including Stevie Wonder, Childish Gambino and Janelle Monáe, but his solo work is psychedelic and addictive. To fully encompass this festival in a short blurb is impossible; there’s electronic icon Rüfüs Du Sol, The War on Drugs, Beach House, Fatboy Slim, The Marías, Del Water Gap and blues artist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. On the visual side of things, Nick Cave’s work is returning to The Momentary, and Doug Aitken is pushing boundaries with his mirrored hot air balloon. Other art installations supply a wide range of cultural coverage from international artists from Iceland, Mexico, Germany and others. Expect a show from Arkansas’s own drag queen star Maddy Morphosis, evening light shows and an array of food trucks. MH ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 13

ARKANSAS COMIC-CON

COURTESY OF UA PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE

SATURDAY 9/10-SUNDAY 9/11.

STATEHOUSE CONVENTION CENTER.

ANI DIFRANCO

FRIDAY 9/30. CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS, UA PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE, NORTH LITTLE ROCK. 7:30 P.M. $45-$65.

Lest anyone within earshot unjustly equate the term “folk singer” with wispy treble and wispier acoustic guitar bereft of teeth or bite, point them to Ani DiFranco’s 22-album discography where they’ll find declarations on abortion and police brutality; collaborations with folk forebears Utah Phillips and Margaret Cho; and live performances peppered with vocal yelps, wildly underheralded guitar fingerpicking and plenty of volume (her 1997 live album “Living in Clip” took its name from sound engineer Larry Berger’s comment that DiFranco’s amplifiers were perpetually clipping from being overdriven.) DiFranco is what it looks like to be a folk singer with one foot in Pete Seeger’s labor movement past and the rest of her body firmly planted in electrified social activism circa 2022; expect the seats at UA Pulaski Tech to be filled with new converts as well as longtime fans who know just where every pregnant pause falls in “32 Flavors.” SS

BLUE MAN GROUP

LINDSEY BEST

FRIDAY 9/9-SUNDAY 9/11.

ROBINSON CENTER. $65.

14 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

I won tickets to a Blue Man Group show a few years ago, and it was one of the coolest experiences ever. The trio leans on percussive music, audience inclusion and innovative instruments. Since its inception in 1987, the group has done world tours and had residencies on stages in New York, Chicago, Boston and Las Vegas.

They’ve left thousands of fans speechless without ever saying a word. Don’t sit too close unless you want to be in the splash zone; Blue Man Group really loves fluorescent paint. MH

The Statehouse Convention Center will be crawling with creative cosplay outfits and celebrities for days of panels, games, meet-andgreets and a costume competition at Comic-Con. The weekend boasts some notable names, like Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, the iconic Nagini-slaying Gryffindor in the epic saga of “Harry Potter” films; Tara Strong, whose voice-over resume includes Timmy Turner, Dil Pickles and Bubbles from “The Powerpuff Girls”; and Tom Kenny of animation’s best “Spongebob Squarepants,” “CatDog” and “Adventure Time,” among many others. Even without tuning into a Q&A or panel discussion, you’re likely to run into a storm trooper or two, maybe even Deadpool and Sailor Moon. MH

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH ART AND FOOD FESTIVAL

SATURDAY 9/17. ARGENTA PLAZA, NORTH LITTLE ROCK. 10 A.M.-3 P.M. FREE. It wasn’t written into U.S. law until 1988, but National Hispanic Heritage Week began in 1968 to celebrate the Sept. 15 anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

(Independence days for Mexico and Chile are just a few days away — Sept. 16 and Sept.

18.) Here, the Seis Puentes Education and Resource Center marks the occasion with a festival in the Argenta District of North Little Rock, offering in its second year free dance workshops from Ballet Quetzalli; interactive activities with Laman Library and Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub; and food from local vendors and food trucks like Kalua’s, DolceLuna Bakery and Tacos Godoy. “For our first festival in 2021, we started small to build relationships with our partners and get a feel for the flow of the event,” Seis Puentes Executive Director Raul Fernandez said.

“This year we’re really ramping it up with more programming, like free workshops, and working with more community partners.” Seis Puentes will also issue identification cards as part of the North Little Rock Municipal ID Program (stop by 600 Main St. to get in on that program). For details, find the event on Seis Puentes’ Facebook page. SS

JEFF FUSCO

MICHELLE CANN

PETER ASH LEE

A renowned competitive concert pianist and a longtime champion of Arkansas-born composer Florence Price, Michelle Cann opens the concert season for the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock. On the program are some dreamy selections with an eye toward women composers: Florence Price’s “Sonata in E minor” and “Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minor”; Clara Schumann’s “Four Pièces fugitives, Op. 15”; Margaret Bonds’ “Troubled Water,” and ballades by Chopin and Brahms to boot. Get tickets at chambermusiclr.com. SS

JAPANESE BREAKFAST

SATURDAY 9/17. THE MOMENTARY, BENTONVILLE. $45.

Singer Michelle Zauner is a talented lyricist, a two-time Grammy nominated artist and New York Times best selling author for her 2021 memoir, “Crying in H Mart,” which is being adapted for the big screen. Zauner’s inspiration for her art has evolved from her mother’s cancer treatment and death, to the fight for her happiness in a dimly lit world. She has three brilliant albums that together circle through grief, anguish and a celebration of the passing of time.

Her latest album, “Jubilee,” includes some of my favorite bops: “Be Sweet,” “Savage Good Boy” and a real kicker of a closing track, “Posing for Cars.” As Jbrekkie on Instagram, she shares her sometimes edgy and sometimes frilly, but almost always avant-garde fashion choices. This is sure to be an epic show of textured, electronic pop sounds and dream-like vocals. MH

SPENCE KELLY

THURSDAY 9/15. STELLA BOYLE SMITH CONCERT HALL, UA LITTLE ROCK. 7:30 P.M. $25; FREE FOR STUDENTS.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, LILLY HIATT

SUNDAY 9/11. THE HALL. 8 P.M. $40$60.

When a National Book Award-nominated novelist and Decibel Magazine columnist takes to the stage with lyrics and an electric guitar, is it any surprise that what comes out of the speakers is literary rock? John Darnielle’s outfit The Mountain Goats has been orbiting the borderlands between fiction and folk rock since 1994, but the group’s latest draws heavily upon Darnielle’s cinephilia, particularly the pulpy action movies he found himself inhaling during the first sofabound pandemic winter — the 2008 French thriller “Mesrine,” Donald Pleasance’s 1974 bio-horror “The Freakmaker,” 1970s Italian crime cinema.

The common thread? Revenge. We all know that revenge is bullshit, right? The Greeks knew this,” Darnielle said of the labrum. “It’s never a zero-sum game. And yet the idea is so delicious, you can’t get enough of it. It’s more of a grail — because you can’t have it, it starts to seem really appealing.” They come to Little Rock with some new album energy (“Training Montage” is my best bet for the set opener) and with rock royalty Lilly Hiatt, whose birdsong voice and noise-rock sensibilities have established her bona fides far beyond being John Hiatt’s daughter. SS

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 15

MAIN STREET FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL

VARIOUS BLONDE BY NICHOLAS LANCE MCFEE

SUNDAY 9/11. MAIN STREET, DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK. 11 A.M.-6 P.M. FREE; FOOD FOR PURCHASE.

HOT WATER HILLS

FRIDAY 9/30-SATURDAY 10/1. HILL WHEATLEY PLAZA (605 CENTRAL AVE.), HOT SPRINGS. FREE-$30.

Hot Water Hills Music & Art Festival, an all-ages festival put on in downtown Hot Springs every fall by Low Key Arts, is back for its 10th year, and the lineup looks awesome: Annie Ford, Hillbilly Casino, The Mask of the Phantasm, Various Blonde (pictured above) and lots more. Like its springtime sibling Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival, Hot Water Hills is a fest where knowledge of the musicians prior to attendance isn’t really necessary. The organizers know how to pick ’em, and odds are you’re going to leave a fan of whoever you see. It’s open to all ages, and children 12 and under enter free, and here’s how the ticketed admission for adults works: Entry is ticketed beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30; festival entry is free for everyone from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, and ticketed entry resumes at 4 p.m. on Saturday with the commencement of live music. Head to Spotify and search on Hot Water Hills, and you’ll find a playlist from Low Key Arts to get you through ’til then. SS

ARGENTA READING SERIES: KEVIN BROCKMEIER

SATURDAY 9/17. ARGENTA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 317 N. MAIN ST., NORTH LITTLE ROCK. 7 P.M. FREE. A gifted fiction writer with a knack for teasing out the subtleties of adolescent awkwardness and for reinventing the art of the ghost story, Little Rock author Kevin Brockmeier is the featured speaker for the rekindled Argenta Reading Series, which takes place in a charming storefront-turned-church-turnednightime literary venue. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for mingling and box wine from 107 Liquor, and opening reader Meghan Reed begins at 7 p.m. SS 16 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Here’s something you will hear absolutely nobody say on Main Street Little Rock on Sept.

11: “Hey, where’s that food truck festival?”

This thing’s a full-on food truck takeover — a parade of rumbling generators and buskers and a sea of faces sporting the kinds of smiles that quesabirria tacos and funnel cakes tend to induce. Find the full lineup at mainstreetfoodtrucks.com. SS

THE BAND CAMINO FRIDAY 9/2. THE HALL. $25-$40.

This Tennessee trio is making it big in the indie-rock scene; it has about 2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and joined in the Hangout Music Festival in May alongside major headliners. They match uplifting, catchy beats with depressing lyrics about heartbreak and solitude. Some tracks are funky that get you bobbing your head along without even noticing; others urge mourning loss with the artists.

Personally, I think these songs sound like driving with the windows down screaming lyrics with your best friends in the middle of summer, all while shredding on your imaginary electric guitar. This Friday show will likely combine the group’s 2021 self-titled album with its previous two EPs — bangers like “See Through” and “2/14” are bound to be played. MH

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ARKANSAS TIMES

NEWS & POLITICS

PROSECUTOR MOVES ON

A LOOK BACK ON 40 YEARS OF HIGHPROFILE JUSTICE WITH ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY PATRICK HARRIS.

BY DEBRA HALE-SHELTON

H

e began as a law clerk in 1983 when Ronald Reagan was president and went on to become a federal prosecutor, handling some of the most high-profile criminal cases in Arkansas.

Now, after almost 40 years, Patrick Harris has wrapped up a long and notable career with the U.S. attorney’s office. Technically, Harris, who’s 69, retired. Except he didn’t. He started on a new role just days later, as director of advocacy for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law, where he will supervise adjunct instructors.

Over the past three decades, Harris “has prosecuted some of the most complex cases in the district, including death-penalty cases, large drug-trafficking organizations, and significant fraud cases,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement announcing his departure.

Harris saw leadership of that office go from Republican to Democrat and back. Sometimes, like now, it’s in limbo awaiting a newly appointed leader. But Harris said that doesn’t matter, that the office’s career employees keep it going.

“It actually works out well,” Harris said. “The assistant U.S. attorneys just do the job. We know what to do and how to do it.”

George Proctor was the U.S. attorney in Little Rock when Harris joined the office in 1985. “He was so well respected that [Democrat] Jimmy Carter appointed him and [Republican] Ronald Reagan reappointed him. That doesn’t happen often,” Harris said.

Harris’ grandfather, the late Claude Rankin, was a lawyer and served as the state’s land commissioner for six terms. And when Harris was young, he was elected to the Arkansas Democratic Convention.

But Harris said he soon “realized that the powers that be had it all figured out and didn’t really need the minions. I now vote for the best candidate. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do?” he said.

Harris has handled his share of news-making cases.

Defendants have included Lu Hardin, a former politician and president of the University of Central Arkansas; Gilbert Baker, a former lobbyist and chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party; and ousted Circuit Judge Michael Maggio. Harris also worked on the case of Jeremy Hutchinson, the governor’s nephew and former state senator who pleaded guilty in a corruption case and awaits

UN-RETIRED: Only a few days into retirement after a headline-making career with the U.S. attorney’s office, Pat Harris began working as director of advocacy for the UA Little Rock’s Bowen School of Law.

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 19

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Were there any defendants so likable that Harris would like to have believed they were innocent?

“I think Lu Hardin was a good lawyer and a good politician,” Harris said. “He apparently just had some money” problems that got the better of him.

Harris recalled that Hardin’s wife, Mary Hardin, “wrote me a really nice note saying she appreciated how kind I was.”

But Harris said he never got to a trial and heard evidence that convinced him a defendant was innocent after all.

“I’ve had some cases where the defendant was found not guilty, and sometimes that was my fault, but I was always convinced of their guilt. If I thought they were innocent, I would

Arkansas in the 1990s through his dedicated pursuit of violent crime prosecutions.” In 1996 and 2000, he received the Attorney General’s Director’s Award for his work.

Even when Harris would go home from work, he wasn’t totally away from it.

His wife, Jana Harris, is also an assistant U.S. attorney. “My wife and I talked all the time about our cases. That was actually very comforting,” he said.

They have two adult daughters.

“I have not historically talked about them publicly and certainly not in front of defendants,” Harris said. “I have [an] FBI … report of an interview of two gang members who followed my wife to find out where we lived. This was before the internet made it so easy. They followed her until after she picked

I’VE HAD SOME CASES WHERE THE DEFENDANT WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY, AND SOMETIMES THAT WAS MY FAULT, BUT I WAS ALWAYS CONVINCED OF THEIR GUILT.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

never indict,” he said.

Over the years, Harris sat across the aisle from some of the state’s top defense attorneys.

“I will tell you that the two best closing arguments I ever heard in one of my cases were by Bill Wilson and Bill MacArthur. Truly, truly exceptional closing arguments,” Harris recalled.

Harris took notes on Wilson’s closing in a bankruptcy fraud case. “He talked about the Bible, mules and England,” Harris said.

MacArthur gave such a good closing argument in a murder case that Harris said, “I thought maybe that guy’s not guilty. Then, I came to my senses.”

The hardest cases to prosecute, Harris said, are those “when the victims or witnesses are scared of being killed.” He recalled one woman saying, “If you don’t get a conviction, they’ll kill me.”

Among head prosecutors, Harris said Paula Casey, U.S. attorney from 1993-2000, was “the best in courtroom skills.” “She prepared, she knew the law, and she was quick on her feet.

And she took responsibility for what she was supposed to do.”

The U.S. attorney’s office said Harris “played a major role in reducing gang violence in Central

up my girls at the day care and then they quit following because they didn’t like the idea of children in the car. I guess they had some moral hesitation. Thank goodness.”

Harris has plenty of interests outside the law.

He’s taught Sunday school at a Baptist church and helped with church fundraising.

“I have season tickets to the Travelers. I have taken up disc golf. I ran Pike’s Peak marathon, and I ran the Grand Canyon, rim to rim,” he said.

“Real golf is a hobby that I enjoy immensely, as I enjoy exercising and drinking good bourbon.

But not necessarily in that order.”

He’s also a self-described “voracious reader.”

“Some of the more recent books I’ve read and recommend are ‘The Christ Commission,’ ‘Dispatches From Pluto,’ ‘Legacy of Ashes — the History of the CIA,’ ‘Killer of the Flower Moon,’ ‘The Fall of the House of Zeus.’ I like books by Ben McIntyre, David Baldacci, and my most recent favorite author, Rhona Weaver,” who’s from Little Rock.

Despite all the cases he’s covered, Harris said he was intrigued by the Jeffery Epstein sexualabuse case in New York. “It was so awful and so remorseless and so heinous,” Harris said. “He and his friends thought they were above it. …

Don’t they worry about hell? They should.”

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ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 21

A HISTORY TO BE RECKONED WITH

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CRIME, RACE, PLACE AND PARTISANSHIP DOMINATE A BRUISING MAYOR’S RACE.

BY LINDSEY MILLAR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

SEPTEMBER 2022 23

B

uckle up, Little Rock. The mayoral election may get ugly. Unlike four years ago, when the contest was free of an incumbent and focused on who residents thought was best equipped to lead the city down a bold new path, this race may come down to voters’ perception of Little Rock. Is it a city making strides, despite a troubling spike in crime and a devastating pandemic that hit Little Rock particularly hard, as incumbent Mayor Frank Scott Jr. argues? Or is it a city in crisis, too dangerous for people to leave their homes at night, as retired auto dealer Steve Landers, Scott’s chief opponent, contends? The consensus among local politicos is that the election will be decided largely along geographic lines, which in Little Rock means that divisions of class and race will feature heavily.

Landers, 68, is a rare breed of local celebrity, known almost universally in Central Arkansas, but not beyond. His circumscribed fame owes to his long prominence on local TV as the face of his car dealerships in dozens of commercials.

They had the standard bombast of auto dealer ads, but were more charming than most, with Landers often taking self-deprecating turns for laughs.

Aside from serving on the Arkansas Racing Commission, this election marks his first venture into politics. Perhaps owing to marketing lessons he learned from the car business, Landers has kept his campaign simple, but with a decidedly darker bent than his commercial persona: Crime is holding Little Rock back, he argues. He’ll fix it and the rest of what ails the city because he’s a businessman rather than a politician, he says. He argues that Scott has been the worst version of an elected official — a reckless spender, not transparent, not a problem solver. The city needs business acumen, not a politician, Landers says.

Scott’s pitch is that despite being dealt a bad hand, he made the best of the first term. In case

you’ve somehow managed to block out the last several years, Scott is ready on the campaign trail with a list of calamities: “a global pandemic that nobody knew would be before us, a summer of George Floyd that eerily reminds us of the 1960s, a historic snow storm, a historic flood.”

Despite all that, Little Rock is moving forward, Scott says, citing job and population growth.

Although Scott, 38, has centered his campaign on his record and vision, his supporters highlight the essential qualities that define him in contrast to Landers: He’s young, Black and a Democrat. In a city with a majorityminority population anxious about the future, Scott’s race and relative youth could influence voters. Political identification may prove even more decisive. Despite concerns in the run-up to the 2018 election that Scott, a pastor and a banker, lacked Democratic bona fides, he’s been reliably progressive on a host of issues, from speaking out for common-sense gun laws, to strongly condeming the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Scott has also proven himself a staunch advocate for public education. A graduate of Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School, he came to the Little Rock School District’s defense in its yearslong battle to extricate itself from state control.

And Scott launched a laudable and unique partnership between the city and the school district to create and support a growing roster of community schools, where students in highneeds neighborhoods can get dental checkups, immunizations and other services they need but might not necessarily get otherwise.

The election is nonpartisan, but Little Rock remains a blue island amid an otherwise mostly red sea in Arkansas. While Landers describes himself as someone who votes for the person and not the party and says he has no political agenda beyond serving the citizens of Little Rock, he’s widely perceived as a Republican: His political donations in the last decade have overwhelmingly favored GOP candidates, he

voted most recently in the Republican primary and he’s hired Republican political consultants on his campaign. Some progressives have taken to social media to propose a capital city governed by Landers and Sanders (i.e. Sarah Huckabee) as a doomsday scenario.

Two other candidates — Greg Henderson, a real estate broker and publisher of Rock City Eats, and longtime marijuana advocate Glen Schwarz — are also running. While Henderson has thoughtful policy ideas and Schwarz will inevitably run a zany, provocative campaign, neither are expected to be able to raise much money or figure significantly in the election. To avoid a run-off, a candidate must get more than 40% of the vote. *** In 2018, running to be Little Rock’s first popularly elected Black mayor, Scott campaigned on his unique ability to unify the city. He was “born, raised and still residing in Southwest Little Rock,” he often reminded voters. A banker then, he described his workday commute to his office — from his home off Chicot Road in Southwest Little Rock, along Interstate 430 and through the flurry of development happening on the western stretch of Cantrell Road and Arkansas Highway 10 in the western stretches of Little Rock — as a daily reminder of the inequities that have long plagued the city.

Landers and other critics of the mayor frequently tweak Scott for his unity pledge when a controversy emerges. “This is the most divided city I’ve ever been around,” Landers told a group of realtors at a forum in August. State Sen. Joyce Elliott (D-Little Rock), who supports Scott, said that it’s Landers and other critics of the mayor who are fueling division by making issues such as crime and trash “simplistic — addressing the crime question with, ‘I care but the mayor does not.’ Or ‘I’m going to get tough’ and then selectively talking about certain parts

“I would contend, being someone who lives in a crime-centered area, that our city is safe, but it could be safer. That’s the reason we’ve employed our dual approach of both proactive policing and targeted patrols and our holistic approach of prevention, intervention, treatment.” — FRANK SCOTT JR. 24 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

of the city or whether or not a certain vacant lot gets cleaned up as if that is a representation of all of Little Rock.”

Elliott appreciated that Scott had done all the things he promised to do in his 2018 campaign or was working toward them, and said it wasn’t suprising that a leader working to effect change would cause a stir.

There have certainly been noticeable divisions between the mayor and the 10-member Little Rock Board of Directors, several of whom have cast the mayor as imperious and unforthcoming.

The weekly board meetings have often been acrimonious. But assigning blame for the disharmony isn’t easy. It owes in part to the city’s screwy form of government. Little Rock moved to a city manager system of government in 1956 as a means for the white business elites to maintain control of the city. Up until 2007, when voters approved a change in the law, mayor was a part-time, mostly ceremonial position.

It wasn’t until Scott took office that he invoked the full statutory power of the mayorship. The shift seems to be an unwelcome one to seasoned city directors, some of whom have served on the board for decades and were used to wielding the power themselves, with approving nods from mostly milquetoast mayors.

Despite frequent blow-ups in board meetings, Scott said he has a positive relationship with the “vast majority” of board members. “Nothing should be rubber stamped,” he told me in early August. “There may be some board members that may not like the approach or style. They’re still getting used to the strong mayor form of government.” Landers says he doesn’t care about the form-of-government question. If residents want the board of directors to lead, he’s good with that, he said. He’ll recruit businesses and make sure Little Rock is a safe, clean city, he said.

With a few key exceptions, the mayor can’t substantively act alone; he needs at least five votes to move laws and expenditures forward, and despite infighting, the board has managed to work through big decisions, from making severe budget cuts at the onset of the pandemic, to allocating millions of dollars of American Rescue Plan funds. Most recently, the board set the parameters for spending the capital millage voters renewed in August.

Scott contends the city is more unified today because it’s more inclusive. “When you have more voices at the table, you get an understanding of more perspectives,” he said.

“Sometimes you might not agree. Change is never meant to be incredibly peaceful.”

Scott has been campaigning on the fruit of city efforts to waive development fees in areas south of Interstate 630 and east of Interstate 30, where there are high concentrations of poor residents of color. Over the last three years, 55% of all business development in Little Rock happened in those parts of the city, Scott said. “You talk about crime prevention? Crime

GOING FOR FOUR MORE YEARS: Mayor Frank Scott Jr. celebrated the opening of his campaign office in July surrounded by supporters, including state Sen. Joyce Elliott (in the green dress).

prevention is having a job.”

Scott cited former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, the first Black man elected mayor of a major Southern city, as a role model. Like Scott, Jackson was elected in his mid-30s and made growing minority businesses a cornerstone of his tenure. “Maynard was very intentional about various things even though people didn’t understand it,” Scott said.

Jackson battled with Atlanta’s police leaders.

Scott, who took charge of hiring a Little Rock police chief soon after he took office, has faced a similar test.

Not even two months into Scott’s term, white LRPD Officer Charles Starks shot Bradley

Blackshire, a Black man, during a traffic stop.

Scott picked reform-minded Keith Humphrey as police chief a few months later, by which time a Little Rock Police Department homicide investigation had cleared Starks. But Humphrey, citing an Internal Affairs investigation that showed Starks violated policy, fired him anyway, setting off a protracted squabble between Humphrey, who is Black, and the old guard Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, whose membership is mostly white.

Scott had campaigned on police reform.

Ahead of the 2018 election, the Washington Post revealed a disturbing pattern of violent “no-knock” raids in drug cases in Little Rock, ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 25

often based on flimsy or nonexistent evidence.

Under Scott and Humphrey, the department dramatically curtailed the practice. Scott persuaded the board to approve a citizens’ review board to consider officer-involved

threatened the power of the FOP and inspired a loosely coordinated attack against him and Mayor Scott. During Humphrey’s tenure, there was a string of lawsuits filed against him by LRPD officers, including two assistant chiefs

THAT’S WHAT STEVE SAID: Landers has made crime the focus of his campaign.

shootings and citizen complaints, and successfully pushed through funding for bodyworn cameras for police officers. Humphrey also instituted a series of internal reforms, including anti-nepotism policies, limits on officers’ time in specialty divisions and rotating command staff through divisions.

Humphrey argued that those internal reforms 26 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

passed over for the top job; a series of HR complaints; a no-confidence vote by the vast majority of the FOP; and a letter to the board of directors from 10 of the 13 members of the department’s command staff saying they’d lost confidence in the chief. At the same time, the vast majority of the LRPD’s Black Police Officers Association voted to support Humphrey, and

some 100 local Black leaders wrote a letter in support of the chief.

As the racially charged infighting churned, the LRPD also faced external challenges. In the wake of the brutal police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota that touched off a national outcry, protestors swarmed the State Capitol and marched through downtown. Humphrey and Scott both briefly walked with protesters, and drew criticism for not doing more to quell them following property damage. Humphrey and Scott also caught flak from the likes of the Arkansas Times for repeating specious claims that outside agitators were responsible for violence and vandalism.

In 2021, street racing and car caravanning, long issues in Southwest Little Rock, spread to other parts of the city and violence sometimes followed, notably including the death of a 10-year-old girl in Boyle Park and a man shot by someone wielding an AK-47-style firearm in Murray Park. Crime continued to tick up, and while Scott and the LRPD have repeatedly touted modest downward trends this year, homicides are up.

Scott acknowledged the perception that Little Rock isn’t safe in certain areas of the city.

