The Great Arkansas Pearl Rush started in 1897 after a 14-grain pink pearl was found in the Black River near Black Rock, Arkansas. It lasted until 1905, but a button-making industry emerged that continued on to the 1940s by using mussel shells that had been discarded.
On September 12, 1958 Gov. Faubus…
On September 12, 1958 Gov. Faubus closed all Little Rock, Arkansas high schools for a year rather than allowing desegregation to continue. Teachers and administrators were required to fulfill their contractual obligations and appear for work in empty schools.
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There is a diamond mine open to…
There is a diamond mine open to the public in Arkansas, it is the only diamond mine open to the public. So far 31000 gems have been found since it became a state park in 1972, the visitors keep what they found.
Little Rock Is Paying Homeless People $9.25 an Hour to Pick up Litter
The folks in Little Rock, Arkansas, might be on to something. In April 2019, the city launched its Bridge to Work program, paying homeless people $9.25 an hour to pick up litter off city streets.
Paul Atkins is a Pastor at the Canvas Community Church in Little Rock, and he’s been impressed with how successful the program has been so far. Atkins said 380 people have worked through the program, receiving paychecks and mental health and medical services. Some have even landed job interviews.
Atkins said, “We want to work with them on their next step. There are a lot of barriers that our people experience to go from homelessness and panhandling to full-time work. There’s a lot of steps in between.”
The people in the program work in groups of eight, but they usually leave one space open in case they encounter a panhandler or other homeless person who wants to join up and work with them.
NEW: The Bridge to Work program, which employs Little Rock's homeless to pick up litter around the city, has been extended for an additional year with $160,000 in funding.
It was a unanimous vote at the city board meeting tonight #ARNews pic.twitter.com/kV2mBx5kFL— Shelby Rose (@KATVShelby) September 18, 2019
One of the team leaders in the program, Felecia Cooks, was initially worried it wouldn’t be entirely successful. She said:
“When I first started, from Day One, I couldn’t catch the vision, nor could I travel the journey. But, you know, we’ve taken out over 400-and-something persons. And let me tell you, that has been the most exciting thing that I’ve done in my life. The energy, just the positive (energy), the vision that Canvas Community Church has. You know, it’s just wonderful.
The Little Rock City Board is extending a program that pays minimum wage to homeless people who pick up litter https://t.co/gUciIQk8iE
— Region 8 News (@Region8News) September 18, 2019
The program was only supposed to last six months, but Little Rock’s mayor, Frank Scott Jr., said he will draft a resolution to extend the program through the end of September 2020 because it has been such a success.
Great idea! I’d like to see this in other cities across the country!
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Arkansas landlords don’t have to maintain…
Arkansas landlords don’t have to maintain properties and tenant can be jailed for being one day late with rent.