“I would contend, being someone who lives in a crime-centered area, that our city is safe, but it could be safer,” he said. “That’s the reason we’ve employed our dual approach of both XXXXXX: xxxxxxx proactive policing and targeted patrols and our holistic approach of prevention, intervention, treatment.” The city has allocated nearly $5 million in its community programs budget and another $2.5 million toward community violence reduction. “It’s a holistic approach, taking on the short and long term,” Scott said. He was never on the “defund the police train” and says he’s always advocated for the department to have all the resources it needs.

The pandemic unmasked a lot of trauma in young adults, Scott said, and crime has spiked across much of the country. Landers and members of the city board haven’t wanted to hear that. They’ve also pushed back when Scott, who was a youth during Little Rock’s notorious gangland days in the 1990s, reminds them that crime is not close to what it was then, or when he talks about most homicides being domestic or acquaintance violence. “We’ve got an unruly gun culture,” Scott said. Little Rock’s hands are tied by state laws that promote guns everywhere, but Scott said the city works constantly with federal law enforcement agencies to get illegal guns off the street.

Scott has had nothing but praise for Humphrey, but he had obviously become a liability. Although a lot of the infighting in the department died away as officers who filed lawsuits or HR complaints left the LRPD, a new controversy erupted when Humphrey went on patrol on Dec. 31, 2021, and discharged his weapon; he was not wearing a body camera.

He was eventually cleared of wrongdoing by

Prosecutor Larry Jegley. Still, Humphrey’s detractors didn’t let go. Humphrey, 58, announced his retirement in May after three years leading the department. One local political consultant who is friendly with Scott told me that had Humphrey not retired the mayor would have likely lost his reelection bid.

The FOP endorsed Landers in March. *** Landers officially filed paperwork to run for mayor in July, but he’s been campaigning for almost a year. He announced his plans to seek the office on Sept. 15, 2021, the day after Little Rock voters soundly rejected a 1-cent sales tax increase (because a 10-year three-eighths-ofa-cent tax expired at the end of 2021, the net increase would have been five-eighths of a cent). Postmortem analyses pointed to a range of factors: The timing, amid a still raging pandemic, made it difficult for many to stomach a regressive tax that would hit poor people the hardest when they were already bearing the brunt of the coronavirus. The plan to spend the money, which included novel programs to support early child care and substantial sums for the Little Rock Zoo to in part reestablish a giraffe exhibit, drew criticism for straying too far from meat-and-potatoes issues. Or perhaps the “no” vote was a proxy for those growing increasingly frustrated with Mayor Scott, who was the driver of the tax plan and the face of the election campaign.

Landers made his announcement on Twitter, and he’s remained highly visible there and on Facebook. His posts have typically fallen into three categories: The standard shots of him as a candidate, meeting and greeting in the community. Aphorisms or advice reminiscent of Successories (e.g. “Success is not easy. If it was, anybody could do it. If you want to be average all you have to do is get up in the morning and put your clothes on.”). Otherwise, he’s hammered home the idea that Little Rock

is a dangerous and dirty city. Landers seems to tweet every time a violent crime makes news. It doesn’t take too much scrolling to find pictures on his social media accounts of trash-strewn lots or the candidate pointing to a pothole or demonstrating a dramatic wobble of a merrygo-round in a city park.

It’s a message he emphasized in an August interview with me. “Our city is in crisis. I’m afraid to let my grandchildren go out,” he said.

People are afraid to go to the movie theater or to eat in a restaurant, he said. He’s running because he wants Little Rock to be safer. “I don’t need the job. I was happily retired. I spent my life building businesses and employing teams of people. I’ll do that for the city.

“People try to paint me as a wealthy white old guy. I’m not going to apologize for working my butt off my whole life. I worked every holiday because that’s when people come to auto dealerships, every weekend, 12-14 hour days.

But I learned so much on how to be a leader and hold people accountable, and I don’t think people in the city are being held accountable.”

Landers was born in Little Rock, but grew up and spent much of his early adult life in Saline County. He’s lived in West Little Rock for more than 25 years. He got married young and had no money and went to work selling cars. Along with his father, he opened his first dealership in Benton in 1972. Business boomed.

For several years in the 1990s, the Landers Auto Group was the No. 1 seller of Chrysler/Dodge/ Jeep in the world, according to Landers. He sold his dealerships to United Auto Group in 1995 for a reported $40 million. Not content to retire young, Landers engineered two more car groups in the following decades, partnering on one with BET founder Robert Johnson and Mack McLarty, President Bill Clinton’s first chief of staff.

Baker Kurrus, the former Little Rock School District superintendent who lost to Scott in a run-off in 2018, has long known Landers and said Landers has always been a tremendously

hard worker and an astute manager of people.

He was always the first person to work every morning in his dealerships, Kurrus said. “He knows how to build teams. I’ve seen him do it. He finds people who know what they’re doing.” Meanwhile, Kurrus’ critiques of Scott largely mirror Landers’: He said the mayor hasn’t effectively collaborated with the board of directors, has spent money wastefully, has divided the police department and has bungled his takeover of leadership of key city departments.

Landers said his track record shows that he would be an equal opportunity manager. “I believe in employing the right person, whether they’re Black, white, male, female, gay, straight — it makes me zero difference. And not just employing people just to give them a job,” something he said he believes has happened in the Scott administration. Landers said he was helping people newly released from prison find jobs at his dealerships 35 years ago, “before it was a thing.”

Because he has experience bidding on fleet vehicles with the city, he believes he has insight that would save the city money.

He sees wasteful spending throughout the administration. In August, he bemoaned the city spending $1.6 million to put basketball courts in Kanis Park again after the expansion of I-630 destroyed the old ones.

“I could take $200,000-$400,000 and make it look like Bud Walton Arena,” he quipped. But the expenditure he mentions most frequently is Scott’s use of a police escort, which was recommended early in Scott’s term by Interim Chief Wayne Bewley (who is again, following Humphrey’s departure, the interim chief). “If it’s such a safe city, why does he need this much security?” Landers asked. He said he’d use the money instead to give police officers raises (the exact figure for the cost of the escort has been hard to precisely pin down, but it likely costs several hundred thousand dollars per year).

“I could put you in a car and drive you around the city and show you total lack of attention to areas where the paper and trash look like a third-world country.”

— STEVE LANDERS ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 27

quality of life and place, he said, which was a big part of the unsuccessful sales tax push and would likely require a new tax. Even Landers, who promises on his website to keep residents’ taxes as low as possible, said he wouldn’t rule out a sales tax increase. Landers has promised to restore War Memorial Park to former glory, including reviving the golf course, while openly questioning whether the city has too many parks. Scott, who drew the ire of golfers when he pushed to shutter the War Memorial golf course in July 2019 as part of cost-cutting move, still wants to see it become Little Rock’s Central Park and establish a sports complex there or somewhere nearby. ***

MAYORAL FORUM: Candidates (from left to right) Steve Landers, Greg Henderson and Mayor Frank Scott Jr. participated in a debate, moderated by Roby Brock (far left) and hosted by the Little Rock Realtors Association.

Scott campaigned in 2018 on hiring 100 new police officers. The idea was almost immediately shelved for further study and because the city couldn’t afford it. Hiring and retaining officers has been difficult in Little Rock and elsewhere in the country, but Scott has noted that the LRPD exceeds the national average of police department staffing per thousand residents.

The results of a LRPD staffing study were to be released in September. Landers has criticized Scott for not following through with that campaign promise and said that he’ll increase the police force. “I don’t want police to harass people,” he said. “I want police to be visible in high crime areas, so people can see them. I drive all over this city and sometimes I don’t see a policeman. Do you think the criminals notice that? Sure they do.” His other concrete idea for improving the department is adding more police dogs. The LRPD has five in its patrol division; Landers said the city needs 12.

Landers often talks about what he sees driving around Little Rock. He said he’s seen people park their cars, grab wheelchairs from their trunk and start panhandling. That’s their right, he acknowledged, but the city could do more to control where the panhandling happens. “I could put you in a car and drive 28 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

you around the city and show you total lack of attention to areas where the paper and trash look like a third-world country,” he told me. The city’s Code Enforcement Division isn’t doing its job, he said. Code officers should be issuing more warnings with time limits before issuing citations, he argued.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, Scott condemned the ruling and pledged that the Little Rock Police Department was focused on violent crime and wouldn’t be pursuing charges related to violations of Arkansas’s abortion ban.

Landers said, “Whatever the law of the land is, we’ll support it.” *** It’s perhaps to be expected in a race between an incumbent and a challenger that much of the focus has been more of a battle over Scott’s first term than a vision for the future of Little Rock.

But the candidates do have plans. Scott says he’ll focus on efforts to battle climate change; he announced in March during his state of the city address that city operations would run solely on clean energy by 2030. The theme of a second term would be about improving

In 2018, Scott won a plurality of votes in the general election against Kurrus and state Rep. Warwick Sabin, and then handily bested Kurrus in a run-off. The results somewhat broke down along racial and geographic lines: Scott won downtown and areas with high concentrations of minority voters east of Interstate 30 and south of Interstate 630, and Kurrus won West Little Rock and the Heights. But Scott kept it close in a number of precincts in largely white neighborhoods and won a number of areas in the middle of the city.

To win reelection, Scott will have to repeat that formula to an extent, but campaign insiders believe he’ll have more trouble keeping the margin narrow in wealthier, whiter parts of town, such as the Heights and West Little Rock. Meanwhile, Landers could have trouble building on Kurrus’ share of the vote in more diverse and liberal parts of the city. The race may come down to how well the candidates perform in the center of the city. *** Political winds can shift quickly. In a oneweek news cycle in August, there were 18 shootings over a three-day period in and around the city, and Landers confessed to the Arkansas Times that he’d left his loaded handgun in the bathroom of The Root Cafe. Landers said he’d had a concealed carry license for years because he often worked odd hours and had to move money around, and that it’s his practice to remove the gun from his holster when he uses public restrooms. He put the gun on the back of the sink at The Root and forgot to retrieve it. By the time he called to arrange to pick it up, The Root had turned it over to Little Rock police, who returned the gun to Landers. Twitter sleuths joked that the only way Landers could forget his gun on the sink of the one-person bathroom at The Root was if he didn’t wash his hands.

The race is Scott’s to lose, local politicos of all stripes say, but anything could happen in two months.

EAT, DRINK & BE LITERARY

or PUB- -PERISH

It’s time for

Presented by Arkansas Times in conjunction with the CALS Six Bridges Book Festival

Attention writers, authors, poets, readers and anyone that enjoys the written word - funny, sad, true, made up, you get it! Locals and Six Bridges Book Festival attendees all welcome!

FEATURED SPEAKERS

BITTY MARTIN, author of Snake Eyes: Murder in a Southern Town, will be featured at this year’s Pub or Perish. She holds a BSBA/Marketing degree from Henderson State University along with an RN nursing degree from UA Little Rock. In her early career, Martin worked for several local media. Now residing back home in Hot Springs, AR.

JOHN KIRK, Distinguished Professor of Arkansas History.

His latest book, Win Rockfeller, From New Yorker to Arkansawyer - 1912 - 1956

Friday, Oct. 21

Bitty Martin

The Library Kitchen & Lounge

313 President Clinton Ave in the River Market (next to Nexxus Coffee and Flying Saucer)

Performances begin 6:30 until 9:00 (drop in performances welcome).

Open seating — casual, fun, entertaining — full food menu, and drinks.

Also join representatives from WordsWorth Books “Little Rock’s oldest locally owned independent bookstore.”

RSVP via Facebook event page for Pub or Perish

Attention poets, writers, comedians, rappers, etc. all wellcome!

Contact Phyllis Britton, phyllis@arktimes.com, if you’d like to reserve a slot to perform. (no more than 20 minutes). Drop ins welcome!

We’d love to have a variety of all humankind.

SNAP YOUR FINGERS FRIENDS!!

arktimes.com Arkansas Times Pub or Perish is a related free event of the Six Bridges Book Festival, hosted by Central Arkansas Library System and presented in the evening 6:30-9:00 October 21, author panels and special events: www.sixbridgesbookfestival.org

GETTING

GROUNDED TOOLS FOR HANDLING TOUGH TIMES.

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 31

STEM is Lit! SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH (STEM) education continues to prove its value at the Pulaski County Special School District as interest in these areas increase among students at all grade levels. Maumelle Middle School 8th grade science teacher, Dr. Brandy Henderson, and Joe T. Robinson High math instructional coach, Dr. Erica Green, both understand the importance of the lessons learned in STEM classes.

Dr. Henderson explains that she understands not all students will enter a STEM field for a career, but it is still important for students to understand the real world applications of STEM and how they can make a difference.

“I engage the students in real world problem solving like how to engineer a sturdy bridge, building, or robotic hand.

Giving them real world problems to solve using blueprints, metric measurements and math, looking at the different materials that would work the best.”

Applying these lessons to real-life situations is a great way to build interest in a variety of new subjects and courses. Dr. Green points out that many students may not enjoy subjects like math and science, but if you can create an innovative way to teach the subject then you can gain that student’s interest and attention.

“As STEM educators, we want students to enhance their STEM learning in the simplest, most effective way possible.

We can use technologies that enhance a student’s existing knowledge base while also building strength in math, science and more.”

PCSSD is looking forward to seeing even more growth in the areas of STEM as Dr. Justin Luttrell moves into the second year in his position of Director of STEM. In his first year, Dr. Luttrell implemented monthly STEM is LIT challenges for students to encourage fun and educational activities for students of all ages.

ABOUT PCSSD

REGISTER NOW

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 26 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

pcssd.org/register 32 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS & NOTES KIDS’ MOVIES AT RON ROBINSON THEATER

Sept. 9: Shrek (PG), 7-8:30 p.m.

Sept. 16: Shrek 2 (PG), 7-8:30 p.m.

Enjoy family movie night at Ron Robinson Theater in the River Market District. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is $7. Beer, wine, and concessions will be available. Buy tickets online or at the door. A Shrek sidenote: You may not know that before Shrek made it big on the silver screen, there was "SHREK!" the book, written by beloved children’s author William Steig.

Check it out!

Sept. 24: Charlotte’s Web, 2-3:30 p.m.

NATIONAL VELOCIRAPTOR AWARENESS MONTH Have you hugged a velociraptor today? Wait, maybe that’s not such a good idea. They’re probably best appreciated from a distance.

IT'S NATIONAL

DAY!

SEPT. 4: WILDLIFE DAY ACTON CHILDREN’S BUSINESS FAIR

Sept. 10

Williams Library, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Last year’s fair was such a success, they’ve decided to do it again. Head to the library to shop and help Little Rock’s young entrepreneurs promote their businesses. Visit childrensbusinessfair.org/littlerock-williamslibrary for more details.

A WORD ON WILDWOOD PARK FOR THE ARTS Fall music education opportunities at Wildwood include private lessons in voice, piano, strings, brass and more. Contact registrar Kira Keating at kira@wildwoodpark.org.

ZOO BREW

Sept. 15

Have a backyard safari and appreciate the birds, squirrels and bugs, or visit a park or Nature Conservancy property or park and have a wildlife “scavenger hunt.” (Extra points for spotting a nutria.)

SEPT. 12: CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE DAY Purple Cow is a favorite among kids, while Loblolly is popular with parents. (Vegans and lactoseintolerant types also love Loblolly for their vegan shakes and sorbet freezes.)

SEPT. 13: ROALD DAHL DAY Dahl is best known for his dark, irreverent children’s tales like "James and the Giant Peach," but did you know he also wrote the screenplay for the frothy film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”?

Head to the Little Rock Zoo’s craft beer festival for growls and growlers. Tickets now on sale.

SEPT. 13: ANTS ON A LOG DAY

KIDS COOK! AT EGGSHELLS KITCHEN CO.

Feeling antsy? Today is the day to enjoy the classic you know and love (and get your kids to eat celery).

Sept. 18: Fall Cooking A, 2-4 p.m.

Sept. 25: Fall Cooking B

In these hands-on classes, kids will get lots of practice with seasonal recipes and fresh ingredients. Faith Anaya and her Kids Cook! team lead young cooks on a delectable, culinary skills-building adventure. Students receive training in kitchen safety, cooking and food preparation while learning about nutrition in a fun, interactive environment. Open to kids 10 years old and up. $65 per class or three classes for $180. Includes all ingredients, supplies, recipes and snacks.

FALL EQUINOX

Sept. 22

On this first official day of fall, go on a nature walk, read a picture book about autumn or craft hedgehogs from pinecones. It’s also the unofficial day that you’re allowed to start consuming any and all things pumpkin-spice flavored.

TINKERFEST 2022

SEPT. 14: COLORING DAY & CREAM-FILLED DONUT DAY What a joyous confluence of events! Procure a copy of the "The Little World of Liz Climo" — an all-ages coloring book by one of our favorite illustrators — while savoring a Shipley. Just don’t get crumbs on the pages.

ening with food and vities For an added twist make pet rocks out of your finds SEPT. 16: COLLECT ROCKS DAY

— adding googly eyes strongly encouraged.

SEPT. 20: QUESO DAY Queso may not have originated here (as claimed by some), but we Arkansans do have a strong cheese dip game. Favorites: Cheers, Heights Taco and Tamale and The Fold: Botanas & Bar.

Sept. 24

SEPT. 25: COMIC BOOK DAY

Museum of Discovery; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

It’s time to tinker! Tinkerfest is a celebration of curiosity and creativity that allows all ages to explore how things work through hands-on activities. Activities include car takeaparts, robotics, water play, circuits and more.

A fine time to visit Retrograde Comics in Hillcrest or, if you’re feeling inspired, make your own.

SEPT. 26: PANCAKE DAY Boulevard Bread Co.'s are so flippin’ good.

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 33

STAYING CENTERED IN TOUGH TIMES

By Katherine Wyrick

T

he start of school brings with it both excitement and trepidation. With gun violence, safety is at the forefront of parents’ minds — not to mention other not-so-minor concerns like illness, bullying, social media addiction and drug abuse. We can’t address all these issues here, but we can at least offer a modicum of guidance and a sense of solidarity. As parents and caregivers, we’re all in it together and share the same hopes for our kids.

So how do you stay centered in chaotic times and find help in dealing with the aforementioned issues? It’s really about doing things that are within your control when most things are not. Here we explore ways to exercise the control you do have — over your attitude, effort and actions.

34 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

PRACTICE MINDFULNESS LIKE A MUPPET Let’s start with a meditation. Grover of "Sesame Street" fame can vouch for the efficacy of the following exercise. The beauty of it is that you can use it when feeling stressed or when you want to appreciate an experience.

Practice anywhere, anytime, in any order: • Notice five things you can see.

• Four things that you can hear.

• Three things that you can feel.

• Two things you can smell.

• One thing you can taste.

Here’s another— psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach created this simple but powerful practice called RAIN: R: Recognize what is happening.

A: Allow the experience to be there, just as it is.

I: Investigate with interest and care.

N: Nurture with self-compassion.

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GET GROUNDED Being in nature, or even looking at pictures of nature, can affect biochemistry. It’s been proven to reduce anger and aggression, fear and stress and increase positive feelings and cognitions. Spending time outdoors not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones.

Thankfully, we live in The Natural State, and Arkansas State Parks offer endless opportunities for play, recreation, enrichment and connecting with the natural world — so you can have fun and get grounded.

FIND YOUR POWER I’ve been a parent long enough now to know kids who started Unity at a young age and have continued through young adulthood — and they’re better for it. Tanner Critz opened his studio years ago and has made a positive impact on the lives of kids, adults and the community. This isn’t your “kicking ass and taking names” kind of

SEE YOURSELF A WINNER AT

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 35

STAYING CENTERED IN TOUGH TIMES martial arts. Cuong Nhu hits different. It’s goes beyond just belts and trophies.

Unity does offer serious martial arts training but also helps students develop socially and intellectually. Kids exercise their brains, bodies and creativity. Adults make new social connections, develop leadership skills and receive parenting support. All students cultivate self-discipline, focus, balance (in mind and body), confidence and stamina. Yes, you’re going to be kicking, blocking and owning that power stance, but it’s so much more.

GET INVOLVED

in two years on Thursday, Sept. 8 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 6 p.m. The event is FREE and open to all age groups.

ADVOCATE FOR SAFETY It’s hard to talk about kids and gun violence, but it’s imperative.

As for school shootings, two of the most important things schools can do to prevent them is to intervene before a person commits an act of violence and make sure families with guns store them securely in their homes. Making sure there are enough mental health professionals available to provide students with meaningful services is key — so, too, is allowing schools to send secure storage information to parents.

In addition to its many mental and behavioral health resources, Centers for Youth and Families offers opportunities to volunteer.

Volunteering has manifold benefits beyond helping others. Among other things, it provides a sense of purpose and community and increases self-esteem. One of The Centers’ volunteer programs is Champions of Hope, now in its sixth year and the only program of its kind in Little Rock for young men. Up to 40 young men, entering 11th or 12th grade, take part in activities from September to We talked to mom of April 2023, participating in 20 two and Moms Demand hours of volunteer and leadership projects and raising money for The Action advocate Eve Centers. They’ll be recognized at Jorgensen who shared the annual spring Evolve Gala on these grim statistics: April 15, 2023.

ENGAGE YOUR BRAIN MOD — The wildly popular Tinkerfest at Museum of Discovery is this month and is a great way to get kids thinking and problemsolving. This celebration of curiosity and creativity allows guests of all ages to explore how things work through 35 hands-on activities that include car takeaparts, robotics, water play, circuits and more.

There’s evidence to suggest that participating in activities that make you think hard and learn new things is good for brain health. There’s also evidence to suggest that Tinkerfest is super fun.

CALS — Through their programming and outreach (and, of course, their vast collection of books), CALS fosters a sense of community and provides support for kids and families. For CALS, the start of school means that the teen and children’s areas at its branches fill up after school. Kids can get snacks and meals from Be Mighty, do homework with the library’s resources, or hang out with friends (while being mindful of other patrons and respecting the library rules, of course). After-school programming varies from branch to branch; they offer a variety of activities — some educationally focused, others just fun. The popular grab-and-go activity bags help the fun and learning continue at home. CALS has many resources available for kids, including Count UP, which offers free one-on-one math tutoring (in person or virtually). If parents run into a snag helping with homework and don’t have Count UP already scheduled, CALS also offers on-demand tutoring with Brainfuse HelpNow.

BE PART OF THE CHANGE Created in 2011, the Interfaith Center is doing vital work in our state — and beyond. Its mission is no less than reducing hatred and fear among the world’s religions. They do this by promoting interfaith awareness and building bridges among different faiths through educational programs and community events.

This month, they’re part of the annual interfaith prayer service, Love Thy Neighbor: Sowing Seeds of Promise, a celebration of peace through music and prayer. It will be held in person for the first time 36 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

4.6 million American children live in homes with guns that are both loaded and unlocked.

Every year, nearly 700 children 17 and under die by suicide with a gun.

Firearms are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. Three-fourths of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative.

Disheartening as that is, getting involved and informed helps.

Jorgensen recommends visiting besmartforkids.org for more information. Here’s another acronym to remember: S: Secure all guns in your home and vehicles, M: Model responsible behavior around guns, A: Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes, R: Recognize the role of guns in suicide, T: Tell your peers to be SMART. The founder of Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts, recently tweeted responses from experts about how to talk to kids about their fears while also helping them stay and feel safe. Here are a few: • Consider the age and maturity of your child. Children are uniquely vulnerable to trauma. There are different stages of childhood development, and children’s understanding of complex issues, ideas and the world around them is different from stage to stage.

• Use age-appropriate language. Younger children can’t process long, detailed answers — a short, pointed answer may suffice.

Teens may have difficult questions about how gun violence touches society politically, socially and morally. Listen and be sure they have the correct facts.

• Talk about your activism and positive changes that are happening; encourage teens to get involved in activism; encourage children to voice their concerns to teachers; review plans you have to stay safe in a crisis situation; highlight the inherent goodness of people.

If you want to get involved in Moms Demand Action, there’s no time like the present. For details about its September Zoom meeting, visit momsdemandaction.org.

STAYING CENTERED IN TOUGH TIMES

special specialadvertisting advertising section

How to Discuss Big Topics with Your Kids by: Zakiyyah Rasul, Program Manager Andreka Clary, LMSW, IMH, Clinician

Some additional tips to navigate discussing big topics with your kids include: • Encourage and support frequent, healthy discussions with your children.

• Allow them to approach you with subjects of their choosing.

• Allow them time and space to process information and respond in ways that support their well-being.

• Check in with your children at mealtimes, at playtimes, and at bedtime.

Though it may be difficult, it is ok and encouraged to initiate conversations with your children about sensitive subjects, such as school shootings, bullying, drugs, and social media attachment. Parents should encourage their children to share what concerns them, what makes them anxious, and help them identify ways to navigate these times in and outside of the home.

If you feel your family could benefit from additional resources and support, The Centers is here for you. We offer individual, family, and group therapies for children, adolescents, and adults who are experiencing emotional or behavioral struggles. Our experienced clinicians are certified in TraumaFocused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and more. Anxiety, depression, aggression, and other emotional or behavioral needs aren't planned occurrences -- The Centers is pleased to offer sameday appointments Monday through Friday.

Talking about these difficult topics won't increase their occurrence, and it will help your child learn what is fact versus fiction in these areas. Increasing their knowledge around certain subjects helps them to make informed and sound decisions. Discussing these topics with them also establishes trust and open communication within your family.

The Centers Outpatient Counseling for Children & Adolescents 6601 W. 12th Street | Little Rock, AR 72204 | 501-666-8686

thecentersar.com

STAYING CENTERED IN TOUGH TIMES

MEET LAMBERT: VETERAN, RUNNER, COMMUNITY BUILDER “Seeing that people could continue on with life as an amputee was pretty encouraging.”

READ MORE ABOUT LAMBERT FOSTER AND HOW HIS LIFE HAS CHANGED SINCE DESERT STORM AT SNELLARKANSAS.COM

RESTORING MOBILITY AND INDEPENDENCE SINCE 1911

Little Rock n Bryant n Conway n Fayetteville n Fort Smith n 800-342-5541 Hot Springs n Mountain Home n North Little Rock n Pine Bluff n Russellville

SAVVY kids PUBLISHER Brooke Wallace | brooke@arktimes.com

EDITOR Katherine Wyrick | katherinewyrick@arktimes.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Lesa Thomas | lesa@arktimes.com ART DIRECTOR Sarah Holderfield

Find more at SAVVYkidsAR.com 38 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP UAMS has two new behavioral health initiatives to address the shortage of mental health providers.

UAMS Health AR ConnectNow is a behavioral health treatment program created to provide care to all Arkansans dealing with a variety of mental-health issues, from substance abuse disorders to mental illnesses ranging from anxiety and depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Because of this program, Arkansans struggling with mental illness but unable to find a suitable provider and resources now don’t have to wait to get professional care. AR Connect provides assistance via telephone and tele-video virtual visits that can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No referral is necessary, and anyone needing help can find it only a phone call away. And it’s FREE. faceyourfeelings.org The other new behavioral health initiative from UAMS is the Arkansas Trauma Resource Initiative for Schools (TRIS) which equips schools to respond to the impact of student trauma. It provides training and resources to school personnel of K-12 schools across the state. For more information, visit tris-ar.org.

Methodist Family Health continues to provide comprehensive care for Arkansas families. They offer a wide array of services: inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for children ages 3 to 17; outpatient counseling clinics; grief counseling services; psychiatric residential treatment centers; therapeutic group homes; school-based counseling services; therapeutic day treatment programs for Kindergarten through 12th grades; and Arkansas Centers for Addictions Research, Education and Services for mothers struggling with both substance abuse and a mental health issue. They also provide 24-hour, confidential, no-charge assessments for children and adolescents in crisis and accept Medicaid and most private insurance.

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ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 39

Fun books about dogs that savvy kids will love COLORING...

Dogs, horses, cats and pets of all kinds have been an ongoing theme for books authored by Pat Becker and those that she sponsors. Particularly appropriate for children indoors during the “dog days” of August are these coloring books featuring dogs. Pat says, “Grab your crayons, kids, and let your imagination do the rest!”

This coloring book follows the fun when a playful Dachshund dog named Duchess befriends a hungry bunny rabbit. All that’s missing is the color for this adventuresome tale.

A variety of dogs and their various characteristics and activities are just waiting for imaginative minds to bring some color into the lives of these canines.

Reasonably priced. FREE SHIPPING with orders of four or more of these fun coloring books. To order, go to:

DogTalkTV.com/PatBecker-Books

40 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

NURSES GUIDE 2022

FIND THE CAREER YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED Special Advertising Supplement of the Arkansas Times ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 41

Be a Champion Be a Champion for Children!

Be a Champion for Children! for Children! for Children! and comforting heart. That is why we are Arkansans’ choice for their health care needs.

We have a variety of nursing opportunities, from a Level III NICU to a 90-bed Critical Care area. Baptist Health offers top quality benefits for employees. We look for nurses who think critically and are compassionate and service-oriented. We want to offer a “World Class” environment for everyone. Please apply online at baptist-health.com.

nursing informatics and much more! To learn more about a rewarding career serving as a Champion for Children, visit www.archildrens.org or call us at (501) 364-1398

uams.edu.

MEET THE SCHOOL & HOSPITAL RECRUITERS

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Nurses at ArkansasMagnet Children’s Hospital Experience: UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR MEDICAL •for A focus onSCIENCES safety for employees, patientscare. and families excellence in patient Nurses at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Experience: UCA SCHOOL OF NURSING Left to Right: Rachel VanVeckhoven, Recruitment Specialist and Ava Coleman, Assistant Director of Student Enrollment

Taylor Nardi, MS - BSN Education Counselor (Last Names A-K), tnardi1@uca.edu Tachia Awbrey, MS - BSN Education Counselor (Last Names L-Z), tawbrey@uca.edu Julie Ingram, MS - RN to BSN, MSN, BSN to DNP and Post Master’s DNP Education Counselor; jjones111@uca.edu

Gigi Flory, GigiNurse Flory Recruiter Nursing Recruiter

Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff JEFFERSON REGIONAL

Jefferson Regional Medical Serving an 11-county area inCenter Southserves Arkansas, Terri McKown a 10-county area, so our nurses must be Brenda Trigg, DNP, GNP, RN, CNE Jefferson Regional nurses enjoy a busy and Arkansas Tech University (ATU) Department of prepared for a busy and diverse patient diverse Directorscience of Nursing UAMS is the only health center in offers Arkansas many options to acquire patient base. a multitude of The University Nursing of Central School of nursing base. Our Fromphysicians neurology represent to cardiology, from Ouachitalargest.

Baptist ItUniversity, Arkansas and one of the region’s includes licensure.

We work with you out and and for you to medical specialties, allowing our staff to surgery to orthopaedics, JRMC has aexperience medical Nursing program is one of the most sought Arkadelphia five colleges (Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Health achieve the career choice you desire. From Listaff thatnursing represents 25 different specialties, Our innovative dual degree RN-to-BSN promany different opportunities.

And while we highly reputable nursingPractical education facilities theAssociate censed Nursing (LPN) in or an Professions and Public Health) and a graduate school so our program offers many the different nursing gram pairs the strengths of Ouachita Baptist are always focused on providing highest quality state of Arkansas.

Our award-winning faculty lead the Degree in Nursing (ADN) at our sister camalong with a hospital, statewide network of regional opportunities for our staff to experience. We University with the strengths of Baptist Health care to our patients, we also go the extra mile to help pus in Ozark, to a pre-licensure Bachelor of way by teaching the nursing students how to provide pride ourselves on patient-centered care and a CollegeChildren’s Little Rock.Hospital Ouachita is a nationalcenters, affiliations with Arkansas Science in Nursing (BSN)their Registered our nurses be the best theyamong can be.

Jefferson Regional qualityinhealthcare, and while developing careersNursing family atmosphere our employees, and ly-ranked liberal artsSystem, college founded 1886 and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare (RN) degree in Russellville.

Want more?

We go the extra pay mile toand helpbenefits, our nursesincluding be the provideswecompetitive in of theGod nursing a mission fostering a love and profession. Our on-campus BSN and seven UAMS institutes with where clinical,of academic offer bridge programs for working men and bestcompensation they can be. JRMC provides competitive a love of learning. And Baptist program Health College additional for nurses with advanced provides the students with the opportunity women to achieve a higher level of educaand research resources are on specificleader in health and including additional compenLittle focused Rock is a recognized degrees,pay and a benefits, six-month nurse residency program to learn academically andtopractically the newly tion: LPN BSN at our in Russellville campus, diseases or conditions. The UAMS Collegesince of Nursing sation for nurses with advanced degrees, and care education 1920 and an integral for new nurses.

Tuition assistance is also available or our ADN to BSN online.

Come tour our Simbuilt high-tech simulation center.

We proudly state a six-month nurse residency program for nurses part of Baptist Health, provides bachelor’s, master’s (MNSc), Doctortheoflargest health care Labs—we have SimMom, SimNewB, for thosejustwanting to further education.

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Your their success is our success, system in Arkansas.

Learn howthat you our can earn Nursing Practice (DNP), and Doctor of Philosophy NurseThe Anne’s,nurses and are andgreat it all benefits whothem are the nurses, our andpatients, we have both at two degrees (AAS & BSN) in 4100 at obu. job SimBaby, placementSimMan, for ourmultiple graduates.

(Ph.D.) programs to more than 800 students. yearspercent much more! ATU’s nursing faculty are experts reason we areIf all in theinterested health careinprofesedu/nursing or call (870) 245-5110.

Jefferson Regional! you’re a nursing School of Nursing prides itself on creating a holistic in their field adding breadth and depth to both There is an Accelerated BSN program located If you’re interested in a nursing career at career atsion.

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JRMC, contact me at florygi@jrmc.org. in Northwest Arkansas for individuals who have learning environment jrmc.org. join us at ATU...where “Every Student Counts.” all workplace environments.

9/24/18 5:07 PM

Nurses at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Experience: • Coordinated and collaborative teamwork that provides the • A focus on safety for employees, patients and families highest level of family-centered care •Nurses A focus on safety for employees, patients and families at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Experience: • Coordinated and collaborative teamwork that provides the •• Compassionate care for a wide range of patients, ages, Coordinated and collaborative teamwork that provides the • A focus on safety for employees, patients and families highest level of family-centered care diagnoses and severity of illness highest level of family-centered care •• Coordinated and collaborative teamwork thatages, provides the • Compassionate care for wide range ofapatients, team that strives forafor excellence in kid-savvy environment • A Compassionate care a wide range of patients, ages, highestand level of family-centered care diagnoses severity of illness diagnoses and severity of illness ow.

•team Compassionate for a wide range of patients, ages, view current openings, visit archildrens.org/careers.

• ATo that strives job forcare excellence in a kid-savvy environment • A team that strives for excellence in a kid-savvy environment diagnoses and severity of illness ow.

To view openings, visitvisit archildrens.org/careers.

• A current team thatjob strives for excellence inarchildrens.org/careers. a kid-savvy environment job openings, ow. To view current We champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow. already obtained a bachelor’s or higher. The To view current jobdegree openings, visit For archildrens.org/careers. potential students who already have an RN college is engaged in activities and interprofessional

license, our online programs top notch.

Not only We PM champion by making them betterare today and healthier tomorrow. partnerships all UAMS children colleges that promote 9/24/18 5:07 across We champion children by making them better today are we ranked highly for having one of the and most healthier tomorrow.

9/24/18 5:07 PM scholarly excellence, research and service to the university nursing profession and society. Recruiting affordable online DNP-Nurse Practitioner programs, are also known for guiding you every step of the healthier tomorrow.

5:07 PM We champion them better today and for UAMS9/24/18 College of Nursing is morechildren than informingbybutmaking way. the prospective student about our programs.

It is Magnet_ACH_Nurses Hire_full page.indd 1 Whether you are a traditional BSN undergraduate about introducing them to a career field that allows them to be lifelong learners and caregivers. We do student, RN to BSN, MSN or DNP student, you will morepage.indd than just1 educate nursing students, we prepare be supported with a team to help you be the best ACH_Nurses Hire_full nurse you can be. For more information, please visit Magnet_ACH_Nurses 1 them Hire_full to carepage.indd for the total patient and their families.

For more information on our programs, contact www.uca.edu/nursing. us at 501-686-5224, by email at conadmissions@ Magnet_ACH_Nurses Hire_full page.indd 1 uams.edu or visit our website at www.nursing.uams. edu.

Belinda Nix, Academic Counselor & Enrollment Coordinator Jonathan Hamilton, Academic Counselor-AAS Carolyn Fonville, Academic CounselorPre-Nursing

9/24/18 5:07

9/24/18 5:07 PM 9/24/18 5:07

SCHOOL OF NURSING AT UA LITTLE ROCK

2022 NURSES GUIDE PUBLISHER

ALAN LEVERITT

NURSES GUIDE EDITOR DWAIN HEBDA

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING PHYLLIS A. BRITTON

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

BROOKE WALLACE, LEE MAJOR, TERRELL JACOB, KAITLYN LOONEY

42 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

9/24/18 5:07

For over 50 years, the UA Little Rock Department of Nursing has inspired and guided individuals toward the dynamic profession of nursing. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to improving the health care of all Arkansans by educating professional, thoughtful and compassionate nurses. We offer an Associate of Applied Science (AAS), BSN, LNP/Paramedic to RN and online BSN completion program. Our advice for students is to take ownership and get as much information as possible about the nursing profession and degree options. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Do this early and often! Visit: www.ualr.edu/nursing, call 501-916-3081, or email bknix@ualr.edu

Arkansans’ choice for their health care needs.

We have a variety of nursing opportunities, from a Level III NICU to a 90-bed Critical Care area. Baptist Health offers top quality benefits for employees. We look for nurses who think critically and are compassionate and service-oriented. We want to offer a “World Class” environment for everyone. Please apply online at baptist-health.com.

Janice Ivers, MSN, RN, CNE Dean of Nursing & Health Sciences

PM

PM

Brenda Trigg, DNP, GNP, RN, CNE NATIONAL Director of Nursing PARK COLLEGE NationalBaptist Park College is in the business of changOuachita University, ing lives, one student at a time! Choosing nursing as Arkadelphia aOur career can change trajectory of an individual’s innovative dualthedegree RN-to-BSN prolife as well as their family’s lives.

We offer Baptist a Practical gram pairs the strengths of Ouachita Nursing program andstrengths a Registered NursingHealth program University with the of Baptist with a traditional track, as well as LPN to RN opCollege Little Rock. Ouachita is a nationaltions.

National Parkarts College nursing programs have ly-ranked liberal college founded in 1886 offered an Associate of Science in Nursing degree with a mission of fostering a love of God and since 1976 and a Practical NursingHealth Certificate since a love of learning.

And Baptist College 1958.

Whether you just graduated from high school Little Rock is a recognized leader in health or areeducation changing careers, National College can care since 1920 andPark an integral help you meet your goals.

Application period for trapart of Baptist Health, the largest health care ditional begins in Learn January andyou runscan through system entry in Arkansas. how earnthe first March&forBSN) fall admission.

Please go to twoMonday degreesin(AAS in 4 years at obu. www.np.edu detailed admissions informaedu/nursingfor ormore call (870) 245-5110. tion. We would love to meet with you and get you on the path to meeting your education and career goals.

For more information on our programs please contact the Division of Nursing at (501) 760-4290 or email at jivers@np.edu. At National Park College, student success is our focus!

Janice Ivers, MSN, RN, CNE Dean of Nursing & Health Sciences National Park College National Park College is in the business of changing lives, one student at a tim Choosing nursing as a career can change the trajectory of an individual’s life well as their family’s lives. We offer a Practical Nursing program and a Regist Nursing program with a traditional track, as well as LPN to RN options. Natio Park College nursing programs have offered an Associate of Science in Nursin degree since 1976 and a Practical Nursing Certificate since 1958. Whether y just graduated from high school or are changing careers, National Park Colleg can help you meet your goals. Application period for traditional entry begins i January and runs through the first Monday in March for fall admission. Please to our website www.np.edu for more detailed admissions information. We wo Flory love to meet with you and get you onGigi the path to meeting your education and Nursing Recruiter Susan Erickson, MNSc, RN, BC-NA, CHCR Senior career goals. For more information on our please contact the Divisio Jeffersonprograms Regional Medical Center, Pine- Bluff Nurse Recruiting Manager Terri McKown, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC Regional MedicalAt Center serves Park Colle Nursing at (501) 760-4290 or emailJefferson at jivers@np.edu.

National Terri McKown Professor of Nursing, Assistant Head a 10-county area, so ourHEALTH nurses must be UAMS student success is our focus!

Arkansas Tech University (ATU) Department of prepared for a busy and diverse patient Nursing offers many options to acquire nursing ARKANSAS licensure.

We workTECH with youUNIVERSITY and for you to Arkansas University (ATU) Department achieve the Tech career choice you desire.

From Li-of Nursing offers many options to acquire nursing licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) or an Associate censure.

WeNursing work with you and for sister you tocamachieve Degree in (ADN) at our the choice desire. From Bachelor Licensed Practipuscareer in Ozark, to you a pre-licensure of cal Nursing or an Associate DegreeNursing in Nursing Science in (LPN) Nursing (BSN) Registered (ADN) at our sister campus in Ozark, to a pre-licen(RN) degree in Russellville.

Want more?

We sure Science infor Nursing (BSN) Registered offerBachelor bridge of programs working men and Nursing degreeainhigher Russellville. more? We women (RN) to achieve levelWant of educaoffer nursescampus, to achieve a tion: bridge LPN toprograms BSN at for ourworking Russellville higher LPN to BSN tour at ourour Russellor our level ADNoftoeducation: BSN online.

Come Simville campus, or ourhave ADN SimMom, to BSN online.

Come tour ulation Labs—we SimNewB, our Simulation Labs—we have Nurse SimMom, SimNewB, SimBaby, SimMan, multiple Anne’s, and SimBaby, SimMan, Anne’s, and much much more!

ATU’smultiple nursingNurse faculty are experts more! faculty are experts in their fields in theirATU’s fieldnursing adding breadth and depth to both adding breadth and to education. both your classroom your classroom anddepth clinical Come and education. Come joinStudent us at ATU...where join clinical us at ATU...where “Every Counts.”

“Every Student Counts”.

Whether just graduated, pursuing a second career base.

From to cardiology, from care or looking for aneurology new work family, nurses provide surgery to orthopaedics, JRMC has a medical and compassion to those who need healing.

That’s staffnurses that represents specialties, why are the heart25 of different UAMS, caring for patients so our offersday many different and theirprogram families every to provide thenursing very best opportunities our staffoftoproviders. experience. health care withforour team

By We joining prideUAMS, ourselves care and of a Team youon willpatient-centered get the unique experience family atmosphere our employees, and working in the state’s among only academic medical center we go extra mile to help nurses be the that alsothesupports a culture of our nursing excellence best they can advancement, be. JRMC provides competitive through career professional developpay and including additional ment, and benefits, recognition – the best place to compenpractice sation for with advanced degrees, and nursing!

Younurses and your immediate family can also ena six-month forthroughnurses joy a generousnurse tuitionresidency discount ofprogram up to 50% justthe outUAofSystem. school.InYour success is our success, out addition to a competitive salary andbenefits, it all benefits our1patients, who are and including 1 paid holidays withthe separeason all in accruals, the health care provides profes- up rate sick we andare vacation UAMS sion.

If you’re a nursing career at to a 10% percentinterested match to in retirement savings – five JRMC, contact at florygi@jrmc.org. times what manyme other employers offer. To join the more than 10,000 team members who said ‘Yes’ to UAMS, log onto: nurses.uams.edu or join our Facebook/Instagram pages by searching UAMSNurses!

PM

THE ARKANSAS STATE HOSPITAL

Arkansas State Hospital (ASH) is a psychiatric inpatient facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. We are governed by the Division of Aging, Adults, and Behavior Health Services, a section of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The Arkansas State Hospital is licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and accredited by The Joint Commission.

Arkansas State Hospital mission is to provide psychiatric services that promote recovery in a safe and caring environment. Our hospital has nine units and 226 patient beds in three service areas: General Adult, Forensic, and Adolescent.

Arkansas State Hospital is committed to education of mental health providers and serves as a training site for nursing, medical, social work, and psychology students. The Education and Recruitment Department at ASH is under the Direction of Brenda Barker, RN-BC, M.Ed., with educators Melissa Hensley, RN, Charles Hayden Burchfield, LPN Supervisor, Roosevelt Harris, Training Coordinator, and Marlean Acker, Administrative III. Arkansas State Hospital benefits package include generous leave time, excellent state benefit coverage, retention and sign on bonuses, evening, nights, and weekend differentials. We invite you to be a part of our team at the largest mental health hospital in the state of Arkansas. For more information visit AR.GOV/DHSJOBS Melissa Hensley, RN Special Advertising Supplement of the Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 43

hildren! eam that has

MEET THE SCHOOL & HOSPITAL RECRUITERS

® Recognition gnet m that has eam that has egnet patient care. etin® Recognition ®that eam has Recognition ® Recognition ngnet patient care. e in patient care. en’s Hospital Experience: patients and families eemployees, in patient Hospital Experience:care.

BAXTER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Baxter Regional Medical Center, located in beautiful Mountain Home, was the first Magnet® hospital in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri and was named by Modern Healthcare and Arkansas Business as one of the Best Places to Work in 2021 and 2022. Our hospital is a place our nurses and staff call home; we are family! Our CNO believes in servant leadership, and shared governance ensures that our nurses have a voice in their practice.

Now is the perfect time to join our family, as Baxter Regional officially becomes Baxter Health! We know you’ll fall in love with the Ozarks, our lakes and rivers, and most of all, our hospital and culture. Visit www.workwhereyouvacation.com for more information and to apply online.

en’s Hospital Experience: aborative teamwork that provides the loyees, patients and families -centered care employees, patients and families Kim Beavers, Recruiter en’s Hospital Experience: Jennifer Yarberry, Chiefthat Nursingprovides Officer ative teamwork the for a wideteamwork range of patients, ages, aborative that provides the employees, families PINNACLE POINTEand BEHAVIORAL ntered care patients y of illness UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS -centered HEALTHCARE care SYSTEM The University of Arkansas offers four online nursing programs: Pinnacle Pointe Behavioral Healthcare System is teamwork that provides the aaborative wide range of patients, ages, excellence in a kid-savvy environment the LPN to BSN, the RN to BSN, the master’s in nurse educator and committedrange to consistently a system ofages, qualfor a wide ofdelivering patients, the Doctor of Nursing Practice with concentrations in adult-gerontol-centered care health care with integrity to children illnessity behavioral ogy acute care nurse practitioner and family nurse practitioner. We y of illness and adolescents in concert with their parents, carealso offer a graduate certificate in nurse educator and post-master’s givers,in guardians and of community professionals.

The for a wide range patients, ages, enings, visit archildrens.org/careers. ellence a kid-savvy environment certificates in adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner and team at Pinnacle Pointe Hospital is both passionate excellence in a kid-savvy environment family nurse practitioner. y of illness and highly experienced. Our dedication to the highMost coursework in our programs is online, and most programs est standard of quality helped us attain the prestigious also include clinical coursework done through preceptorships in ngs, visit archildrens.org/careers.

Governor’s Quality Achievement Award. environment This award excellence in a kid-savvy enings, visit archildrens.org/careers. your geographic area wherever possible. The DNP requires periodrecognizes Pinnacle Pointe Hospital’s commitment ic on-campus sessions. children byofmaking better today and healthier tomorrow. and practice quality principlesthem through a thorough

process of excellence. Visit our website to apply: pinenings, visit archildrens.org/careers. naclepointehospital.com/career-opportunities/

All students in online programs pay in-state tuition. Our programs are designed for working professionals with student support from application to graduation. Learn more at online.uark.edu/ nurse or email us at online@uark.edu.

dren by making them better today and healthier tomorrow. children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow.

Chrystal Thomas, Recruiter for Online Programs

children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow.

9/24/18 5:07 PM

9/24/18 5:07 PM 9/24/18 5:07 PM

9/24/18 5:07 PM

ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Baptist Health Recruitment Team

BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER

Our belief at Baptist Health is that we are a healing ministry. We provide quality patient care services to all Arkansans with a caring and comforting heart. That is why we are Arkansans’ choice for their health care needs. We have a variety of nursing opportunities, from a Level III NICU to a 90-bed Critical Care area. Baptist Health offers top quality benefits for employees. We look for nurses who think critically and are compassionate and serviceoriented. We want to offer a “World Class” environment for everyone. Please apply online at baptisthealthcareers.com.

44 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Children are at the center of everything we do. As the only hospital system in the state dedicated solely to caring for children, Arkansas Children’s is able to uniquely shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas. Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock is in the elite 6 percent of hospitals in the world that have achieved Magnet Status, and are ranked by U.S. News & World Report in seven specialities. Arkansas Children’s offers a wide range of opportunities for nurses, from direct patient care to staff education, research, administration, nursing informatics and much more! To learn more about a rewarding career serving as a Champion for Children, visit archildrens.org or call us at (501) 364-1398.

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

CHI ST. VINCENT

Tonya Freeman, Senior Recruiter

Jessica Cedillo, Recruiter

Brenda Trigg, DNP, GNP, RN, CNE Director of Nursing

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary is Arkansas’s first hospital to achieve Magnet status for professional nursing practice. As a health system with facilities located throughout the state, our focus is the health and well-being of Arkansans. We have served Arkansas since 1888 with a history of many firsts and numerous awards for patient care. When you join CHI St. Vincent you will enjoy the career you deserve, the quality of life you’ve been looking for, the joy of serving in our ministry, a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family, continued education opportunities, much more! Sign-on Gigiand Flory bonuses and higher pay for all + increased pay NursingRNs Recruiter for clinical ladder! To join our team of health care Regional Medical heroes, see more infoJefferson at chistvincent.com/nurses.

Ce OUACHITA BAPTIST Jefferson Regional Medical C UNIVERSITY Terri McKown a 10-county area, so our nurs nurseGNP, educators committed to Brenda Ouachita’s Trigg, DNP, RN,are CNE Arkansas Tech University (ATU) Department of helping students grow academically and spiritually prepared for a busy and dive Director of Nursing Brandy Shell, Seniorto acquire nursing through any one of the university’s three B.S.N. de- Samantha McClard, Nursing offers many options base. From neurology to card Ouachita Baptist University, Recruiter gree pathways. Initially approved by the Arkansas Recruiter licensure. We work with you and for you to surgery to orthopaedics, JRMC Arkadelphia State Board of Nursing, our 4-year residential pre-liachieve the career choice you desire. From Licensure program gives students the opportunity to restaff that represents 25 differe Our innovative dual degree RN-to-BSN procensed Practical Nursing (LPN) or an Associate main on campus and participate in the full Ouachita so our program offers many d gram pairs the strengths of Ouachita Baptist experience. Through our RN-to-BSN online program, Degree in Nursing (ADN) at our sister camopportunities for our staff to e University with the strengths Health licensed Registered Nurses withofnoBaptist restrictions can pus in Ozark, to a pre-licensure Bachelor of pride ourselves on patient-cen College Rock.

Ouachita is aour nationalearnLittle a B.S.N. in 9-12 months. And distinctive Science in Nursing (BSN) Registered Nursing RN-to-BSN family atmosphere among our ly-ranked liberaldual artsenrollment collegecompletion foundedprogram in 1886 (RN) degree in Russellville. Want more? We partnership with Baptist Health College in Little we go the extra mile to help o with ain mission of fostering a love of God and Rock offers a pathway to earn two degrees (A.A.S. offer bridge programs for working men and best they can be. JRMC prov Alexis Cooper, Arkansas Pediatrics of Conway a loveand of B.S.N.) learning.

And Baptist Health College in four years. Students completing either women to achieve a higher level of educaAlicia Sandubrae Moore, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences pay and benefits, including a in-person track may also earn in a B.A. in inLittle Rock is adegree recognized leader health Amanda Gulley, Arkansas Department of Health tion: LPN to BSN at our Russellville campus, ternational missions, Spanish or biology or a B.S. in sation for nurses with advance care education since 1920 and an integral Amanda Mithcell, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System or our ADN to BSN online.

Come tour our Simpsychology with only one additional year of study. a six-month nurse residency p part ofLearn Baptist Health, the largest health care Ashley Knittig, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System how Ouachita’s B.S.N. degree programs can ulation Labs—we have SimMom, SimNewB, just out of school. Your succes Ashley Montgomery, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System systemhelp in you Arkansas.

Learn how you can earn meet your educational goals at obu.edu/ SimBaby, SimMan, multiple Nurse Veterans Anne’s, and System Ashley Owens, Central Arkansas Healthcare and it all benefits our patients nursing or (AAS by calling 245-51 two degrees & (870) BSN) in 410.years at obu.

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Bonnie Dawson, much more! ATU’s nursing faculty are experts reason we are all in the healt edu/nursing or call (870) 245-5110.

Brittany Feazell, Conwayand Regional Healthto System in their field adding breadth depth both sion. IfSystem you’re interested in a n Brittany Morgan Dobbins, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare your classroom and clinical education. Come JRMC, contact me at florygi@ Caitlyn Fee, Conway Regional Health System join us at ATU...where “EveryChildren's Student Counts.”

Chad Dugger, Arkansas Northwest

Peggy Henderson, Director of Nursing

METHODIST FAMILY HEALTH

Methodist Family Health is a statewide continuum of care for Arkansas children and their families who are abandoned, abused, neglected, and struggling with psychiatric,behavioral, emotional, and spiritual issues. We have immediate openings for nurses who love children and want to see them thrive. We offer full-time, part-time, and contract positions; sign-on, retention, and Christmas bonuses; tuition assistance; public service loan forgiveness; a complete suite of insurance; 401(k) with match; telemedicine for outpatient programs, generous personal time off (PTO) and much more. Visit https://www.methodistfamily. org/work-for-us for more information and to apply.

Congratulations!

2022 40 Nurse Leaders Under 40

Chaquita Edmond, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Dalton Janssen, Arkansas Children's Hospital Dana Lawrence, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Deonna Wissler, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Elizabeth Riley, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Geneva Rose King, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Grady Ellington, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Hannah Hamilton, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Jacqueline McEuen, Little Rock School District Janise Sanders, Arkansas Children's Hospital Jose Puga, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Josy Nduku, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Judy Staley, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Kacie Parrish, Northwest Arkansas Forensic Nurse Team Karen McDowell, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Kirbi Cates, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Lindsay Carlisle, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Lindsey Bourne, Baptist Health System - Little Rock Lyndi Mullinax, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Mary E Moix, Conway Regional Health System Megan Blagg, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Monique Thammavong, Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock Nathan Haley, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Nycole Oliver, Baptist Health System Stephanie Bartlett, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Taaja Newhouse, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Tammy Gaines, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Whitney Ochoa, Arkansas Department of Health

Special Advertising Supplement of the Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 45

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A NURSE...

N

NURSING NOTES SOFT SKILLS “Nurses have to enjoy helping people and love making a difference. It is a service career; you have to like feeling needed to care for and help others in a time of illness.

You also have to possess other soft skills such as problem-solving and reasoning, exceptional communication skills and a willingness to advocate for your patients’ best interest.”

— Janice Ivers, dean of nursing and health sciences, National Park College in Hot Springs DIVERSITY “Nursing is a diverse profession that is inclusive for people of different colors, genders and orientations. My family came to the United States from South Korea when I was 12 and at my hospital, everybody’s voices are heard. That makes me feel safe to share my perspective, and I also enjoy learning something new every day from co-workers from different backgrounds.”

— Josh Ok, CHI St. Vincent

46 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

ursing is one of the most respected and important jobs in society today. Nurses stand at the bedside and provide care in life’s most joyful moments, such as the birth of a new baby. They’re also there to calm the stressful moments brought on by broken bones or illness. And they’re even there to lend comfort during life’s tragic moments when a loved one dies.

If you are reading this, chances are you are considering becoming a nurse. And to that we say CONGRATULATIONS! You are on the doorstep of one of the tougher and more rewarding careers around. This magazine will give you a glimpse at the various stages of becoming a nurse and building a successful career. You’ll hear from those who are already on the job as they share the real-world wisdom they’ve gained, as well as those who teach nurses in the classroom and on the job how to acquire the skills they need to deliver excellent care.

No matter where you are in life or where you come from in Arkansas, nursing provides a well-paid and stable career that deeply impacts the community each and every day. It will also test the limits of your physical, mental and emotional endurance, forcing you to care for yourself as intentionally as you care for others.

Still interested? Great! Arkansas, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a severe shortage of nurses due to the general population living longer and longtime nurses moving into retirement. The coronavirus pandemic of the last two-plus years has also pushed some nurses into other professions due to stress and burnout.

Now more than ever, nursing needs you.

ME? A NURSE?

One thing you will hear over and over again from nurses is that they didn’t choose their career, the career chose them. Nursing is more than a job you do; it’s a calling that speaks to who you are and how you’re wired. Everything else about nursing — where you go to school, where you choose to work and how far you choose to take your career — builds from that one central desire to serve others in their hour of need.

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

“The biggest thing I would look for in a new nurse is compassion and humility,” said Brett Calcagno with St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock. “Where I work in the ER, patients are typically in a state of physical and emotional crisis, and their loved ones are either on the phone calling you or at the bedside. It’s important to show them grace and compassion.

“Humility is also required; I’ve been in the ER for five years and a nurse for nine, and I am always learning new things from nurses much older and younger than myself.”

Like any career, there’s really no accurate predictor of future success in nursing, but it is possible to assess your personality and skill set strengths and weaknesses to see how you stack up against the basics of what successful nurses have in common.

“Reasons for becoming a nurse will vary for each person, but one factor that seems universal among nurses and nursing students is a high level of concern for patients’ well-being,” said Lisa DuBose, assistant professor of nursing at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. “Other important attributes for a successful career in nursing include an ability to multitask and to work in settings that may be chaotic and distracting.

“But the most important attributes, in my opinion, are being able to prioritize the needs of the patient, the tasks to be completed and to think critically when assessing patients and situations.”

As you take inventory of your skills, you should keep in mind that nursing is applied in many areas outside of the traditional hospital, clinic or doctor’s office setting. So even though common sense will tell you someone who doesn’t like blood or broken bones probably shouldn’t be in the emergency room, that same person might be ideal in a corporate setting teaching employees about healthy lifestyle choices.

“Skills vary greatly depending on the setting in which the nurse will work,” DuBose said. “All nursing positions require strong communication and interpersonal skills, but some jobs, such as orthopedics and operating room, for example, will require more physical strength and stamina

UCA/ SETH FOLEY, UCA PHOTOGRAPHER

Nursing holds a place for students from all walks of life.

HERO SPOTLIGHT

than jobs that are more office-based.”

“Nursing is the best and the worst,” said Britt Beasley with UAMS College of Nursing in Little Rock. “The hours are long, the work is hard, and sometimes it feels like no one appreciates you. You can feel lost or as if you do not know what is going on. In those moments, it is important to remember why you became a nurse in the first place.

“The greatest joy in nursing is being there for the patient in their time of need. Nurses are with people from birth to the end of life, and each encounter is unique and special. As nurses, we are privileged to share in life’s happiest moments and in the lowest moments. In each experience we give part of ourselves to the patients and families; we love on them, we cry with them and we fight time and illness and disease.

All of these make being a nurse one of the most rewarding professions.”

Brett Calcagno, RN CHI St. Vincent Infirmary What’s the best thing about working in the emergency department?

BC: For me, it’s the most fulfilling. I see people every day in crisis. It’s not just patients, it’s family members as well. They come in when they need us the most and we can make their days and their weeks and their years better.

What kind of mentality do you have to have to thrive in that environment?

BC: The biggest part of this job is being able to recognize an emergency. I can’t explain how important it is to be able to walk into a room and immediately know when somebody’s in trouble.

A lot of the time it’s big things; if you see somebody turning blue and struggling to breathe, it’s easy to know that’s an emergency. But subtler things are harder to pick up on. So, your head’s always on a swivel. You have to be in tune with the small things because that’s what makes or breaks you in this career.

What inspired you to go into nursing?

BC: My grandmother was a nurse; she did a stint in the ER for a period, then worked on the urology floor at CHI in Hot Springs, back when it was St. Joseph’s. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time in the hospital because of my grandpa, who was a chronically sick man. I learned my times tables on the fourth floor of St. Joseph’s.

My paternal aunt is an RN case manager with the VA; my other aunt is a full-time night ER nurse at CHI in Hot Springs. My mother-in-law is an RN, my little brother is an RN and my sister-in-law is a physician’s assistant.

Emergency medicine isn’t for everyone, what’s kept you in it this long?

BC: I come from a long line of public servants, and one of the reasons I left long-term care and critical care is because you don’t see as many people. On a good day, it’s not uncommon for me to treat 16 to 20 people. That’s a lot of helping in the community. There’s not a month that goes by where I don’t touch somebody’s life in a meaningful way.

NURSING NOTES JOB OUTLOOK The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the nursing profession will grow 9% to 12% — or create roughly 200,000 new RN positions — every year until 2030.

EARNING POTENTIAL Pay scales are greatly affected by region of the country, size of employer and level of a nurse’s education. For registered nurses, the median salary nationwide is $77,600, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Arkansas, that same RN earns a median salary of $61,530. A nurse practitioner, which requires an additional two to three years of school, earns a median salary of $99,910 in Arkansas and $121,000 nationwide.

JOB SETTING Nurses are commonly pictured in patient-facing settings, such as hospitals, clinics and physicians’ offices, but this just scratches the surface of where nurses work. Nurses also work in nursing and residential care facilities, public or private addiction and social work settings, mental health practices and hospitals, or conducting research in a lab. They work in factories, schools, colleges, cruise ships, military installations, prisons and community centers. They provide health care in patients’ homes, maintain records in offices, give lectures in the classroom, testify in court, and some even launch their own businesses in a variety of fields.

RN — REGISTERED NURSE* Sample Duties: Assess patients’ conditions; record patients’ medical histories and symptoms; administer patients’ medicines and treatments; consult and collaborate with doctors and other health care professionals; operate and monitor medical equipment; teach patients and their families how to manage illnesses or injuries. * Further broken down by ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) and BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)

APRN — ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE* Sample Duties: APRNs receive advanced training that allows them to work with more autonomy (lack of direct doctor supervision). Depending on specialty, APRNs may manage anesthesia for surgical procedures, provide gynecological services, deliver babies, independently manage medical treatment and make care decisions. * Further broken down by MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) and DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice)

WHAT DO THE LETTERS MEAN? CNA — CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT Sample Duties: Clean and bathe patients; turn, reposition and transfer patients between beds and wheelchairs; measure patients’ vital signs such as blood pressure and temperature; serve meals and help patients eat.

LPN — LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE Sample Duties: Monitor patients’ health by checking blood pressure, temperature, etc.; administer basic patient care, including changing bandages and inserting catheters; provide basic comfort of patients, such as helping them bathe or dress.

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Sources: nurse.org; bureau of labor statistics Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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LEARNING YOUR CRAFT NURSING PATHWAYS HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?* CNA — 4-12 weeks LPN — 12 months RN — Two years for an associate degree (ADN); four years for bachelor’s degree (BSN) APRN — Two to three additional years on top of a bachelor’s degree for master’s degree (MSN); three to four additional years for doctor of nursing practice (DNP) The above time periods are estimated and do not include additional training and certification in specific practice areas or periodic continuing education required of all nurses.

Hands-on training meets classroom work for student nurses.

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ursing is a complex field and therefore the education required to become a nurse is rigorous. Nurses literally hold lives in their hands, making a solid academic foundation absolutely essential.

“As health care becomes more efficient and advanced, we are seeing more patients with multiple chronic illnesses who are living longer and requiring complex management,” said Elizabeth Riley, clinical assistant professor with UAMS College of Nursing in Little Rock.

“Nurses in the field are being required to utilize more critical thinking skills and clinical judgments to make the best patient care decisions. This requires nurses to combine sound clinical judgments as well as individualized patient preferences for patient-centered care that is inclusive to patients from diverse backgrounds with multiple chronic conditions.”

Like any college-level training, nursing school can be a time-intensive and expensive adjustment for students. Fortunately, many high schools now have agreements with local colleges that allow them to get a jump on nursing courses — often at little or no cost — while also helping students acclimate to the level of coursework that must be completed.

“Concurrent courses are courses taken in high school that offer the opportunity to earn college credit. Earning college credit during high school will help you complete some of the required courses to get accepted into nursing programs,” Lisa DuBose assistant professor of nursing at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, said.

“This can be helpful from a time standpoint and may help decrease tuition costs once in college. It is important to check with nursing programs that you might be interested in applying to when deciding what concurrent courses to take.”

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When it comes to nursing education, it is important to find a program that best suits you. Base nursing degrees can be obtained in as little as 12 weeks, on up to four years, with advanced nursing degrees adding years onto that.

“There are nursing programs offered through private companies, health care systems, community colleges, the military and through universities,” DuBose said. “Many stand-alone programs offer degrees for practical nursing and for diploma nursing degrees offering many entry points for registered nurses. Some of these degree programs are considered stackable and will allow students to earn an entry-level degree, then continue on to an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree.”

Planning your educational pathway is important, as many hospital systems and other employers now consider holding a four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing (or working toward one) the minimum degree required for a registered nurse. Many nurses earn LPN or two-year RN degrees first, then enter the workforce to earn money while they finish the schooling needed to earn their bachelor’s degree. And in some cases, a company may offer tuition reimbursement, which further reduces out-of-pocket expenses.

“Nursing school is unlike anything else you will do in your life,” said Fairah Solomon, AAS program coordinator with School of Nursing at UA Little Rock.

You will make sacrifices daily to put your studies and clinical rotations before anything else that is optional in your life. Being a nurse comes with an enormous responsibility, and getting the student to the point of being safe and ready to take on that responsibility takes a huge commitment from the student and their support system. Nursing school is hard, but the reward is great.”

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WHAT’S THE NCLEX? Graduating from nursing school is a big accomplishment, but it’s not the last step. Graduates must also pass the NCLEX, the test that certifies a person to practice their profession. There are different versions of the test for LPNs and RNs, but the end goal is the same — to earn a license that certifies them, officially, as qualified to be a working nurse.

WHAT ARE CLINICALS? Clinicals are a big part of nurses’ education as students begin to put into practice what is learned in the classroom. Students work alongside current nurses, usually at a hospital, providing care to patients and observing many situations in real time. Students are assigned a clinical instructor called a preceptor, who is responsible for overseeing their work, which includes progressively more responsibility as they go through the program.

THAT’S WHEN I KNEW I had no idea what I wanted to be when I started college. In my sophomore year, my youngest sister was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes; two years later, she was diagnosed with juvenile epilepsy. I took on a major role in caring for her and decided if I could do that, then I could also take care of other people.

MEGAN FOSHEE, SIMULATION COORDINATOR/ ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

NURSING NEWS

What’s Happening in Arkansas Nursing.

Technology abounds in nurses education, from medical manikins (left) to computer-driven medical devices.

CHI ST. VINCENT/CHI HOT SPRINGS CHI St. Vincent has been named to the 2022 Fortune/Merative 15 Top Health Systems list, the first time CHI St. Vincent has been so recognized. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs was named to the 2022 Fortune/ Merative 100 Top Hospitals® list, recognizing the hospital as one of the top performing hospitals in the U.S. The annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and patient experience following an evaluation of 349 health systems and 3,206 hospitals that are members of those health systems. Recognized health systems outperformed peers on metrics such as lower inpatient mortality rates, fewer patient complications, care that resulted in fewer health care-associated infections and lower 30-day readmission rates.

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary is one of 240 hospitals nationwide to receive the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain — MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2022. The award recognizes CHI St. Vincent Infirmary’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that the healing ministry has reached an aggressive goal of treating patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock was also named the best hospital in Arkansas for cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report in the publication’s Best Regional Hospital rankings for 2021–22. Cardiovascular surgeons with the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute at the Infirmary in Little Rock have also earned two distinguished three-star ratings for patient care and outcomes from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the highest quality rating that organization bestows.

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OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY During the 2021-22 academic year, the Ouachita Baptist University Department of Nursing celebrated accreditation milestones, offered new degree programs and honored the university’s first-ever Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree recipients. Ouachita received prerequisite approval from the Arkansas State Board of Nursing to establish a four-year, residential pre-licensure program offering a bachelor of science in nursing degree. Initial approval was granted by the ASBN in January.

The first cohort will start in August. This cohort will be among the first students with access to OBU’s new $2.2 million, 6,600-square-foot Nursing Education Center, due to be completed in time for the fall 2022 semester. The simulation and teaching center will be home to a clinical skills lab, five simulated hospital patient rooms, a pharmacy and several high-fidelity medical manikins that will allow students to perfect their assessment, clinical and communication skills.

In addition to the residential pre-licensure program, Ouachita will offer a psychology and nursing dual-degree program to equip students seeking to integrate faith and career as they build lives of meaningful work. Through a collaboration between the Department of Nursing, housed in Ouachita’s Patterson School of Natural Sciences, and the Department of Psychology in the Sutton School of Social Sciences, students can earn both a B.S.N. and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.

Governor Asa Hutchinson presented OBU’s Department of Nursing with the 2021 Governor’s Quality Award during a banquet hosted by the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence. One of 12 organizations from across Arkansas to be honored last year, Ouachita’s is the only nursing program that received the Governor’s Quality Award independent of its governing association.

The department was among 41 recipients of a grant totaling more than $3 million from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to fund health initiatives around the state. Ouachita’s nursing program received $131,000 to purchase simulation equipment for the university’s new Nursing Education Center.

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SCHOOL OF NURSING AT UA LITTLE ROCK Helping students stay on the cutting edge of practice, the Professional Development Center at UA Little Rock is a state-of-the-art facility built to meet the needs of health care professionals who are lifelong learners while fostering evidence-based practice for patients. The self-sustaining program for the School of Nursing is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It also received seed money from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield to facilitate the continuing education of nurses with expert educational content delivered in multiple formats.

The Center for Simulation at School of Nursing at UA Little Rock has long provided students with cutting-edge learning thanks to medical manikins. Now the acclaimed center has added another element to lend another lifelike dimension to the student experience. Audio piped in throughout the space emulates hospital noise, further immersing students in a realistic work environment. The center’s simulation faculty have been working toward improved suspension of disbelief over the last couple of semesters with the audio being the next step in that process.

As for those training manikins, UA Little Rock recently put into service the Lucina AR Childbirth Simulator, the most advanced and lifelike birthing manikin in existence. Nursing students now get hands-on experience for all stages of delivery and rare emergency scenarios with incorporation of augmented and virtual reality components. Lucina is funded in part by a grant from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.

The School of Nursing at UA Little Rock faculty have been recognized with prestigious awards. Farren Moore received the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty, while Dr. Josuanne Nduku received the College of Business, Health & Human Services Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching. Six instructors were also included in the most recent Arkansas Center for Nursing’s 40 Nurse Leaders Under 40 list. They are Farren Moore, Fairah Solomon, Anna Williams, Joanna Hall, Crystal Rose and Lakeisha Falls.

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ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDES FULFILLING, VARIED CAREER POSSIBILITIES

UAMS MEDICAL CENTER UAMS now offers advanced heart failure therapies to Arkansans, including the left ventricular assist device (LVAD). LVAD is a mechanical heart pump used for patients who have reached the end stages of heart failure, either waiting on a heart transplant or longterm patients who do not meet criteria for transplant.

The LVAD is a surgically implanted, battery-operated, mechanical pump that helps the failing left ventricle pump blood to the rest of the body.

In honor of all Arkansas nurses, the UAMS Nurses Rock Committee led the effort to light up Little Rock in recognition of Nurses Week. On May 6, downtown Little Rock bridges and selected buildings were donned in blue and white lighting as a meaningful tribute and thank you for the care nurses deliver to Arkansans across the state.

UAMS COLLEGE OF NURSING Nursing Schools Almanac has recognized the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing in its 2022 ranking of the nation’s 100 best nursing programs. The UAMS College of Nursing ranked No. 82 among the 3,000 institutions examined by Nursing Schools Almanac, placing UAMS among the top 3%. Among public nursing schools in the United States, UAMS is listed as No. 44 out of more than 1,800. UAMS was also the only university in Arkansas to make the Top 100.

Nursing Schools Almanac based its rankings on institutions’ academic prestige and perceived value; the breadth and depth of nursing programs offered; and the success of students, particularly in their National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) results.

The UAMS College of Nursing educates more than 600 students in its bachelor of science in nursing, master of science in nursing, advanced practice registered nurse and doctor of nursing practice programs.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services is a far-reaching state agency tasked with ensuring the health and welfare of Arkansans of all ages. Nurses are especially needed across a variety of job specialties and facilities that serve children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, adults and seniors with disabilities, and more.

Two divisions in which nurses play a substantial role include the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) and Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS) Health Services. The DDS provides quality services for children and adults with developmental disabilities and delays. Providing clients and their families choices when selecting appropriate services in the local community, DDS provides an array of services through Medicaid-funded programs and federally funded grants.

These services include: • Developmental screenings, therapy and care plans for infants and toddlers • Day treatment programs for children and adults • Community-based services and supportive life skills • Applied behavior analysis for children with autism and specialized autism services • 24-hour care in human development centers and private intermediate care facilities • Occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy • Helping coordinate care needs and case management services The DAABHS manages an integrated system of publicly funded mental health care and alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention and treatment services to Arkansans. DAABHS provides the majority of state-funded behavioral health services by contracting with community providers in multiple regions to ensure statewide coverage. These community health partners provide a full array of traditional and specialized services, including (but not limited to) crisis screenings, drug and alcohol assessments, diagnostic evaluations, medication management, case management and a variety of counseling services.

State-funded mental health and substance use/misuse treatment services are available in all 75 counties, serving adults and children with varying levels and stages of mental illness, including those who have been previously incarcerated or admitted to the Arkansas State Hospital and other treatment facilities. Certain Arkansas populations within DAABHS are identified as priority populations, served through substance use/misuse treatment contracts, including: • Pregnant women using drugs by injection • Pregnant women using drugs/alcohol • Intravenous drug users • Clients with the greatest clinical needs • Clients from the designated region The Arkansas Department of Human Services employs people who are passionate about serving others and changing lives for the better. We care for Arkansans of all ages and ensure facilities like child care centers and nursing homes are safe. We are the safety net for the most vulnerable Arkansans. Whether you answer the phones, take applications, protect children, or help care for residents or patients at one of our facilities, you make a difference by working at DHS. Working for the state also provides great perks, including a pension, maternity leave, paid state holidays and much more. At DHS, we take care of our employees so they can help care for others. Visit humanservices.arkansas.gov to learn more.

THAT’S WHEN I KNEW Nursing became real for me when I began working in the NICU at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Caring for premature babies and building bonds with their families was an unforgettable experience that I will always cherish. I’m now a family nurse practitioner teaching in the graduate nursing program at UAMS. Teaching students the science of nursing, skills and concepts necessary to excel in their educational programs is extremely gratifying. I’m truly living my passion.

LAKENDRA READY, UAMS COLLEGE OF NURSING 54 SEPTEMBER 2022

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UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS ELEANOR MANN SCHOOL OF NURSING Nursing School Welcomes New Executive Director

Dr. Jessie Casida, internationally known nurse scientist, has been named the new executive director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing (EMSON) and the George M. and Boyce W. Billingsley Endowed Chair in Nursing at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He joined the nursing school, part of the College of Education and Health Professions on Aug. 1.

“EMSON is also poised to be the ‘go-to place’ for students to advance their nursing careers beyond the direct patient-care provider roles,” Casida said.

“We are poised to offer programs that will help them develop and launch a progressive, meaningful and impactful leadership career trajectory. This includes emerging nurse-leaders to nurse-executives partnering with other colleges and departments on campus and off.

“As the state’s land-grant institution, we care about the health and wellness of all Arkansans. We are actively exploring methods to enhance our commitment to the practice, service, policy and research needs in each region, including such things as pediatric obesity clinics and smoking cessation resources.”

Casida joins the UA from Johns Hopkins University, where he led the creation of several graduate degrees in nursing. He also served as an associate professor and as director of leadership programs.

He said some of his first priorities are to push the UA’s quality, advanced-level degrees to the forefront, forge partnerships with various stakeholders in the nursing and health care community, and generally advance the nursing profession in Arkansas.

“At the EMSON, we have no challenges attracting pre-licensure LPN and RN students to attend our school,” he said. “However, we have an opportunity to welcome new graduate students to enroll in our advanced practice nursing/doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs. We offer multiple ways of educating them, from traditional in-person instructions, simulation and virtual reality to distant learning through the U of A Global Campus.

“We’re also in the early phase of developing and implementing an ambitious and bold strategic plan.

I’d like to build on the strengths and successes of the EMSON students, staff and faculty that lead to an innovative, collaborative and productive organizational culture.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Bicol University in the Philippines in 1988, Casida he went on to receive a master’s degree in critical-care nursing from Columbia University in New York City in 1996 and a Ph.D. in health sciences with a concentration in Health Professions Leadership from Seton Hall University School of Health and Medical Sciences in New Jersey. He has maintained an active nursing practice for more than 30 years in New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Maryland.

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JOINING THE TEAM

Soft skills, such as bedside manner, are essential to today’s nurse.

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veryone feels out of place to some degree as they start a new job, but not everyone faces the life-and-death pressures that nurses do. As a new member of the team, the expectation is that you come ready to do the work you were trained to do, own your responsibilities and do your share of the heavy lifting. But it’s also absolutely essential to know when to shut your mouth, listen and learn from those who have been there and done that.

“One thing new nurses often have to learn is how to actively listen,” said Nancy Satterfield with Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home. “That’s a huge skill. When they come in they’re excited, they’re ready to work, but listening to the nurses who have already walked in those shoes in that area, who have a lot of information to give, it’s often hard for that new nurse to really actively listen.

“You also have to be open to ideas; sometimes they’ll put you with two or three different nurses, so you learn two or three different ways to do whatever it is. Really engage with each person that you come in contact with to try and learn as much as you possibly can.”

So what’s it like to work in a typical hospital? According to Janet Smith of National Park College in Hot Springs, each environment is a little different, but there are plenty of similarities.

“In today’s work environment, hospitals are heavily invested in YOU. They want to spend the time and resources to ensure that you are a long-term and valuable employee,” she said. “Some days on a unit may be hectic and stressful, but units that have excellent teamwork and collaboration help minimize the stress.

“Typically in a hospital you will work 12-hour days,

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roughly 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or overnight 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., usually three days a week. Many hospitals allow you to self-schedule so that you may choose the days that work best for you and your family. In a clinic, you may work eight-hour days, Monday through Friday.”

Hospital-based nurses always work as part of a team and most health systems assign a mentor to new

THAT’S WHEN I KNEW Since high school, becoming a nurse has been my passion and dream. I enjoy helping others and I wanted to build my career toward helping others. Being part of health care and reaching out to achieve a successful outcome in the healing process brings me great joy! I hope I have touched many lives in a positive way, but most of all I pray the Lord has been glorified in my nursing career.

DASIE JACKSON, ORTHOPEDICS/ENT UAMS MEDICAL CENTER

nurses to give them a single go-to for questions or situations that come up. Mentors play an integral role in the life of a new nurse as well as the various levels of nurse management in a typical unit.

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“I believe the secret to getting up to speed and working well with your team members would be to have an open mind, and a willingness to learn and try new things,” said Monique Taylor with UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock. “If you come into this as a new journey with an open mind and willingness to take constructive criticism, you will learn a lot about yourself and take something from it you can add to better your career in nursing.”

Nurses in all disciplines must also be comfortable with technology, especially in hospitals and clinics.

The days of paper charts and glass thermometers are long gone, replaced by tablets and high-tech equipment wherever you look.

“As a nurse, you will be expected to have some computer knowledge,” Taylor said. “We use computers to chart, scan medications and communicate with doctors and other hospital staff. You will be expected to be familiar with other hospital equipment like vital sign machines, bladder scanners, medication, supplies and hand-held devices to communicate with other staff and team members.”

This also brings a new emphasis on patient privacy with hospitals and health systems spending millions on cybersecurity every year. One of the first lessons a new nurse must learn is how to be vigilant in protecting patient information — even information on a computer screen in the background of a selfie can be enough to warrant disciplinary action.

Above all, nurses have to be comfortable with the fact there’s no such thing as a routine day. A shift may be calm for up until the last hour or two and then everything will happen at once. New nurses may worry about making a mistake, but every nurse says the

HERO SPOTLIGHT

same thing: Mistakes will happen. At the same time, they say, retaining a little of that “rookie fear” is a good thing.

“When I was a new nurse 26 years ago, I was working the night shift on a med surg floor,” said Angela McJunkins with National Park College in Hot Springs. “I was having a discussion with a seasoned nurse about when I could expect to feel comfortable in my role. The advice she gave me was, ‘It is always good to be a little scared or nervous. That means you are safe. When you get comfortable, you are more apt to make a mistake. Always realize that you can’t possibly know everything there is to know about nursing. Keep learning every shift.’ I came to realize that she was right.”

Judy Staley, MSN, RNC-OB, CNEn School of Nursing at UA Little Rock

You’re a third-generation nurse?

JS: I am. My grandmother was a nurse, my aunt is a nurse practitioner. And I have multiple cousins who are nurses and one cousin who’s on the state Board of Nursing. Nurses are all over our family.

How did you personally encounter nursing growing up and how did that inform the kind of nurse you wanted to be?

JS: I come from a small town. When I met my high school sweetheart and I got pregnant at 17, I

learned nursing as a community resource. During delivery I had problems, and I understood if it wasn’t for the clinic nurses, I probably would have died. Those nurses are the reason I made it through, basically. That really opened my eyes to what I could do as a nurse.

What made you want to go into teaching?

JS: I told myself I would never be a teacher, ever. At the time, I was working at the bedside at UAMS, which is a teaching hospital, and I’ll never forget the first student who followed me around and asked me all these questions. I was telling her all the things we do and how we help people, and I got so excited teaching her and seeing the light in her eyes. It was really fun.

As an educator, what would you tell someone considering nursing as a career?

JS: You need a little bit of everything. When I came in, I did not realize how much it really takes, not only physically but emotionally. Nursing is hard; you have to have the heart for it. You have to want to help people and be there for them on the best day of their life and the worst day of their life. That’s nursing.

You also have to be a fighter and be that advocate for the patient who can’t stand up for themselves. You have to have the emotional strength to step into one room and be happy and excited, but then step into another room and sit on the side of the bed and cry with them. It’s not anything about you, nothing about you whatsoever. It’s about who you are taking care of and being there for them.

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FROM JOB TO CAREER Modern nursing runs on collaboration and teamwork.

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ursing is one of the few professions that truly offers something to fit every skill set and interest. The good thing about that is, you never have to worry about being stuck in one place forever if you choose not to be. The downside of this is there are so many options, it can be overwhelming when deciding the next steps in your career.

“One of the beautiful things about nursing is that there are many levels within the nursing field that allow for degree advancement and promotion opportunities,” said Cesalie Wallace, clinical instructor, UAMS College of Nursing.

“Entry level nursing can include certificate-prepared licensed practical nurses or registered nurses who are educationally prepared with either a diploma, associate or bachelor’s degree. Advanced practice nursing can include a variety of specialty certifications for master’s or doctorate prepared nurses.”

One particular advantage of the nursing profession is a pronounced emphasis on boosting diversity in all areas of practice. At one time, the vast majority of nurses in America were represented by white, English-speaking females, but that picture has changed dramatically as health systems have realized that hiring nurses that reflect the patient population results in better outcomes. Today, the percentage of male nurses and nurses of color in all specialties is growing rapidly.

“Diversity is important in the health care industry because it offers different perspectives which lead to better outcomes for patients. It also fosters understanding and effective communication, which improves the patient/provider relationship,” said registered nurse Yolanda Shaw, a student anesthetist at UAMS College of Nursing.

“I am currently in graduate school for nurse anes-

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HERO SPOTLIGHT

thesia. We are the inaugural cohort, and it is composed of 18 students of which seven are minorities, seven are women and our program director is a Hispanic woman.”

Like any other long-range project, taking your profession from a first job to a lifelong career takes planning and goal-setting. Take stock of your abilities and interests just like you did when you were considering nursing in the first place and take an honest assessment of what you like and don’t like when it comes to the workplace, duties performed, hours, etc.

Maybe you prefer a smaller employer versus a larger one or perhaps you prefer dealing with patients in a certain age group. Maybe you find cancer treatments more fulfilling than the ICU or maybe your talents lie in the classroom, the laboratory or even in the air as a flight nurse.

Anything you could want to do in nursing is there for the asking, but it won’t just happen. You may have to relocate or start over at the bottom of the seniority ladder. You will almost assuredly have to complete more schooling, which takes additional time and money. Be honest with yourself about what you can handle and what you’re willing to sacrifice in the short term to reach your ultimate goal.

“Nursing is a profession of lifelong learning. If you’re not continuously continuing your education, then you are practicing outside of current trends and evidence-based practice,” said Fairah Solomon with the School of Nursing at UA Little Rock. “Continuing education for career development includes masters or doctorate degrees in a variety of specialties. The sky’s the limit in nursing and you can reinvent yourself as many times as you’d like. So, aim high and don’t give up.”

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Lara Beth Gore, BSN UAMS Medical Center Why this nursing specialty?

LG: Actually, I had two strokes at the age of 16.

At the end of my junior year, I had no idea what my path was for college, but after I had those strokes and was hospitalized for a month, I decided I wanted to be able to give back to people the way those nurses poured into me. So, that’s how I chose nursing.

Tell me what a typical day looks like for you.

LG: At the hospital, we work 12-hour shifts, getting to the hospital at 6:30 a.m. We get the report handoff from the night shift usually around 7 a.m. and do our assessments — assessing pupils, checking grip strength, checking whenever people smile at us to make sure one side of their face isn’t drooping.

Then begins morning med pass. On the neuro floor, we have a lot of patients who aren’t able to swallow properly, so we crush up medications to administer them through tubes. A lot of our patients need help with activities of daily living, so we help them brush their teeth, get dressed, take their showers. We’re also working very closely with physical therapists to help rehabilitate patients, These are patients who are battling strokes, spinal cord injuries, that sort of thing?

LG: Yes, as well as people with back injuries, back surgeries, people with illnesses such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, seizure patients. Anything that has to do with the brain and the spine, we deal with.

How do you help patients maintain the proper outlook, even when healing is slow and improvement is incremental?

LG: I remind patients recovery and rehabilitation take time. It took me almost a year and a half to see the full extent of my recovery and I did not recover 100% on my left side. Maybe their recovery just starts slower or maybe they’ll see a big improvement down the road. I just always try and be a place of hope and let them know they aren’t alone and there are people going through it the same as them.

Stay Awhile.

Enjoy the Morning Commute.

Experience a place where balance is our way of life.

Mountain Home has a life of its own, and you can feel it. You can feel it in its wind, in its wilderness and along its rivers, lakes and trails. You can feel it in the people. Now imagine unwinding here after your shift with the neighbors, the nature, and a world-class team of caregivers who make up the heartbeat of Mountain Home.

w w w. W o r k W h e r e Yo u Va c at i o n . c o m Baxter Regional Medical Center is becoming Baxter Health. Learn more at baxterhealth.org.

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SEPTEMBER 2022 59

JOBS IN DEMAND Neonatal Nurse Job summary: Work with premature babies, often in the NICU, until they mature enough to go home with their parents.

Estimated job growth: 17% Current median salary: $65,000 (U.S.) Education: Bachelor’s degree Clinical Nurse Job summary: Provide a high standard of care to patients in hospital settings suffering from advanced or serious health conditions such as chronic illness, heart disease or cancer.

Estimated job growth: 20% Current median salary: $67,000 (U.S.) Education: Master’s degree Dialysis Nurse Job summary: Dialysis nurses treat patients at dialysis centers whose kidneys no longer function well enough to filter waste from their blood due to old age or another conditions.

Estimated job growth: 19% Current median salary: $64,000 (U.S.) Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree Nurse Practitioner Job summary: One of the most in-demand nursing jobs in the industry, nurse practitioners typically work under the supervision of a doctor administering tests, prescribing medications and diagnosing certain types of ailments. In some areas, practitioners are permitted to have their own standalone practices.

Estimated job growth: 25% Current median salary: $94,000 (U.S.) Minimum education: Master’s degree

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Nurse Advocate Job summary: A nurse advocate represents the interests of a patient’s family in a care setting. They are a crucial part of the relationship between the patient and involved medical professionals, helping to clarify terms of care, billing, treatments and more.

Estimated job growth: 19% Current median salary: $57,000 (U.S.) Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree Source: healthcaresupport.com

HIGHEST PAID JOBS (2022) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Median Salary (U.S.) — $195,610 General Nurse Practitioner Median Salary (U.S.) — $120,680 ICU Nurse Median Salary (U.S.) — $120,243 Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Median Salary (U.S.) — $118,586

arktimes.com 60 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Median Salary (U.S.) — $113,114 Source: nurse.org

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HERO SPOTLIGHT

Beverly Crabb, RN Baxter Regional Medical Center How long have you been a nurse?

BC: I’ve been a nurse 38 years in December. I’ve been here at Baxter for about 18 years of that.

What’s the secret to being in the industry that long?

BC: What I’ve learned through the years is this job is what you make it. A lot of the young ones come out of school, the new ones on the floor, and they’ll say, “Oh, it’s a bad day.” I’ll say, “No, a bad day is when you’re the one wearing the hospital gown, you’re waiting on a diagnosis or you’re dying and nobody’s there. That’s a bad day.”

Granted, sometimes it’s a rocky road. When that happens, when you hit the door and leave the building, you have to leave it there. No matter what’s going on in your life, when you hit the door, leave it at the door.

What are some other things new nurses need to learn?

BC: I used to teach nursing and I told them to go out and have fun. I used to tell them, “Everything I’m telling you, I’ve had to learn the hard way.”

And one thing I realized was laughter is one of the best medicines, that and chocolate.

I got my phone out one time and played “Sweet Caroline” and we all sung it around a patient’s bed. I mean, just belted it out. Our CEO came by and smiled. That’s what we do.

Laughter, making it fun is a good team builder, too. We’re a big family with a lot of different personalities. We’re not perfect, but at the end of the day we’ve got each other’s backs and we’re family. We’re here for that purpose.

After all of these years, what still inspires you or humbles you about this job?

BC: The simple things, like holding a hand, a patient who’s by himself or herself, who has no family. A patient who is on their deathbed, taking their last breath and you’re there. That’s what a lot of the new nurses come out saying inspires them and gets that adrenaline that they were able to touch this patient.

Sitting with the spouse at the bedside who has been married for 60 years. This happened to me just a couple of weeks ago, in fact. I sat with the family, got to pray over him and hug him. We all held hands, the nurses and everybody who was there, his family. Those moments still inspire me. As a nurse, I still consider it a privilege to take care of people like that.

Choose the Best. Choose UAMS. Whether you’re looking for the right place to further your education or the right place to start your nursing career, UAMS is the best choice for you.

Already a nurse and looking for the best place to work? Nurses are the heart of UAMS. ■ Statewide opportunities in many areas, clinics and units ■ Market competitive salaries at our states only academic medical center ■ 50% Tuition discount (undergraduate) at U of A System colleges for full-time employees

Arkansas’ most comprehensive nursing college with new program options: ■ Accelerated BSN (located on Northwest Arkansas campus) ■ MNSc in Case Management ■ DNP Nurse Anesthesia Visit nursing.UAMS.edu for Student Recruitment

Visit nurses.UAMS.edu for Nurse Recruitment

YOU’RE IN IT TO MAKE

A DIFFERENCE

WE’RE IN IT

FOR YOU. ONLINE.UARK.EDU/NURSE

BACHELOR’S, MASTER’S, DOCTORATE

Online nursing programs are designed to meet the educational requirements for occupational licensing in the state of Arkansas. Individual state boards of nursing may regulate out-of-state nursing education programs or clinical placement courses. Visit online.uark.edu/nurse for current state authorization information by program.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program, the Master of Science in Nursing degree program and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program at the University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE).

Special Advertising Supplement of the Arkansas Times

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SEPTEMBER 2022 61

ARKANSAS SHARE PROVIDES ADVANCED EHR SUPPORT, MANAGEMENT The Arkansas Department of Human Services Health IT’s Arkansas SHARE software is a revolution in electronic health records, providing health care professionals with a simplified and streamlined option for managing patient information. The system is already connected to 114 hospitals, is accessed by 664 facilities and receives data from 2,571 health care entities.

Arkansas SHARE (State Health Alliance for Records Exchange) securely gathers medical information from different health care providers and creates a more complete picture of a patient’s health. This helps doctors coordinate care and reduce mistakes, especially in emergencies. SHARE replaces email, fax and postal mail, making it easier, faster and more secure for providers to exchange patient information.

Other benefits of the SHARE system include reduced patient intake time, duplicate tests and paperwork, providing caregivers more one-on-one time with patients. Direct access to many health care data partners, such as public health registries, also saves the user the cost of paying for each individual interface separately. The system also simplifies reporting to multiple Arkansas Department of Health registries, again saving time and money.

Most importantly, use of the system helps health care providers make better-informed decisions at the point of care, avoiding hospital readmissions and medication errors; improves diagnoses accuracy and patient care coordination; decreases duplicate testing; and promotes improved management of chronic diseases. To learn more, visit sharearkansas.com.

THAT’S WHEN I KNEW After my first year of college as a business major, my grandmother suffered a heart attack. I was home when it occurred, assessed her for the doctor on the phone and cared for her until the ambulance arrived.

My heart knew at this moment that it was my calling to become a nurse. And here I am, after 40 years, still caring for elders and passing the torch to the next group of angels!

CAROL MCKEEVER, PHD., RN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

62 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

HERO SPOTLIGHT

JOSH OK, RN, ADN CHI St. Vincent You didn’t start out in the nursing field, did you?

JO: No. After graduating college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I got an opportunity to interview with Samsung and I got the job. I loved it; I got to travel a lot, I loved meeting people and doing projects.

Why change to nursing?

JO: My sister is a nurse, so I always knew it was a very stable career. I also love helping people.

What really made me choose nursing was, I got married, had a kid and I needed a job where I didn’t travel all the time.

I started taking classes and getting the prerequisites done and I was like, “This could be it for me.” I was originally thinking of nursing as Plan B, but as I learned more about it, I was like, “I’ve got to do this.”

You came to Little Rock in 2020, which was a crazy time to earn a new degree and start a new career, especially health care.

JO: It truly was. We moved in January or February of 2020. Once we moved, I started working as a patient care tech at UAMS and I saw a lot of COVID patients, a lot of people getting sick. I really wanted to help out, even though as a tech you’re limited in what you can do.

What specialty did you focus on after nursing school?

I wanted to work in the pulmonary ICU because that’s where some of the sickest people are. And at that time especially, people were dying and not able to have visitors and just being there alone.

You are something of a unicorn: a male in nursing, an immigrant, and even new to Arkansas. How do those elements of your background help you in your career?

JO: My diversity helps me in many areas of nursing. As a male nurse, I help other nurses because we do a lot of turning and moving patients from bed to bed. It also helps to be a man when there’s a patient who feels more comfortable with a male nurse.

Having a different ethnic background is useful because we treat a lot of people [from] outside Little Rock and Arkansas, and I can relate to them. If they have a language barrier or a cultural barrier, I can relate to that.

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SEPTEMBER 2022 63

ANSWER YOUR CALLING.

HERO SPOTLIGHT

Learn from nurse educators who are committed to helping you grow academically and spiritually.

T H R E E WAYS TO E AR N YO U R B S N F R O M O UAC H ITA: *O N C A M P U S DUAL ENROLLED R N -T O -B S N ( O N L I N E ) *Initially approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing The nursing program at Ouachita Baptist University, located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road, NE Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404)-975-5000.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

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Shernette Coleman, RN Methodist Behavioral Hospital What was your motivation for going into nursing?

SC: I went to the University of South Florida, and as with many young individuals, I partied my way out of school. I got home and I didn’t have any plans, but apparently my dad did, because one day the phone rang and it was a Navy recruiter. I ended up serving six years in the Navy where I was a hospital corpsman.

Did you have a role model in nursing?

SC: When I was a kid, I used to go to the hospital monthly to get a shot for an ailment. The nurses would hold me down because I didn’t like needles and I would kick, scream, holler and fight.

Then this one time, there was this new nurse who was different from the others. She sat me down and explained I had to have the shot. She said she knew it hurt, she knew it’s uncomfortable but if we work together, we can get it done.

That’s when I said, “I want to be a nurse because that’s a cool job.”

After stops in the ICU and ER, how did you get involved with Methodist Behavioral Hospital serving kids?

SC: I had quit nursing altogether to care for my mother and, to be honest, I was struggling with staying in nursing.

I had no idea Methodist even existed, didn’t know anything about what they did. But I got a job interview and I wound up speaking with their director of nursing for an hour and a half.

She told me everything they did with these kids, and it was everything I had been searching for.

I was like, “Oh my goodness, there is a place where I can actually feel like I make a difference, even if it’s in one kid’s life.”

The more she talked, the more I wanted to work for them. It’s amazing how you can stumble upon something on purpose.

What’s your best advice for nurses, whether they’re in physical nursing or behavioral nursing?

SG: Do not internalize. Take things in stride. The thing you have to learn is at the end of your shift, do not take things home with you because you will burn out real quick. The thing I tell people is, and it may sound harsh, but I always tell myself it’s not my emergency, it is the patient’s emergency. I’m just here to try to get them through it. I’m here to try to make the worst day of their life better.

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WHAT I’VE LEARNED I have had the honor of being with people as they were born and with others as they have died. There is something very powerful about the role of nursing through the bookends of life. We have the ability to make human connections with individuals during some of the most profound moments of their lives, and that gift is perhaps the most humbling and greatest joy of nursing.

Chad Duggar, Arkansas Children’s Northeast You have to know when you need a break. Take your time off.

Don’t pick up every shift you are offered. You can’t be a good nurse if you are running on empty.

Sean Lindsey, CHI St. Vincent One key element to getting through the first year of nursing is to take feedback constructively into your practice.

Feedback is an excellent tool for growth, both personally and professionally. Fellow nurses want you to succeed; hearing and using feedback from your nursing peers can positively guide your nursing career.

Jenny Janisko, Arkansas Children’s Loss is a part of our job, and it can shake you to your core. The grief needs to be dealt with. Talk to your family, your friends and especially your co-workers. Chances are they are going through the same thing that you are. Do not overlook the pain and sadness you experience.

Kathryn Walton, UAMS Medical Center Taking care of someone’s someone is the most precious gift we as nurses have. Be present; honor and respect this special time.

Shannon Wyatt, Arkansas Children’s The best feeling is seeing someone get better and leave the hospital. Knowing you made a difference in the life of someone while they were in a difficult and vulnerable place means a lot, even if they don’t realize it at the time. They may not remember your name or your face, but if you treat them the way you would want to be treated, they will remember the care they received.

Kerri Daughety, UAMS Medical Center

When you make a mistake, you have to take ownership of it.

The mistakes you make will be the most memorable learning experiences of your life.

Jeannie Roberts, CHI St. Vincent Be open to learning from everyone you encounter. Return to school for an advanced nursing degree. It may open doors to an unexpected career opportunity. Most importantly, remember to take care of yourself. Take a break before you’re broken!

Debra Jeffs, Arkansas Children’s We come across so many life experiences in this profession.

We make friends that become family. We are lifelong learners. We watch life come into this world, and we watch life leave. Nursing is a profession of compassion, trust and caring. Nursing isn’t just a job — it’s a calling.

Tracey Carey, UAMS Medical Center Never discredit your gut instinct. If something deep inside of you says something is not right about your patient, trust it! It could save their life.

Kristen Newton, Arkansas Children’s Best advice I ever got: Get a tough hide, girl!

Best advice I could give: Love others well by learning to love and care for yourself first. The value of self-care is undervalued.

Leslie Moore, Arkansas Children’s You may see events that will never leave your memory. Make sure these events don’t hold you hostage; a house of worship, prayer, meditation, exercise, healthy diet and adequate sleep will all go a long way toward preserving resiliency and fostering your physical and emotional health.

Deborah (Deb) Hutts, UAMS Medical Center When dealing with a difficult patient, sometimes you need to get to the root of why they’re being “difficult.” I like to sit down eye level with them and really ask what’s going on.

Are they hurting? Are they upset that their family isn’t here?

Sometimes, if you can solve that problem, the patient isn’t “difficult” anymore.

Sarah Launius, UAMS Medical Center

Show compassion to your teammates as well as patients. Everyone has their days; just being positive and encouraging to your co-workers goes a long way. You never know what someone is dealing with outside of work.

Shanna Prater, Arkansas Children’s

66 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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But like all families, we work through it together!”

Join Brett and become part of our work family. Sign-on bonuses and higher pay for all RNs + increased pay for clinical ladder! chistvincent.com/nurses

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ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 67

Arkansas College/University

Yrs/Public Private

Calendar

Degree Offered

Length Of Program

Living Arrangements

Aid Deadline

Arkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-9723074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)

4 yr public

Semester

Traditional A.A.S.N. LPN-to-AASN LPN - AASN (Online) RN-to-BSN (Online Program - must have an RN license) 2nd Degree Accelerated, B.S.N. Traditional B.S.N.

varies

on campus housing for Jonesboro; off campus for online RN-BSN

July 1st; Online students pay apply year around

Arkansas Tech University, Russellville • 479968-0383

4 yr public

Semester

BSN, LPN to BSN, RN to BSN, MSN, RN to MSN

BSN-4yrs, RN to BSN-1yr, MSN-2yrs

on campus housing

varies

Harding University, Searcy • 1-800-477-4407, 501-279-4682

4 yr private

Semester

BSN, MSN FNP, Post Graduate

BSN 4 yrs; MSN FN - 2yrs, PG - 2yrs

on campus housing

February 1st

Henderson State University, Arkadelphia • 870-230-5015

4 yr public

Semester

BSN (traditional); RN to BSN online; RN to BSN online enrollment both fall and spring; LPN to BSN on campus; MSN online,Online HSU Nursing Education Certificate

4 yrs for the Traditional BSN and LPN to BSN on Campus; RN-BSN Online in 1 year (3 semesters)Online MSN has two different tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner and Nursing Administration, both take 2 years to complete. Online HSU Nursing Education Certificate take 1 summer or 2 summer options.

on/off campus

June

Ouachita Baptist Univeristy, Arkadelphia • 870-245-5000

4 yr private, faithbased

Semester

BSN (on campus), initially approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing, initially accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing RN-to-BSN (online) Dual Enrolled RN-to-BSN completion (in partnership with Baptist Health College Little Rock)

BSN (on campus): 4 years RN-to-BSN (online): 9-12 months Dual Enrolled RN-to-BSN completion (in partnership with Baptist Health College Little Rock): 4 years

BSN (on campus): Ouachita university housing RN-to-BSN (online): off campus Dual Enrolled RN-to-BSN completion: Ouachita university housing first 4 semesters, commuter campus while attending BHCLR, off campus for final semester online

Priority Dec. 1

Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia • 870-235-4040

4 yr public

Semester

BSN, Online RN-BSN Completion

4 yrs BSN, 1-4 yrs online RNBSN Completion program

on campus housing

July 1st

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville • 479-5753904

4 yr public

Semester

BSN, RN-BSN (online program), MSN (online program), DNP (online program)LPN-BSN (online program)

4 years for BSN, 3-5 semesters RN to BSN, 2 years part-time MSN, 3 years full-time / 4 years part-time post-BSN-DNP, 2 years part-time post-MSNDNP

on campus housing for BSN students

March 15th

Univeristy of Arkansas, Little Rock, School of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081

4 yr public

Semester

AAS - student to RN,LPN/Paradmeic to RN, RN-BSN

student to RN-5 semester, LPN/Paradmeic to RN 3 semesters, RN-BSN 3 or 5 semesters

on/off campus housing

varies

University of Central Arkansas, Conway • 501-450-3119

4 yr public

Semester

BSN, RN to BSN, MSN (Nurse Educator), BSN to DNP (Family Nurse Practitioner), Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

BSN (4 years); RN to BSN (12 months; 100% online), MSN (5 semesters); BSN to DNP (Parttime 4 years); Post-Master’s DNO (2 years)

on campus housing available

Varies depending on the type of aid. https:/ financialaid/

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-7887841, 1-888-512-LION

4 yr public

Semester

BSN

4 yrs for BSN/Varies for RN-BSN

on campus housing

Priority Oct. 1st

University of Arkansas at Monticello • 870460-1069

4 yr public

Semester

AASN (LPN-RN), BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN

2 to 4 yrs

on campus housing

contact financial aid (870) 460-1050

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-686-5224

4 yr public

Semester

RN to BSN, BSN, MSNc (APRN and Admin), BSN to DNP (APRN), DNP (Leadership), and PhD. Post Masters options available.

BSN generic: 2 full calendar years/ RN to BSN: 1 yr full time/ MNSc, DNP & PhD: students have up to 6 yrs to complete degree requirements.

on campus housing

varies, visit nursing.uams.edu.

Click on Financial Assistance under Future Students

Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville • 870-780-1228

2 yr public

Semester

AAS Nursing

2 year

commuter campus

Priority April 15

Arkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-9723074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)

4 yr public

Semester

D.N.P., M.S.N., B.S.N., AASN (LPN to AASN and Online LPN to AASN offered at A-State Jonesboro;Traditional and LPN to AASN offered at ASU MidSouth, and ASU-Mountain Home)

varies

on campus housing for Jonesboro

July 1st

Arkansas State University - Mountain Home • 870-508-6266

2 yr public

Semester

AAS in RN- LPN/Paramedic to RN

30 hrs pre-req courses, plus 1 yr LPN/Paramedic, Plus 1 yr RN

commuter campus

Nov. 1

Arkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus, Ozark • 479-667-2117

public

Semester

AAS in Allied Health-Practical Nursing and AAS in Registered Nursing

3 semesters-PN; 2 semesters - RN

commuter campus

Priority April 15

College of the Ouachitas, Malvern • 800-3370266 ext 1200

2 yr public

Semester

Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing (PN), Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (LPN/Paramedic to RN), Certified Nursing Assistant, Medication Administration Program

12 months

commuter campus

open

East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City • 870-633-4480

2 yr public

Semester

AASN

2 yrs

commuter campus

April 15th

Mississippi County Community College, Blytheville • 870-762-1020

2 yr public

Semester

AAS in Nursing

2 yrs

commuter campus

Priority April 15 - Rolling

National Park College, Hot Springs • 501-7604290

2 yr public

Semester

Associate of Science in Nursing (RN) traditional & LPN to RN, Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing (PN)

2 yrs RN, 1 yr PN

commuter campus

open

North Arkansas College, Harrison • 870-7433000

2 yr public

Semester

AAS in Nursing-traditional. LPN, RN Bridge

RN-2 yr; RN Bridge-1yr; PN-1yr

commuter campus

Pell Grant June 30

Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville • 479-636-9222, 800-995-6922

2 yr public

Semester

AAS, RN

68 credit hours

commuter campus

June 1st and November 1st

Ozarka College, Melbourne • 870-368-2024 (Admissions) 870-368-2077 (Nursing)

2 yr public

Semester

Associate of Applied Science in Registered Nursing

12 mos

commuter campus; limited housing units available on campus

none

Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Helena-West Helena, Stuttgart • HWH 870-338-6474 x1254; Stuttgart 1-870-6734201 x1809

2 yr public

Semester

AAS

63 credit hrs, 5 semesters

commuter campus

Federal and state deadlines observed.

BACCALAUREATE

ASSOCIATE DEGREE

68 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

//uca.edu/ /uca.edu/

Scholarship ScholarshipDeadline Deadline

Required RequiredExams Exams

Application ApplicationDeadline Deadline

Comments/Home Comments/HomePage PageAddress Address

February February15th 15th

ACT, ACT,SAT, SAT,COMPASS, COMPASS,or orASSET; ASSET;HESI HESIA2 A2 Nursing NursingAdmission AdmissionExam Examor orHESI HESILPN LPNto to ADN ADNMobility MobilityExam Exam

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BSN: BSN:Mar Mar1,1,Oct Oct1;1;RN RNto toBSN: BSN:Mar Mar1,1,Aug Aug1,1,Oct Oct1;1;MSN: MSN:Ongoing Ongoing

RN RNto toBSN BSNand andMSN MSNonline, online,ACEN ACENaccredited, accredited,www.atu.edu/nursing www.atu.edu/nursing

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Quality Qualitynursing nursingeducation educationwith withaafocus focuson onChristian Christianservice serviceand andprofessionalism. professionalism. www.harding.edu www.harding.edu

varies varies

ACT, ACT,SAT, SAT,or orCOMPASS COMPASS

August August((August August1) 1)and andJanuary January((apply applyby byJanuary January1) 1)

The Theschool schoolwith withaaheart. heart.Small Smallclasses. classes.CCNE CCNEAccredited.

Accredited.www.hsu.edu www.hsu.edu

Priority PriorityDec Dec11

TEAS TEAS(on (oncampus campusand anddual dualenrolled) enrolled)

BSN BSN(on (oncampus): campus):March March11RN-to-BSN RN-to-BSN(online): (online):ongoing ongoingDual DualEnrolled EnrolledRNRNto-BSN to-BSNcompletion: completion:Priority, Priority,Dec. Dec.1,1,Ouachita; Ouachita;Nov. Nov.30, 30,Ouachita Ouachita&&BHCLR BHCLR

BSN BSN(on (oncampus): campus):Students Studentsmay mayparticipate participatein inthe thefull fullOuachita Ouachitaexperience experiencewhile while benefitting benefittingfrom fromaabroad broadrange rangeof ofoptions optionsto tosatisfy satisfyrequired requiredclinical clinicalexperience. experience.

First Firstcohort cohortstarts startsthe theprogram programin inAugust August2022.

2022. RN-to-BSN RN-to-BSN(online): (online):With Withsmall small classes classesand andentry entrypoints pointsmultiple multipletimes timesper peryear, year,the theprogram programallows allowslicensed licensed Registered RegisteredNurses Nurseswith withno norestrictions restrictionsto toearn earnaaBSN BSNin in9-12 9-12 months. months.Nursing Nursingadvisors advisorsdetermine determineaacustom customplan planof ofstudy studybased basedon onindividual individual student studentevaluations. evaluations.Dual DualEnrolled EnrolledRN-to-BSN RN-to-BSNcompletion: completion:Students Studentscan canearn earn two twodegrees degreesin infour fouryears years(BSN (BSNfrom fromOuachita, Ouachita,AAS AASfrom fromBHCLR) BHCLR)through throughthis this innovative, innovative,affordable affordableprogram. program.Learn Learnmore moreatatobu.edu/nursing. obu.edu/nursing.

Priority PriorityMarch March15, 15,Final Final August August

ACT, ACT,TEAS TEASatatleast least60% 60%

BSN BSNSpring: Spring:Jan. Jan.15-Mar. 15-Mar.11for forFall FallAdmission, Admission,Sep. Sep.10 10--Oct. Oct.31 31for forSpring Spring Admission; Admission;RN-BSN RN-BSNCompletion CompletionProgram ProgramAug. Aug.(prior (priorto toclasses classesbeginning beginning for forFall FallAdmission, Admission,Jan. Jan.(prior (priorto toclasses classesbeginning beginningfor forSpring SpringAdmission) Admission)

www.saumag.edu/nursing www.saumag.edu/nursing

November November15th 15th

SAT, SAT,ACT, ACT, and andBSN-DNP BSN-DNP

Varies Varies

We Weoffer offergeneralist generalistand andadvanced advancednursing nursingdegree degreeprograms programsto toprepare preparenurses nursesto to meet meetthe thehealth healthneeds needsof ofthe thepublic publicin inan anever-changing ever-changinghealth healthcare careenvironment. environment.

The TheDNP DNPoffers offerstwo twooptions: options:family familynurse nursepractitioner practitionerand andacute-geriatric acute-geriatricnurse nurse practitioner. practitioner.nurs.uark.edu nurs.uark.edu

varies varies

No Noentrance entranceexam examrequired requiredfor fornursing nursing major. major.

AAS AASDec. Dec.1515-Jan. Jan.31, 31,RN-BSN, RN-BSN,admissions admissionsyear-round year-round

AAS AASprogram programstarts startsevery everysummer summersemester, semester,RN-BSN RN-BSNstarts startsevery everyspring, spring,summer, summer, &&fall. fall. Ualr.edu/nursing Ualr.edu/nursingor orcall call501-916-3081 501-916-3081

Varies Varieshttps://uca.edu/ https://uca.edu/ scholarships/ scholarships/

No Noentrance entranceexam examrequired requiredfor fornursing nursing major. major.

Varies Variesby byprogram program––see seeuca.edu/nursing uca.edu/nursing

uca.edu/nursing uca.edu/nursing Faculty Facultyand andstaff staffare arecommitted committedto tostudent studentsuccess success(low (lowattrition attritionrates). rates).All Allnursing nursing programs programsare areCCNE CCNEaccredited. accredited.Over Over80% 80%of ofUCA’s UCA’sundergraduate undergraduatestudents studentsreceive receive scholarships scholarshipsand/or and/orgrant grantaid aidto tohelp helpcover covertuition tuitioncosts. costs.

June June1st 1st

ACT/Accuplacer ACT/Accuplacer

Oct Oct1st 1stfor forSpring/ Spring/March March1st 1stfor forFall Fall

RN-BSN RN-BSNisisan anOnline OnlineCompletion CompletionProgram.

Program.Http://health.uafs.edu/programs/rnHttp://health.uafs.edu/programs/rnto-bsn; to-bsn;health.uafs.edu health.uafs.edu

March March1st 1st

Entrance Entrance

March March1st 1st

Achieve Achieveyour yournursing nursinggoals goalswith withus. us.http://www.uamont.edu/pages/school-of-nurshttp://www.uamont.edu/pages/school-of-nursing/degree-programs/ ing/degree-programs/

varies, varies,visit visitnursing.uams. nursing.uams. edu. edu.click clickon onFinancial Financial Assistance Assistanceunder underFuture Future Students.

Students.

TOEFL TOEFLfor forint’l int’lstudents, students,ATI ATITEAS TEASVVfor for BSN BSNapplicants. applicants.

RN RNto toBSN: BSN:Jan. Jan.1,1,Mar. Mar.1,1,Jun. Jun.1,1,Sept.

Sept.1,1,Nov. Nov.1/ 1/BSN BSNgeneric: generic:Mar. Mar.1/ 1/MNSc: MNSc: conadmissions@uams.edu conadmissions@uams.edu••www.nursing.uams.edu www.nursing.uams.edu Sept.

Sept.11&&Feb. Feb.1/BSN 1/BSNto toDNP: DNP:Feb Feb1/ 1/PhD: PhD:Mar.1, Mar.1,Jun. Jun.15, 15,Nov. Nov.15 15

Priority PriorityApril April15 15

ACT, ACT,SAT, SAT,COMPASS, COMPASS,or orACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER and andPAX-RN PAX-RN

RNRN-March March31 31

ANC ANCoffers offersthe theRN, RN,LPN, LPN,and andLPN LPNto toRN RNprograms programsof ofstudy. study.www.anc.edu www.anc.edu

February February15th 15th

ACT ACTor orSAT SATor orCOMPASS COMPASSor orASSET; ASSET;HESI HESI A2 A2Nursing NursingAdmission AdmissionExam Examor orHESI HESILPN LPN to toADN ADNMobility MobilityExam Exam

varies varies

The Themission missionof ofthe theSchool Schoolof ofNursing Nursingisisto toeducate, educate,enhance enhanceand andenrich enrichstudents students for forevolving evolvingprofessoinal professoinalnursing nursingpractice. practice.Nursing Nursingprograms programsare areaccredited accreditedby bythe the Accrediting AccreditingCommission Commissionfor forEducation Educationin inNursing, Nursing,Inc. Inc.www.astate.edu www.astate.edu

varies varies

ACT, ACT,ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACERplus plusHESI HESILPN-ADN LPN-ADN or orHESI HESIEMS-ADN EMS-ADN

Oct. Oct.15, 15,March March15 15(ASUMH (ASUMHstarts startsaasecond secondcohort cohortin inSummer Summer2020) 2020)

Application Applicationpacket packetand andprogram programrequirements requirementsonline. online. www.asumh.edu www.asumh.edu

varies varies

PN: PN:TEAS, TEAS,RN: RN:HESI HESI

March March15th, 15th,October October1st-PN; 1st-PN;March March15-RN 15-RN

Clinical Clinicalexperience experiencein inhospitals hospitalsof ofvarying varyingsize, size,physicians’ physicians’offices officesand andgeriatric geriatric facilities. facilities.www.atu.edu/ozark www.atu.edu/ozark

Fall-May1, Fall-May1,Spring-Dec Spring-Dec11

COMPASS/ACCUPLACER COMPASS/ACCUPLACERfor forthe thePN PN Program Program&&Kaplan Kaplanfor forRN RNProgram Program

2nd 2ndFriday Fridayin inSept.

Sept.for forJan. Jan.admitance; admitance;2nd 2ndFriday Fridayin inFeb. Feb.for forMay Mayadmittance admittance www.coto.edu www.coto.edufor foradditional additionalinformation. information. to toRN RNprogram program

varies varies

ACT, ACT,ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER//Nursing NursingPre-entrance Pre-entrance varies varies exams exams

Allied Alliedhealth healthprogram programoffering offeringRN-Nursing RN-Nursingdegree degree(basic (basicstudents, students,LPN LPNcomplecompletion). tion).www.eacc.edu www.eacc.edu

Priority PriorityApril April15 15

PAX-RN PAX-RN

March March31st 31st

www.mccc.cc.ar.us www.mccc.cc.ar.us

open open

ACT, ACT,SAT SATor orCollege CollegeEntry EntryExam Exam&&TEAS TEAS

First FirstMonday Mondayin inMarch March

Options Optionsfor forLPN LPNand andnew newHigh HighSchool Schoolseniors. seniors. www.np.edu www.np.edu

June June15th 15th

ACT, ACT,ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER

varies varieswith withprogram program

Northark’s Northark’sstudents studentsreceive receiveexcellent excellenthealthcare healthcareeducation educationleading leadingto torewarding rewarding careers careersin innursing. nursing.www.northark.edu/academics/areas-of-study/health-and-medwww.northark.edu/academics/areas-of-study/health-and-medical/index ical/index

April April1st 1st

HESI HESIA2 A2

Track TrackI:I:May May1st, 1st,Track TrackII: II:Dec. Dec.1st, 1st,LPN LPNto toRN: RN:Nov. Nov.1st 1st

The Thecollege collegeof ofthe theNWA NWAcommunity, community,member memberof ofNorthwest NorthwestArkansas ArkansasNursing Nursing Education EducationConsortium.

Consortium.www.nwacc.edu/academics/nursing. www.nwacc.edu/academics/nursing.The TheNWACC NWACCNursing Nursing program programisisARSBN ARSBNapproved approvedand andACEN ACENaccredited accredited

April April1st 1st

NACE NACEtest test

Aug. Aug.31/Spring 31/Springentry entry(application (applicationwindow: window:Jan Jan11-Aug Aug31) 31)

Providing Providinglife-changing life-changingexperiences experiencesthrough througheducation. education. www.ozarka.edu www.ozarka.edu

none none

Nelson NelsonDenny DennyReading ReadingTest Test10th 10thgrade gradelevel level and and55 55on onthe theATI ATICritical CriticalThinking ThinkingExam Exam

June June1st 1st

ACEN ACENaccredited. accredited.www.pccua.edu www.pccua.edu

Special Advertising Supplement of the Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 69

Southeast Southeast Arkansas Arkansas College, College, PinePine BluffBluff • 870• 870- 2 yr 2public yr public 543-5917 543-5917

Semester Semester AAS:AAS: RN, RN, Generic Generic RN & RN LPN/Para& LPN/Para- PN-1PN-1 yr, Generic yr, Generic RN-5RN-5 medic medic to RN. to RN. Technical Technical Certificate: Certificate: PN PNSemesters Semesters

commuter commuter campus campus

openopen

University University of Arkansas, of Arkansas, LittleLittle Rock, Rock, Department Department4 yr 4public yr public of Nursing, of Nursing, LittleLittle RockRock • 501-569-8081 • 501-569-8081

Semester Semester AAS/LPN AAS/LPN to RN/BSN to RN/BSN

on/off on/off campus campus housing housing

AprilApril 1st 1st

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas Community Community College College at at 2 yr 2public yr public Batesville Batesville • 870-612-2000, • 870-612-2000, 800-508-7878 800-508-7878

Semester Semester AAS-Generic AAS-Generic RN, RN, AAS-LPN-to-RN AAS-LPN-to-RN AAS-Generic AAS-Generic RN 16mos, RN 16mos, commuter commuter campus campus Online Online or Traditional, or Traditional, TC-Practical TC-Practical ASS-LPN-to-RN ASS-LPN-to-RN 12 mos, 12 mos, Nursing Nursing TC-Practical TC-Practical Nursing Nursing 11mos 11mos

varies varies

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana at Hope-Texarkana • • 870-777-5722 870-777-5722

2 yr 2public yr public

Semester Semester Associate/RN; Associate/RN; LPNLPN (Hope); (Hope); LPNLPN (Texarkana) (Texarkana)

12 months 12 months (excludes (excludes prereqprereq- commuter commuter campus campus uisites) uisites)

July July 15th15th

Baptist Baptist Health Health College College LittleLittle RockRock • 501-202• 501-2026200,6200, 800-345-3046 800-345-3046

private, private, faith-based faith-based Semester Semester diploma/PN, diploma/PN, Associate Associate of Applied of Applied Science Science in Nursing/RN in Nursing/RN

RN traditonal RN traditonal tracktrack 3 semesters 3 semesters commuter commuter campus campus + general + general education education courses courses PN PN 1yr. RN 1yr. Accelerated RN Accelerated 1yr (LPNs 1yr (LPNs or Paramedics). or Paramedics).

March March 1st priority 1st priority

Semester Semester Associate Associate of Applied of Applied Science Science in in Nursing Nursing

79 weeks 79 weeks

off campus off campus onlyonly

nonenone

Jefferson Jefferson Reg.Reg. Med.Med. Center Center School School of Nursing, of Nursing, private private PinePine BluffBluff • 870-541-7858 • 870-541-7858

4 semesters 4 semesters

PRACTICAL PRACTICAL NURSING NURSING Arkansas Arkansas Northeastern Northeastern College, College, Blytheville Blytheville • • 870-780-1228 870-780-1228

public public

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate of Practical of Practical Nursing Nursing

13 months 13 months

commuter commuter campus campus

Priority Priority AprilApril 15th15th

Arkansas Arkansas StateState University University - Beebe - Beebe • 501-207• 501-20762556255

public public

Semester Semester Certificate Certificate LPNLPN

11 mos 11 mos

commuter commuter campus campus

varies varies

Arkansas Arkansas StateState University University - Mountain - Mountain Home Home • • public public 870-508-6266 870-508-6266

Semester Semester Technical Technical certificate certificate in PN in PN

11 mos 11 mos

commuter commuter campus campus

varies varies

Arkansas Arkansas StateState University University - Newport - Newport • 870• 870680-8710 680-8710

public public

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate in Practical in Practical Nursing Nursing

11 mos 11 mos

commuter commuter campus campus

contact contact financial financial aid aid

Arkansas Arkansas TechTech University University - Ozark - Ozark Campus, Campus, Ozark Ozark • 479-667-2117 • 479-667-2117

public public

Semester Semester AASAAS in Allied in Allied Health-Practical Health-Practical Nursing Nursing 3 semesters 3 semesters

commuter commuter campus campus

Priority Priority AprilApril 15 15

ASUASU Technical Technical Center, Center, Jonesboro Jonesboro • 870-932-2176 • 870-932-2176 public public

Semester Semester LPNLPN

11 mos 11 mos

commuter commuter campus campus

nonenone

Baptist Baptist Health Health College College LittleLittle RockRock • 501-202• 501-2026200,6200, 800-345-3046 800-345-3046

Semester Semester diploma/PN, diploma/PN, Associate Associate of Applied of Applied Science Science in Nursing/RN in Nursing/RN

2 semester 2 semester PN PN

commuter commuter campus campus

Priority Priority March March 1st 1st

private private

BlackBlack RiverRiver Technical Technical College, College, Pocahontas Pocahontas • 870• 8702 yr 2public yr public 248-4000 248-4000 ext. 4150 ext. 4150

Semester Semester AAS/RN, AAS/RN, Certificate/PN, Certificate/PN, Certificate Certificate of ofAAS/RN AAS/RN 3 semesters, 3 semesters, CertifiCertifi- commuter commuter campus campus Proficiency/Nursing Proficiency/Nursing Assistant Assistant cate/PN cate/PN 3semesters, 3semesters, Certificate Certificate of Proficiency/Nursing of Proficiency/Nursing AssisAssistant tant 5 weeks.

5 weeks.

contact contact financial financial aid office aid office

College College of the ofOuachitas, the Ouachitas, Malvern Malvern • 800-337• 800-337- 2 yr 2public yr public 02660266 ext 1200 ext 1200

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate in Practical in Practical Nursing Nursing

Spring-November;Summer-April Spring-November;Summer-April

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas - Cossatot, - Cossatot, DeQueen DeQueen and and2 yr 2public yr public Nashville Nashville • 870-584-4471, • 870-584-4471, 800-844-4471 800-844-4471

Fall, Fall, LPNLPN Technical Technical Certificate, Certificate, RN AssociRN Associ-LPNLPN DeQueen DeQueen Day Day Program Program commuter commuter campus campus Spring, Spring, and and ate ofateApplied of Applied Science Science 11 mos, 11 mos, LPNLPN Nashville Nashville Evening Evening Summer Summer Program Program 18 mos, 18 mos, RN (tranRN (transemesters semesters sition sition fromfrom LPN)LPN) Nashville Nashville Evening Evening Program Program 11 mos.

11 mos.

varies varies

Crowley’s Crowley’s Ridge Ridge Technical Technical Institute Institute • Forrest • Forrest City City public public • 870-633-5411 • 870-633-5411

Semester Semester LPNLPN

LPN:LPN: 40 wks 40 wks

commuter commuter campus campus

Please Please call 870.633.5411 call 870.633.5411 for more for more information information

National National ParkPark College, College, Hot Hot Springs Springs • 501-760• 501-760- Public Public 41604160

Semester Semester Certificate Certificate in Practical in Practical Nursing Nursing

11 mos 11 mos FT FT

commuter commuter campus campus

nonenone

Northwest Northwest Technical Technical Institute, Institute, Springdale Springdale • • 479-751-8824 479-751-8824

public public

Semester Semester diploma/PN diploma/PN

3 sem.

3 sem. & 1 Summer & 1 Summer session session commuter commuter campus campus (includes (includes Pre-Reqs) Pre-Reqs)

Ozarka Ozarka College, College, Melbourne Melbourne • 870-368-2024 • 870-368-2024 (Admissions) (Admissions) 870-368-2077 870-368-2077 (Nursing) (Nursing)

2 yr 2public yr public

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate in LPN, in LPN, LPN-RN LPN-RN11 mos.

11 mos. tracktrack or 18ormos.

18 mos. tracktrackcommuter commuter campus campus withwith limited limited housing housing tracktrack offered offered unitsunits available available on campus on campus

nonenone

Phillips Phillips Community Community College College of the ofUniversity the University of of2 yr 2public yr public Arkansas, Arkansas, Helena-West Helena-West Helena, Helena, DeWitt DeWitt • HWH • HWH 870-338-6474 870-338-6474 x1254; x1254; DeWitt DeWitt 1-870-946-3506 1-870-946-3506 x 1511 x 1511

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate

42 credit 42 credit hrs; 3hrs; semesters 3 semesters

Federal Federal and and statestate deadlines deadlines observed. observed.

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas Pulaski Pulaski Technical Technical Col-Col- 2 yr 2public yr public lege,lege, North North LittleLittle RockRock • 501-812-2200 • 501-812-2200

Begins Begins Technical Technical Certificate Certificate in Practical in Practical in early in early Nursing/PN Nursing/PN August August and and endsends in in mid-June mid-June of each of each school school year year

11-month 11-month traditional traditional track/22track/22-commuter commuter campus campus month month non-traditional non-traditional tracktrack

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas RichRich Mountain, Mountain, Mena Mena • • 2 yr 2public yr public 479-394-7622 479-394-7622

Semester Semester Associate Associate of Applied of Applied Science Science in Regin Reg- 11-12 11-12 mos mos istered istered Nursing, Nursing, Technical Technical Certificate Certificate in Practical in Practical Nursing, Nursing, CP in CPNursing in Nursing Assistant Assistant

commuter commuter or on-campus or on-campus housing housing available available varies, varies, contact contact financial financial in 2020 in 2020 aid office aid office

SAUSAU Tech,Tech, Camden Camden • 870-574-4500 • 870-574-4500

2 yr 2public yr public

12 months 12 months

commuter commuter campus campus

commuter commuter campus campus

July July 1/Fall, 1/Fall, December December 1/Spring 1/Spring

AprilApril 15 for 15upcoming for upcoming fall semester fall semester

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate

11 mos 11 mos

commuter commuter campus campus and and on-campus on-campus

N/AN/A

South South Arkansas Arkansas Community Community College, College, El Dorado El Dorado2 yr 2public yr public • 870-864-7142, • 870-864-7142, 870-864-7137 870-864-7137

Semester Semester ADN,LPN ADN,LPN

11 mos 11 mos

commuter commuter campus campus

JuneJune 1, November 1, November 1, 1, AprilApril 1 1

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas at Monticello at Monticello College College of of 2 yr 2public yr public Technology, Technology, McGeHee McGeHee • 870-222-5360 • 870-222-5360

Semester Semester Technical Technical Certificate Certificate in Practical in Practical Nursing Nursing

January January to December to December

commuter commuter campus campus

varies varies

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas Comm.

Comm.

College College at Morat Mor- 2 yr 2public yr public rilton rilton • 501-977-2000 • 501-977-2000

Semester Semester Practical Practical Nursing Nursing (PN)(PN) Technical Technical PN isPN 12ismonths; 12 months; RN isRN 12is 12 Certificate; Certificate; Registered Registered Nursing Nursing (RN)(RN) months months afterafter prerequisites prerequisites Associate Associate of Applied of Applied Science Science degree degree are met are met

commuter commuter campus campus

priorprior to semester to semester

University University of Arkansas of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana at Hope-Texarkana • • 870-777-5722 870-777-5722

Semester Semester certificate/PN certificate/PN

2 yr 2public yr public

10.5 10.5 or 12ormonths 12 months (excludes (excludes commuter commuter campus campus prerequisites) prerequisites)

****** forfor Basic Basic nursing nursing edueducation; cation; Varies Varies with with previous previous coursework coursework or or nursing nursing license; license; MSN MSN program program = 2=yrs 2 yrs

70 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

July July 15th15th

nonenone

ACT,ACT, COMPASS, COMPASS, PAXPAX for PN,KAPLAN for PN,KAPLAN Admission Admission Exam Exam

Second Second Friday Friday in March in March

Changing Changing lives…one lives…one student student at a time! at a time! www.seark.edu www.seark.edu

February February 1st 1st

ACT/SAT/Compass ACT/SAT/Compass for students for students withwith less less Priority Priority Application Application Deadline Deadline Feb 28/ FebApplications 28/ Applications accepted accepted untiluntil classclass full. full. LPN/Paramedic LPN/Paramedic to RN to (1 RNyear).

(1 year).

Traditional Traditional AASAAS (2 years).

(2 years).

Accelerated Accelerated AASAAS (18 (18 thanthan 12 credits.

12 credits. months). months).

See above See above for BSN for BSN information. information. www.ualr.edu/nursing www.ualr.edu/nursing

March March 1- High 1- High school school ASSET, ASSET, ACT,ACT, SATSAT or ACCUPLACER, or ACCUPLACER, and and TC-PN TC-PN and and AAS-Generic AAS-Generic RN May RN May 1; AAS-LPN-to-RN 1; AAS-LPN-to-RN July July 15 15 Academic; Academic; July July 15- Others; 15- Others; KAPLAN KAPLAN Nurse Nurse Entrance Entrance Test Test Nursing Nursing ScholarshipScholarshipDec.Dec. 1 1

Prerequisite Prerequisite courses courses and and KAPLAN KAPLAN entrance entrance testing testing mustmust be completed be completed priorprior to to entryentry into into a nursing a nursing program. program. www.uaccb.edu www.uaccb.edu

AprilApril 15 and 15 and November November 15 15 ACTACT or ACCUPLACER or ACCUPLACER or LPN or LPN license license

August August 31st 31st

www.arnec.org, www.arnec.org, www.uacch.edu www.uacch.edu

varies varies

ACTACT or SAT; or SAT; TEAS TEAS

RN traditional RN traditional track/PN track/PN program: program: July July 1st &1st December & December 1st , 1st RN, Accelerated: RN Accelerated:www.bhclr.edu www.bhclr.edu December December 1st 1st

nonenone

ACTACT

Oct.Oct. 15 for 15Jan. for Jan. class;class; Apr.Apr. 15 for 15June for June class.class. $35 application $35 application fee. fee.

Priority Priority AprilApril 15th15th

ACT,ACT, SAT,SAT, COMPASS, COMPASS, or ACCUPLACER or ACCUPLACER PN-March PN-March 31st 31st and and PAX-PN PAX-PN

Variety Variety of clinical of clinical experiences. experiences. www.anc.edu www.anc.edu

JuneJune 15th15th

ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER and and WONDERLIC WONDERLIC

AprilApril 15 and 15 and November November 15 15

Application Application packet packet and and program program requirements requirements are online. are online. www.asub.edu www.asub.edu

varies varies

ACT,ACT, ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER plus plus HESIHESI A2 A2

Oct.Oct. 15, March 15, March 15 15

Application Application packet packet and and program program requirements requirements online. online. www.asumh.edu www.asumh.edu

varies varies

Accuplacer, Accuplacer, ATI ATI TEAS TEAS

August August classclass (Newport/Jonesboro)-June (Newport/Jonesboro)-June 1, January 1, January classclass (Marked (Marked Tree)Tree)Oct OctApplication Application packet packet and and program program requirements requirements online. online. www.asun.edu www.asun.edu 15 15

varies varies

TEAS TEAS

March March 15th,15th, October October 1st 1st

Clinical Clinical experience experience in hospitals in hospitals of varying of varying size,size, physicians’ physicians’ offices offices and and geriatric geriatric facilities. facilities. www.atu.edu/ozark www.atu.edu/ozark

nonenone

ASSET, ASSET, NETNET

JuneJune 1 & 1November & November 1 1

Combines Combines classroom classroom instruction instruction withwith clinical clinical experience. experience.

Graduates Graduates eligible eligible to to take take NCLEX. NCLEX.

varies varies

ACTACT or SAT; or SAT; TEAS TEAS

Dec Dec 1st &1st June & June 1st 1st

www.bhclr.edu www.bhclr.edu

AprilApril 15th15th

ACTACT or Accuplacer or Accuplacer for BRTC for BRTC Admission Admission NA -NA Contact - Contact Nursing Nursing department, department, PN April PN April 1 for1following for following fall acceptance fall acceptance BRTC: BRTC: A college A college of vision. of vision.

BRTC BRTC has ahas 95% a 95% plus plus boards boards pass pass rate.rate. www.blackrivwww.blackrivand and NA Applicants; NA Applicants; TEAS TEAS for PN for Applicants, PN Applicants, and and October October 31 for 31following for following spring spring acceptance, acceptance, August August 31 annually 31 annually for for ertech.org ertech.org NACE NACE for RN for Applicants.

RN Applicants. following following Spring Spring RN acceptance.

RN acceptance.

Spring-November;SumSpring-November;Summer-May mer-May

HESIHESI Entrance Entrance Exam Exam

2nd 2nd Friday Friday in Oct. in Oct. for Jan. for Jan. admittance; admittance; 2nd 2nd Friday Friday in March in March for May for May admitadmit- www.coto.edu www.coto.edu tancetance to PN toprogram PN program

AprilApril 1st 1st

ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER or ACT; or ACT; TEAS TEAS for LPN; for LPN; NACE NACE for RN for RN

LPNLPN Day Day Program-De Program-De Queen: Queen: March March 1st, LPN 1st, LPN and and RN Evening RN Evening Pro-Program-Nashville: gram-Nashville: August August 31st 31st

varies varies

ACCUPLACER ACCUPLACER

CRTICRTI is currently is currently in the inprocess the process of merging of merging withwith East East Arkansas Arkansas Community Communitywww.crti.ar.tec.us www.crti.ar.tec.us College.

College.

Call Call for more for more information. information.

nonenone

College College Entry Entry Exam, Exam, TEAS TEAS

FirstFirst Monday Monday in March in March

Do you Do want you want to make to make a difference? a difference?

ThenThen nursing nursing is forisyou! for you! www.np.edu www.np.edu

JuneJune 1/Fall, 1/Fall, December December 1/ 1/ Spring Spring

NET,NET, COMPASS COMPASS

November November 1st 1st

Bilingual Bilingual scholarships scholarships availableavailablewww.nwansged.org www.nwansged.org

AprilApril 1st 1st

PAXPAX Test Test

AprilApril 1/Fall 1/Fall entry, entry, November November 1/Spring 1/Spring entryentry

Providing Providing life-changing life-changing experiences experiences through through education. education. www.ozarka.edu www.ozarka.edu

nonenone

Nelson-Denny Nelson-Denny Reading Reading Test Test 9th grade 9th grade levellevel JuneJune 1st for 1stfall foradmission fall admission and and Oct.Oct. 1st for 1stspring for spring admission admission and and 47 on 47ATI on ATI Critical Critical Thinking Thinking Exam Exam

www.pccua.edu www.pccua.edu

varies varies

ACTACT or ACCUPLACER or ACCUPLACER and and Kaplan Kaplan Admission Admission Test Test

AprilApril 15th15th

Call Call the Allied the Allied Health Health Advisor Advisor to discuss to discuss eligibility eligibility requirements. requirements. www.uaptc. www.uaptc. edu/programs_of_study/nursing/practical_nursing.asp. edu/programs_of_study/nursing/practical_nursing.asp.

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SEPTEMBER 2022 73

CULTURE

THE POUND OF UNDERGROUND SOUND

RURAL WAR ROOM HAS BEEN KEEPING THE AIRWAVES WEIRD SINCE 2005.

BY SEAN GRIGSBY

74 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

ANALOG AMBASSADORS: Rural War Room plays nothing from a digital database. For their weekly radio show, they bring in hard copies of the music, mostly weird stuff on vinyl, and keep record players at the ready in large suitcases.

T

ry to say this five times fast: Rural War Room.

If you’re like most people, you either stumble within the first couple of tries, or hesitate in order to prepare yourself to utter it. The words make your lips do something out of character. Your brain might even do a tiny somersault. You’d wonder why anyone would call themselves something so difficult to say. I found myself doing the same thing when I received the assignment to interview a duo of underground radio hosts who take the airwaves every Tuesday at 7 p.m. on KABFFM, 88.3 as Rural War Room. What makes this show different is not just the difficulty in the name, but also what’s entailed in getting the music out. Rural War Room plays nothing from a digital database. They have to bring in hard copies of the music, mostly weird stuff on vinyl, and keep record players at the ready in large suitcases.

By some stroke of serendipity, I’d purchased a Victrola record player a few days before meeting the men behind Rural War Room, Donavan Suitt and Byron Warner. We decided to meet at a restaurant downtown. If I were to visit during their radio show, it’d be cramped, hot, and they’d be too busy to answer any questions or even acknowledge my presence. During a show, they’re constantly moving, and they never play the same thing twice, unless it’s by request.

“We don’t know what the other guy is going to play,” Warner said. Twenty years older than his co-host, Warner was wearing thick black glasses with a shape as unique as his taste in music. “We were both collecting weird stuff, but just from a different generational point of view.”

“Dotty Oliver from the Little Rock Free Press introduced us,” Suitt said. “And she was like, ‘I know a guy who has more records than you.’ I said, ‘Oh yeah!?’ ” Suitt gets most of his records from traveling, while Warner’s collection has grown from being in Los Angeles all the time. Before moving to Little Rock, Warner worked in movie lighting, and not just any kind of illumination. His first job was doing light design for a little space film called “Star Wars.” He then went on to create the proton beams for “Ghostbusters,” the light ARKTIMES.COM

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ARKANSAS TIMES

effects for “Titanic,” and the interdimensional electricity in the cult classic, “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.”

Suitt has a background in theater and spent his own time in L.A., nearly crossing paths with his future co-host many times. Carrying their individual passion for music and sound, they finally met up here in the capital city, where Rural War Room formed in 2005, both as a radio show, a record label and a band. Off the airwaves, they perform live electronica.

Synthesizers, hand-spun vinyl records, homemade instruments, drum machines, modified toys and live vocals make up just some of the sounds. Watching one of their live shows may evoke a combination of performance art, “Stomp” the musical and new-wave rock band Devo.

“They [Devo] have an international convention every year,” Suitt told me.

Warner nodded, “Called the DEVOtional.”

“For a while we were a part of the fan club,” Suitt said, “and all associated people put out a CD of cover songs by different groups. And our job was to recruit different bands like The

Transistors out of Rome, Italy.”

They even headlined the DEVOtional convention in 2015.

Well, technically, they were the last group to perform that night, but all three of us agreed that if that doesn’t define a headliner, we don’t know what does.

So what’s with the name? Even their record label has the same moniker.

It’s Warner’s doing. “I like the sound of the language rather than what it’s talking about.”

For the first week after they named the show, they would go out drinking and repeat the name to themselves, appreciating how it felt in their mouth. For the same tongue-twisting, phonetic reasons, they named their first album “Ring-a-Ding Orangutan.” Suitt pointed to his shirt, which displayed the psychedelic, tie-dye spiral of the album’s cover art.

But outside of their own creative endeavors, they’re curators of music that nobody’s ever heard of. They do their weekly show for free, sometimes even having to bring in turntables just to get the sounds on the air. It’s fueled their record-collecting habit, and when they discover

MUSIC THAT NOBODY’S EVER HEARD OF: On inevitable comparisons to the legendary Dr. Demento, Byron Warner mused, “He plays funny ha-ha. We play funny odd.”

FOR THE FIRST WEEK AFTER THEY NAMED THE SHOW, THEY WOULD GO OUT DRINKING AND REPEAT THE NAME TO THEMSELVES, APPRECIATING HOW IT FELT IN THEIR MOUTH.

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something really good and really weird, they can’t wait to play it for their listeners.

“A lot of people say we’re like Dr. Demento,” Suitt said, “but we’re not, because we play way too much cool shit to be Dr. Demento.”

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Demento, he’s not a physician, but a radio host. Known to play goofy novelty songs, he most famously was the guy who discovered Weird Al Yankovic.

“He plays funny ha-ha,” Warner said. “We play funny odd.”

And it seems to be working. They’re syndicated across the globe, from Switzerland to Oregon.

I spent three hours with these guys, eating General Tso’s chicken, drinking Sapporo beer and talking about vinyl records and bad movies.

As I’m sure they hope the same for their listeners, I felt inspired after our meeting and decided it was time to add some records to the Victrola I’d just gotten. Heading down to a local flea market, I took Warner and Suitt’s record-hunting advice and searched until I found exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for. My first record? “New Traditionalists,” by Devo.

Catch Rural War Room live every Tuesday from 7-11 p.m. on KABF-FM 88.3. In Hot Springs, you can listen to them on KUHS-FM 102.5, Fridays from midnight to 4 a.m..

Follow Warner and Suitt’s endeavors on Spotify and other streaming services, and at ruralwarroom.com.

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 77

CULTURE

BRETT COLE

RAGE AND RESIGNATION: Colour Design’s latest is heavy but nimble, with lyrics that peer into post-mortality.

‘NOTHING MATTERS NOW’ A Q&A WITH COLOUR DESIGN.

BY STEPHANIE SMITTLE

78 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

T

here are myriad experiences that can make the veil between life and death feel gossamer thin — grief, trauma, a tab of LSD. Maybe, too, that list includes diving head-on into the latest from Little Rock-based band Colour Design. “Nothing Matters Now” mixes in archival audio from Malcolm X and civil rights leader William Haden, plus guest vocals from Adam Faucett, Stan Liszewski (Terminal Nation) and Brett Campbell (Pallbearer). Awash in guitar tones from Jesse Kelly and Daniel Cox and fueled by a roiling low end from bass player Aaron Wolfe and drummer Shane Clinton, Shawn Hood’s vocals are both melody and mission statement, unafraid to get in the ring and grapple with the big stuff: life and death, peace and violence, rage and resignation. It’s out now on streaming platforms, with plans for a vinyl record to come.

If someone listened to “Oblivion,” the opening track, and stopped there, they might not have an accurate idea of where y’all head elsewhere on the record. Do you see the opening track as a departure from Colour Design’s pre-”Nothing Matters Now” sound? And if so, what prompted it?

There are obviously a lot of Arkansas imprints on the record. But it seems like geographically, the ideas on the record come from a lot of different places in the country. Was that a conscious decision?

Shawn Hood: For the vocals I always had the idea of having someone featured on this song.

Shane and I originally had tossed a few ideas back and forth, and eventually we landed on Stan [Liszewski] and Brett [Campbell]. Lyrically, I wanted the first track to address death and the human feelings surrounding it, because that’s probably the theme I tried to touch on the most.

I want to ask about your influences that are not musical. Are there books, visual art, photography or other pieces of art that you all would say shaped your ideas about this music, and about what you wanted to do as a band?

Shane Clinton: “The Panic in Needle Park.”

“Eraserhead.” And lots of Werner Herzog.

Daniel Cox: I’ve always loved “noir”-type art in movies or comics. Love the darkness, the use of light, the existentialism. I feel like we kinda channel it with the whole black-and-white thing.

Shawn Hood: Not so much art as life in general.

Unfortunately influenced by losing loved ones from suicide, accidental overdose, etc. Then you also have everything that happened in 2020 when we started writing the album, with everything shutting down to COVID and civil unrest with all the protests of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others.

Jesse Kelly: Yeah, I think it’s hard not to mention all of the events that took place during the writing of this record. Even with all of the uncertainty at that time, we still kept at it. I believe that must have contributed, in some way at least, to the overall melancholy feeling with this album.

MATT WHITE

Jesse Kelly: Not an intentional departure, but there actually was a motive behind this song.

Originally, I set out to write a new opening song for our live set and, ultimately, the record.

Musically, I wanted the introduction to the record/set to be loud, dense and heavy — at least in the way we achieve “heaviness.” The song was much longer in its inception and got appropriately named “drone song” right off the bat. After a few practices we trimmed it down. In half, actually.

Shawn really was the one that gave the song true meaning and structure.

WE WANTED THIS RECORD TO SOUND DIFFERENT. MORE ACCESSIBLE AND DIRECT.

Shane Clinton: Not really. I named both “Roanoke” and “Newark, 1967.” “Roanoke” is in reference to the lost colony story from the 16th century.

In short, a guy comes over from England with 100-plus people. They settle on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what now is North Carolina.

Through a series of events the leader has to go back to England, so he leaves, and by the time he gets back to the colony everything has been dismantled and everyone is gone. That title is just kind of a reflection of the lyrics and where my mind went when I wrote them.

Shawn Hood: “Newark, 1967” is my commentary on all the police brutality that has happened in the past few years. Especially in 2020, with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. It’s a subject I haven’t really addressed since our first album, “Be Still,” on the track “Pure Life.”

Really love what Jason Tedford (Wolfman Studios) and Jordan Trotter did as far as mixing and recording — bringing some guitar tracks to the front, layering others further back.

Did y’all have ideas before you went into the studio about how you wanted the guitar tracks specifically to be mixed?

Jesse Kelly: We definitely recorded less guitar tracks overall for this record, but I think we approached tracking the same way we have in the past. That said, we did specifically want this record to sound different. More accessible and direct. We knew going in that these songs were leaning more toward the post-hardcore side of our sound, so we wanted things carved out for vocals. We just were much more thoughtful with the use of space on this record.

Daniel Cox: My overall inspiration for tracking and mixing was the Catherine Wheel album “Chrome,” and I definitely put that in Jordan’s ear when it came time for mixing and mastering.

I was a bit more experimental in my guitar and amp setups because of what was available at Wolfman. Also, I just wanted to be more mindful and deliberate about the times I’m using reverb, delay, etc. We wanted to have the clean guitars ride on top of the more reverb/delayed-out guitars, instead of the other way around. There were a lot more “room” microphones used on our previous efforts. This time we went with a much more straightforward approach.

Aaron Wolfe: I’ve always felt like Matt White’s photography fits well with our music. A lot of his stuff depicts struggle in a very real way. It was cool to work with him on this project.

ARKTIMES.COM

SEPTEMBER 2022 79

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THE ARKANSAS TIMES MARGARITA FEST IS BACK AGAIN!

I SUBSCRIBE TODAY.

arktimes.com 80 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

f it feels like the Arkansas Times Margarita Festival was only six months ago, you’re not wrong. But that was a bonus marg fest benefiting the Little Rock Zoo, and anyway, there’s no reason to limit margarita parties to one per year.

Our regularly scheduled margarita competition programming is back, and you need to get your tickets now. Join us for the Arkansas Times Margarita Festival from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, at Argenta Plaza at Sixth and Main streets in North Little Rock.

The more margarita competitions the merrier, because this event just keeps getting better and better. With so many creative spins on the classic cocktail, it’s hard to pick a favorite. But it sure is fun to try!

Presented again by Milagro Tequila, general admission is $30, which includes margarita samples from the competitors. Food for purchase will be available from Tacos Godoy and Jimmy’s Jerk Chicken. VIP tickets are $100 and include a separate entrance and VIP area with Milagro Premium Select Barrel tequila cocktails and catered food from Mr. Cajun’s Kitchen.

The following restaurants (and more to come) will be competing for the coveted Arkansas Times Margarita Fest trophy: Charlee’s Good Time Drinkery Fassler Hall La Terraza Rum & Lounge Graffiti’s Italian Restaurant Tap Truck Little Rock

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VIP TICKETS $100

Hang out in our VIP ONLY area, sample high end Milagro Tequila, exclusive margaritas and catered food from Mr. Cajun’s Kitchen. @arktimesevents

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GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE INAUGURAL ARKANSAS TIMES BREWED IN ARKANSAS CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

M

ark your calendars and don’t miss your chance to celebrate craft beer exclusively brewed here in Arkansas at the first Arkansas Times Brewed in Arkansas Craft Beer Festival. The event, which Arkansas Times plans to host annually, will be located at Argenta Plaza at Sixth and Main streets in North Little Rock Friday, Oct. 7, from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are on sale at centralarkansastickets.com. General admission is $30 and VIP tickets are available for $100 and include access to the VIP section that includes food from Mr. Cajun’s Kitchen, great beers and reserved seating.

If you enjoy craft beer but haven’t had the chance to explore beers outside the Central Arkansas region, this a great opportunity to try beers brewed all over the state in one location.

“Arkansas has dozens of great craft breweries from El Dorado to Mountain Home,” Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt said. “A lot of them are really small and our Brewed in Arkansas Craft Beer Festival gives beer aficionados a chance to sample them all. This is a celebration of the brewer’s craft in Arkansas and, along with Saracen Casino and Edwards Food Giant, we are excited to put it on.”

Attendees will be able to sample beers from the following breweries (we expect more breweries to be added after our press deadline): Lost 40 Brewing Stud Duck Beers Flyway Brewing Gravity Brewworks Saracen Brewing Diamond Bear Brewing Norfork Brewing Stone’s Throw Brewing Blade & Barrel Brewing Must be 21 to attend.

82 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

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VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR $100 AND ALLOWS ACCESS TO THE VIP SECTION WITH CATERED FOOD FROM MR. CAJAN’S KITCHEN, GREAT BEERS AND RESERVED SEATING.

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FOOD & DRINK

BAGEL MANIA HOW A BRAND-NEW POP-UP BAGEL SHOP BECAME A LITTLE ROCK SUMMER PHENOMENON. BY RHETT BRINKLEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON 84 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

PARTNERS IN LIFE AND BAGELS: Myles Roberson (left) and Trevor Papsadora.

O

n Friday, July 1, The Bagel Shop had its first official pop-up at Pink Olive boutique in SoMa in Little Rock. The bagels were mostly gone when I arrived around 12:30 p.m. and owners Trevor Papsadora and Myles Roberson were offering customers sample bites. I signed up for their email list in hopes of not missing out again.

The following week they popped up again at the Bernice Garden farmers market at 10 a.m. I arrived at 9:45, and there was already a line about 10 people deep and, much to my professional envy, KTHV, Channel 11 was already conducting an interview with the bagel makers.

I met self-proclaimed Bagel Shop super fan (and Arkansas Times contributor) Katherine Wyrick, who was in line ahead of me, and she told her friend to go ahead and try all six of the flavors they were offering because “they’re all good,” she said. “I’m not trying to flex on y’all,” she added, telling us that she previously purchased half a dozen and shared with friends.

When I made it to the front of the line I decided to follow Wyrick’s guidance and ordered all six bagels: plain, poppy seed, sesame, Za’atar, everything and asiago+chili+fennel.

I also ordered all three cream cheese spreads: scallion, veggie and loaded lox and a refreshing 32-ounce lavender cold brew made with Fidel & Co. roasted coffee to wash it all down.

I came home and went to town on some bagels and cream cheese for the first time since I can remember.

Most of my meals are taken in Arkansas, so I’m no bagel expert, but as far as texture and chew are concerned, these bagels seemed perfectly executed. It was fun to mix and match the bagel flavor combinations with different cream cheeses. The everything bagel was the flavor explosion I was looking for, and I ate it flavor-side down so the seasoning hit my tongue immediately on impact, a total palate mind scramble.

Over the next few days I became enamored with The Bagel Shop’s social media savvy, which helped turn an unknown pop-up bagel shop into a 2022 Little Rock summer phenomenon that inspired a line down the block in the Heights on a blistering hot July Saturday while they were set up in the kitchen at Eggshells Kitchen Co. In May before they opened, but after they started amassing Instagram followers, they introduced themselves in a post as partners in life, love and all things The Bagel Shop.

“We’ve started The Bagel Shop to celebrate the art of hand-crafted food with our community.

Every bagel, spread, salad, beverage and more is handmade with fresh and high-quality ingredients,” the post said.

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There’s a very well-crafted ’80s/’90s-style retro commercial they shared on Instagram advertising a hotline to call to find out information about their pop-ups. I called The Bagel Shop bagel hotline (501-295-4457) and was met with a decisive yet cordial British male voice informing callers of the next opportunity to “try our freshy little bagels.”

Papsadora and Roberson met me virtually in July from their downtown home, and I asked them what they thought contributed to their immediate success.

“We’ve always kind of embraced social media and just kind of engaging with our community,” Papsadora said.

They started The Bagel Shop in April and hit the streets meeting people and giving out bagels for free.

“I think beyond that and the social media response, Trevor and I both are coming from pretty long backgrounds in the service industry,” Roberson said.

Papsadora grew up in central Maine, getting bagels with his family every weekend at a place called Bagel Central. Roberson grew up in Little Rock and used to eat at New York Bagel on Bowman Curve. He moved to Portland, Maine, about 10 years ago, and that’s where he and Trevor met.

“I moved to Portland, Maine, right in that time frame when it saw this big food boom,” Roberson said. “Over the last decade it has become one of the top food destinations in the country, and it was really cool to be a part of that and to be working so heavily in the industry for that rise and boom.”

Papsadora said they worked at quite a few restaurant startups and got to experience firsthand people doing the same thing they’re doing now.

“I think one of the really cool things about that food scene is that it was a lot of people opening restaurants who were very passionate about food,” Roberson said. “It was less of an entrepreneur spirit and more someone wanting to share their craft and their love of food.”

Papsadora and Roberson said bagels are really popular in Portland, and they ate them a lot while living there. When they moved here in 2020 just before the pandemic started, they couldn’t find a place to get a bagel, so they started making their own.

“Really the pandemic, especially in the beginning, did get us into that as more of a daily routine or ritual,” Roberson said. “Trevor made some amazing biscuits that we might push out into the world, too, eventually.”

Right now, making bagels is their full-time focus. Roberson recently left his job as general manager at The Fold: Botanas & Bar. And don’t expect the same menu every time.

For example, the Jobu Topaki bagel sandwich they offered at Eggshells featured a sesame bagel with chive spread, shredded carrots dressed with a house-made nuoc cham sauce, along with fried shallots and micro greens.

“We both worked at a Thai restaurant in Maine for a couple of Thai guys that just ran an amazing restaurant up there and we got a lot of insight into Asian cooking through that,” Roberson said.

Roberson said one of the things that isn’t as widespread in Little Rock that they loved about the Portland dining scene was the constant changing of menus.

“I think that’s something that’s going to be a little bit of a switch here is really getting people used to us not always having the same thing,” Roberson said. “We really want to share the vast catalog of what we love.”

They’re limited to what they can offer now, because they’re working out of a shared commercial kitchen space and dealing with the logistical challenges of wherever they’re setting up shop.

The ’80s/’90s-style commercial was edited

by Papsadora on iMovie and other apps on his phone. The actual hotline itself was Roberson’s solution to get all the necessary information out to the public without having their phones ringing off the hook.

Roberson said working in the restaurant industry through the pandemic and the sudden to-go business shift led to an inundation of phone calls, and when full service started back up again, the calls didn’t stop. “[It] became this interrupter of people’s dining experiences,” he said. “I think that Trevor and I both came to the conclusion that we don’t want to have a phone. I think it’s a lot easier to interact with people and manage expectations through digital media and forms,” Roberson said. “So we make ourselves available for communication, but it’s definitely on our terms.”

And through the Google Voice of their lovely British man, Trevor added. Roberson said the cheekiness of it being a throwback-style hotline suits their collective humor and the fun they want to have with the business.

Their goal is to keep the momentum going and roll it into a brick and mortar early next year, and they envision it being somewhere in the downtown area.

“I think first thoughts are kind of on East Village, Roberson said. “We love what Fidel is doing down there. We love SoMa, we’ve been working in SoMa for the last couple years.”

“The community’s been so supportive in SoMa and we’re excited to go to the Heights,” Papsadora said. “That’s been the true joy of this so far, we’re going through every neighborhood.”

“There’s a little market research in the popup aspect of it,” Roberson said. “We’ve already started learning people’s names.”

I told them their commercial and the hotline had a special appeal to me because I’ve been dealing with all of the awfulness happening in the country by watching blocks of ’80s and ’90s commercials on YouTube to try to temporarily remove myself from the onslaught of terrible headlines.

“Trevor was having a conversation with a really good friend, and she messaged last night and just said, you know, ‘Everything is so crazy, y’all’s posts are just a moment of joy in all this darkness.’ That’s really special for us to hear and get that feedback ’cause it is something for us to focus on.”

“Almost like escapism baking. And eating,” Papsadora said.

If you want to get your hands on some of The Bagel Shop’s “freshy little bagels,” find it on Instagram at thebagel.shop and sign up for the email list at thebagel.shop.

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SEPTEMBER 2022 89

A SYMBOL OF CORRUPTION: AL&T was a product of Gov. Orval Faubus’ tenure.

COURTESY CENTRAL ARKANSAS LIBRARY SYSTEM’S BUTLER CENTER FOR ARKANSAS STUDIES

HISTORY

THE HEYDAY OF ARKANSAS LOAN AND ‘THEFT’ A LONG-RUNNING SYMBOL OF CORRUPTION.

BY ERNEST DUMAS This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.

A

rkansas Loan and Thrift Corporation (AL&T) was a hybrid bank in the 1960s that operated for three years outside state banking laws with the help of political connections before coming to a scandalous end.

A U.S. district judge halted the operations and placed the company in receivership in March 1968, and a federal grand jury indicted three officers of the company, as well as a former Arkansas attorney general, a firebrand segregationist who had served five terms in that office and made two unsuccessful races for governor. Bruce Bennett, a former prosecutor in Union County, had played a major role in the historic school-integration crisis at Little Rock in 1957–59, authoring several of the notorious laws passed by the legislature to preserve segregation.

AL&T became a symbol of the corruption and lethargy that were the products of Governor Orval Faubus’ 12-year control of the statehouse and, in the opinion of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, the Democratic Party’s unfettered reign in government since Reconstruction. It was jokingly 90 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

called “Arkansas Loan and Theft.”

The grand jury indictment said the four men ran the finance company illegally and dissipated depositors’ money by making loans to themselves and their companies, friends and confederates — loans that were never repaid — and by giving themselves and friends large stock dividends even though the company was broke. The chief operating officer and two other executives were convicted and sentenced to prison for wire, mail and securities fraud, as well as conspiracy and bribery. Bennett, who helped organize AL&T while he was attorney general and profited from it, was indicted on 28 counts, but a longtime friend from El Dorado (Union County), U.S. District Judge Oren Harris, delayed the trial when Bennett revealed that he had throat cancer. Bennett died 10 years later, in 1979, without going to trial.

More than 2,000 people and churches lost money when AL&T collapsed. The receiver eventually recovered about a fourth of the $4.2 million placed in the company. Securities, bank and savings-and-loan officials for Gov. Faubus backed off regulating the strange institution, heeding the official but secret advice of the attorney general and the intervention of powerful state

legislators, two of whom, Rep. Paul Van Dalsem of Perryville (Perry County) and Sen. Joe Lee Anderson of Helena (Phillips County), would be listed in the indictment as co-conspirators, along with other state officials and politicians. Cartoons

by George Fisher in the Arkansas Gazette, which featured the political figures involved with AL&T, popularized the scandal for a number of years.

The bank seemed to be the brainchild of Ernest A. Bartlett Jr., a 25-year-old used-car dealer, and Bennett, a politician from El Dorado who was elected attorney general in 1956 by inveighing against racial integration. Bennett ran an unsuccessful race for governor against Faubus in 1960, accusing him of being soft on integration, and regained the attorney general’s office in 1962.

He would make a final race for governor in 1968 while a grand jury was investigating his role in AL&T. Bartlett, Bennett and others set up Arkansas Loan and Thrift in December 1964; the incorporation papers were prepared in the attorney general’s office by an assistant attorney general, who received AL&T shares for his trouble. Bartlett and Bennett found a defunct finance company, United Loan and Investment,

which had a charter from 1937 as an industrial loan company. It was incorporated into AL&T and became the finance company’s authority for taking deposits. Van Dalsem, a longtime leader of the House of Representatives and Faubus’ floor leader, arranged for Bennett to buy an inactive insurance company from the House speaker, J.H. Cottrell Jr. of Little Rock (Pulaski County). Bennett then sold it at a profit to AL&T, which renamed it Savings Guaranty Corporation, a shell company that would “insure” people’s deposits in AL&T. Savings Guaranty was given more than 1,000 shares of stock in AL&T, the only assets it would ever own. AL&T wrote Savings Guaranty a check for $580,000, which allowed the state insurance examiner, who received AL&T stock, to certify that the insurance company had the necessary capital to insure bank deposits. Then Savings Guaranty sent the money back to AL&T and took an IOU. AL&T advertised that it would pay an interest rate of 5.75% for deposits, more than banks and savings-and-loan associations were allowed to offer, and that deposits were safer than if the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) insured them. Actually, Savings Guaranty had no assets but the worthless AL&T stock, but in advertisements it used a seal that looked like the great seal of the United States.

The company opened a headquarters at Van Buren (Crawford County) and offices in Paris (Logan County), Waldron (Scott County), Ozark (Franklin County), Fort Smith (Sebastian County), Helena, Little Rock and Booneville (Logan County). It spent $150,000 advertising that people would make more money with AL&T than with banks and thrift institutions. It quickly accumulated more than $4 million in deposits.

Bennett issued five official opinions to Van Dalsem and state regulators explaining that AL&T’s operations were perfectly legal and that, because it operated under the auspices of an old industrial loan charter rather than a bank or savings-and-loan charter, the state securities commissioner, bank commissioner and savingsand-loan commissioner could not regulate its activities. Bennett never released the opinions publicly; they were found in the files at AL&T when it went into receivership.

The state securities commissioner testified in Bartlett’s criminal trial that when he moved to regulate AL&T and suspended Bartlett’s broker’s license, Bennett threatened to go to Faubus about his interference. Faubus insisted that he never did anything to help the company and knew little about its operations. Bartlett maintained that Bennett’s opinion giving legal sanction to AL&T was written by William J. Smith, Faubus’s legal counsel, and that Smith advised Faubus on the formation of the company. Smith denied this.

When Joe Purcell, a Benton (Saline County) city judge, defeated Bennett for the office of attorney general in 1966, he quickly moved to shutter AL&T. He filed a lawsuit in Pulaski County Chancery Court on Jan. 23, 1967, 10 days after taking office, contending that AL&T was

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selling securities illegally. The case was assigned to Chancellor Kay L. Matthews, a former Faubus aide. The next day, Bartlett visited Matthews’ law and business partner, Claude Carpenter Jr., also a former Faubus aide, and paid him a substantial retainer for AL&T. Carpenter would be named a co-conspirator in the subsequent indictment. He testified at Bartlett’s trial in 1969 that he never did anything for the fees except discuss Arkansas Razorbacks football with Bartlett and accompany him on a private plane trip to Las Vegas to gamble.

Judge Matthews granted delays to the company and never brought Purcell’s suit to trial. One of Carpenter’s connections to AL&T was mentioned in a procedural hearing more than two years later, and Matthews disqualified himself from the case just as it was put into receivership. When a reporter for the Arkansas Gazette confronted Judge Matthews with the payments by AL&T to his law and business partner on the day after the lawsuit against the firm was filed in his court and asked if he had been apprised of the payments, Matthews refused to comment. He continued to serve as a chancery judge until Darrell Hickman, a future Supreme Court justice, defeated him in 1972.

The next week, on March 13, 1968, acting on a motion by lawyers of the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. District Judge John E. Miller of Fort Smith closed AL&T and put it into receivership. At a hearing on the claims against the company, a minister said churches that had invested their building funds in AL&T should have first call on any assets that were recovered because such assets were “God’s money.” Judge Miller famously countered that God should have been wise enough not to put his money in AL&T. A federal grand jury indicted Bennett, Bartlett, and two officers from Booneville — Afton Borum and Hoyt Borum — on 28 counts. Judge Harris, who presided, severed Bennett’s case from the others and gave him a continuance when Bennett said he was ill. The government eventually quit trying to bring Bennett to trial. Bartlett was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison and fined $5,000.

The Borum brothers were convicted and received even shorter sentences.

Bennett, Bartlett and Van Dalsem helped establish a similar company in Louisiana, called Louisiana Loan and Thrift, which operated with the help of Attorney General Jack P.F. Gremillion, aides to Gov. John McKeithen, and U.S. Attorney Jim Garrison of New Orleans, who became famous for his investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Bennett profited there also by borrowing $160,000 from Louisiana Loan and Thrift and then having the debt canceled by transferring his stock in the company to another man. Bartlett, Gremillion and others were indicted in Louisiana, but a jury acquitted them of all charges in 1971.

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SEPTEMBER 2022 93

CANNABIZ SUPPLY AND DEMAND: A dearth of buyers has turned boom to bust in the hemp industry.

HEMP BUST

HERALDED AS A WONDER CROP, NONINTOXICATING CANNABIS PLANT STRUGGLES TO LAUNCH.

BY GRIFFIN COOP PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW MARTIN This article first appeared on arkansascannabiz. com, the Arkansas Times’ new online marijuana industry publication.

J

ust a few years ago, the American hemp industry was booming, and Arkansas was a prospective boomtown. If it were a time and place, it was California in the 1850s.

Trade out the prospectors panning for gold in the California hills for farmers looking to stick legal cannabis plants in the ground for the first time since federal law banned it in 1937. All were looking to grab their piece of a young and fertile industry.

The farmers got licenses from the state and planted acres and acres of hemp, mostly to produce CBD, the medicinal part of the plant with healing properties. The Farm Bill, passed

by U.S. Congress in 2018, had made it all possible, legalizing hemp farming and hemp products. Hemp flower, the part of the plant used to make CBD, drove the industry with 8285% of the product dedicated to it nationally. In Arkansas, 96% of hemp farming was for floral hemp production. And then, as it often does, 94 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

boom turned to bust.

“I think what you saw was the mass CBD rush, everybody thinking they could make a million dollars jumped into it,” said Brad Fausett, one of the few Arkansas hemp farmers still in the business. “Everybody lost their ass because the market flooded like crazy.”

Growing the plant seemed to go well. Nearly 200,000 pounds of crop material were harvested in Arkansas in 2019 and another 224,000 pounds the next year. That number dropped to about 55,000 pounds last year because there were simply no buyers.

“The growing part is the easy part,” said Rick Funderburg, who joined a farming operation in Fayetteville after a long career at UPS. “Get a buyer and we’ll fire it back up. There’s just no buyers.”

Some farmers, like Funderburg’s operation, never found a single buyer for the crops they grew. In many cases, the hemp flower grown years ago still sits in storage, waiting for a buyer.

“Many growers are still storing crops produced from 2019/2020 seasons,” said Sarah Cato, public information office for the state

Department of Agriculture.

Bill Morgan, a self-professed hippie who lived in California before settling in the mountains of Newton County, now farms an acre of hemp in Fayetteville. Morgan leases the property from a farmer who tried to make a go of hemp farming a few years ago. That farmer’s crop of hemp flower, Morgan said, sits in vacuum-sealed bags — a reminder of a more hopeful time.

Caleb Allen, who runs the state hemp program, said the state’s farmers have done well growing the crop and some of them might be interested in coming back to the program if the industry matures — “once some profitable, legal markets open for them,” Allen said.

THE BOOM AND BUST Times were different in 2019. After Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill, called the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the prospects for hemp were bright. Hemp had been illegal since Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, although the U.S. Department of Agriculture did make it legal for a while to assist in the war effort during World War II. As a consequence,

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‘AN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY’: At Brad Fausett’s hemp farm.

some of the parachutes used during the D-Day invasion contained hemp fibers, according to Larry Farnsworth, spokesman for the National Industrial Hemp Council.

After the Farm Bill passed, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture set up a regulatory and licensing system for hemp farming. States across the country did the same.

In 2019, 125 farmers signed up to grow hemp in Arkansas on 913 acres while the prices for the oil used to make CBD products were very favorable.

Funderburg said when he started working on the farm, the price for crude oil to make CBD products was estimated at $10,000 per kilo.

But price estimates are meaningless if there’s not a buyer actually willing to pay that price.

“Once you get to the finish line, you’ve got the product, [but] there were no buyers,” he said.

Prices fell fast. According to Beau Whitney, an economist who studies hemp, the prices for biomass, the leaves and small flowers used in the cannabinoid extraction process, have fallen from $42.90 per pound at its peak to around $1.90 per pound today. The price of crude hemp oil fell at the same rate, he said.

“The days of $10,000 per kilo are long gone,” he said, estimating the price is closer to $200$300 today.

By 2021, hemp farming had taken a nosedive.

Arkansas had just 49 growers sign up for hemp licenses that year. Only 27 have signed up so far in 2022.

Other farming statistics tell a similar story.

In 2019, Arkansas hemp growers farmed 913 acres and produced 199,221 pounds of crop material. In 2021, Arkansas’s hemp farmers worked 190 acres and produced 55,492 pounds of crop material. That’s a 79% drop in acres farmed and a 72% drop in crop material.

Arkansas wasn’t alone. Nationally, the number of hemp acres licensed fell from 522,000 in 2019 to 235,000 last year — a drop of 55%. There are only 95,000 acres licensed so far this year, according to data from PanXchange and Whitney Economics.

Going into 2022, there were 201 million pounds of excess biomass but about 60 million of that has been sold through, according to Farnsworth, much of it to make Delta-8 products from the THC found in hemp that has fallen into a legal gray area in many states.

THE FUTURE While the hemp industry has gone through its boom and bust cycle, industry leaders believe 96 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

the future is still bright for American hemp. But they say the future lies in industrial hemp, not flower and CBD. Industrial hemp, like the type grown for CBD, is grown from cannabis plants but different varieties with fewer flowers than those that are grown to produce CBD. These plants have few flowers, grow much taller than the other types of hemp, and their usefulness lies in their stalk and seeds rather than their flowers.

The stalks can be harvested to make textiles, woods, building materials and much more.

The industrial hemp industry wants to be seen as part of the agricultural world. While the marijuana industry prefers the term “strain” for different types of plants, some in the industrial hemp world prefer the term “variety” as you’d hear among growers of corn or soybeans.

“We’re an agricultural commodity,” Farnsworth said.

Hemp can be used to provide all of the things a person needs to live: food, medicine, clothing and shelter, Farnsworth said.

“Show me another plant that can do all of that,” he said. “I don’t know of one.”

The plants are also good for the environment, he said, because of their capacity for carbon sequestration.

Despite industrial hemp’s benefits, the present infrastructure is lacking.

First, some hemp laws make the industry difficult to manage. Hemp, by legal definition, is cannabis with a THC content of 0.3% or less.

That’s a third of a percent, which is, obviously, really low. The law also limits the number of plant varieties that are available to the farmer.

There are only so many types of hemp that will produce a plant with such a low THC content.

“When you’ve got a 0.3% total THC value you have to hit under to qualify as hemp, your genetic pool is tiny, tiny,” Fausett said. “You don’t have a lot of different strains to even look

at.”

Hemp farmers are also required by law to destroy all plants that “grow hot” or have a THC content greater than 0.3%.

The National Industrial Hemp Council would like to see the next version of the Farm Bill raise the allowable percentage of THC to 1% total THC. Negotiations should start this fall and the bill is estimated to be voted on next year, Farnsworth said, although he noted that delays could occur; the 2018 Farm Bill was originally supposed to be passed in 2015.

The industry also needs more decorticators, the expensive machinery used to process industrial hemp. There is no hard data on the number of decorticators in the United States but there aren’t many — probably 10 to 20. Hemp farmers sometimes have to travel out of state to find the closest decorticator but, because hemp laws differ by state, farmers must adhere to the law in their own state as well as the state they must travel to process the product.

The only decorticators in Arkansas are “experimental,” Fausett said. “Most can’t keep from catching on fire long enough to make a product.”

Fausett said the closest decorticator is on the Texas-Oklahoma line and its capacity is limited.

The industry also needs more research.

Some universities have performed federally funded research on using hemp as feed for livestock but more needs to be done for it to get federal approval. It might sound funny that the government allows humans to eat hemp but not cattle, but Farnsworth said federal officials need to learn more about livestock that eat a 100% hemp diet.

“Everything that we do is rooted in safety,” he said. We want to make sure that it’s a safe practice but everybody recognizes the potential for hemp to be included in animal feed.”

Allen, who runs the state hemp program, said he knows of two factories that have opened to produce “hemp wood” for industrial products like hardwood flooring.

Allen said the industry needs to educate the public about hemp, increase the number of processors and develop a viable supply chain, while the general public needs more general education on hemp and hemp production.

“This industry still has much to offer and explore in terms of food production, industrial materials, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and much more,” Allen said.

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SEPTEMBER 2022 97

THE OBSERVER

ADVENTURES AT KITTENPALOOZA MR. MEOWINGTON RULES THE ROOST.

I

t was Kittenpalooza at the local animal shelter recently. That’s not the name I gave it. The animal shelter did that. It’s kitten season, after all, and you have to come up with fun promotions sometimes to, as they put it, move the new models off the lot. It’s like a Labor Day-athon at your local Toyota dealer.

But with tabbies instead of Tacomas.

You didn’t know there’s a kitten season?

Neither did I, until Mrs. Observer and I found ourselves in need of a cat six years ago. It was during Kittenpalooza, after all, that we found our little guy.

Here’s how it all went down. Mrs. Observer was dealing with health crisis after health crisis and needed a furry friend, especially while I was off in the coal mines … or sitting behind a desk staring at a screen from 8 to 5 each day, to be more accurate. One day, I came home from work and there was Mrs. Observer laying on the couch with a cat. Except we didn’t own a cat.

This was the neighbor’s cat who had slipped in and the Mrs. didn’t have the energy (or the desire) to send him on his way. To be fair, he was the softest, fuzziest cat we’d ever seen, so I can hardly blame her.

Not long after, we headed to the shelter on a Friday afternoon to find our new companion.

Except, it turns out, they were closed on Fridays.

All stories of triumph over emotional tumult start with an unexpected locked door, right?

98 SEPTEMBER 2022

ARKANSAS TIMES

The next day, we headed back to find a new kitten to lift our spirits. I’d find out years later that Mrs. Observer only went there to appease me. I wish she had told the truth but, I’ll admit, I’m glad she went along, even if just to humor me. When we got there, an employee took us through the shelter to look at all the cats, but none spoke to us in that way only the right feline companion can. Then, as we turned to walk out, we passed by a cage with a tiny little thing pawing at us. Our guide plucked him out of his cage and, within seconds, he was climbing up on Mrs. Observer’s shoulders and on to the top of her head. Needless to say, he was ours. Or, rather, we were his.

The shelter had named him Heath and that was a fine name, since he came from a litter that was all named after candy bars. But this guy was clearly a Mr. Meowington. And that’s how he’s been known ever since.

We took this itty bitty gray fuzzball home that Saturday morning and soon learned he weighed just a pound and a half. And he wouldn’t eat.

The vet said we should feed him human baby food with a syringe, so we did. And it worked.

Six years later and he’s up to 11 pounds of mischief.

I know it’s been six years since we got him because he recently celebrated a birthday and Mrs. Observer and I observe that holiest of holidays by eating Filet-O-Fish sandwiches

from McDonald’s. Except, this year, we went to the Chicken Salad Chick in North Little Rock in his honor. Fish and chicken. That’s how he’d want us to celebrate, right?

Mr. Meowington rules the roost, but that’s mostly our fault for letting him be in charge. For instance, the other morning, I stumbled to the kitchen, made my first cup of coffee and headed to the recliner to read the morning’s news.

Except, Mr. Meowington was asleep in the chair already. What to do? I sat on the couch, of course. It would have just been rude of me to remove the king from his throne. He doesn’t really understand how to share, either.

We love him and he loves us, too — or at least I think he does. Why else would he spend so much time with us when he could be in any room in the house? Except for when he’s taking his daily six-hour naps, of course. I do have one complaint, though. When he wants something, he sounds the alarm by knocking something off the counter in the kitchen. Isn’t there a better way? If he could talk for a day, I think that’s what I would ask. Well, I’d ask him a lot of things, but that would definitely be on the list.

All that is to say, if there’s a kitten at the shelter that could provide half as much fulfillment as this little fella, then run to the shelter and adopt one today. Mr. Meowington would approve.

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