Category Archives: Government

Zoo announces death of orangutan 

Posted on by


The Little Rock Zoo lost a member of its great ape family yesterday when Chiquita, a 46-year-old female orangutan living at the Zoo since 2006, passed away.
Median life expectancy for female orangutans in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is 33.9. The average for both male and female orangutans is lower at 28.2. In the wild, median life expectancy data is incomplete but ranges from 30 to 40 years of age. At the age of 46 Chiquita had outlived most of her zoo and wild counterparts.

Zoo staff observed abnormal behavior from Chiquita in the last month and noticed that she was not eating. Chiquita began losing weight at a rapid pace, so Zoo veterinary staff conducted medical tests showing that Chiquita was in renal failure. Medical staff administered her fluids and closely monitored her, but Chiquita’s condition only worsened.

CHIQUITA: Dies at 46. - LR ZOOChiquita was born at the Toledo Zoo in 1969 and was transferred to the Little Rock Zoo to be a companion to Rok, the Zoo’s 30-year-old male orangutan. The Zoo is working with the Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to find a new female companion for Rok.

Chiquita made headlines in 2013 when a team of Little Rock surgeons performed laparoscopic surgery on her to repair an umbilical hernia and remove a benign mass on one of her ovaries. The surgery was performed by Dr. Brian Burton of The Women’s Clinic, P.A.; Dr. Julia Watkins with West Little Rock Women’s Center and Dr. Eric Paul, a general surgeon with Surgical Clinic Arkansas. The surgery was assisted by anesthesiologists Drs. Harjot & Lydia Hunjan and Zoo veterinarian Dr. Kim Rainwater. Medical equipment for the procedure was donated by Stryker Endoscopy.

The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

Free movie tonight at MacArthur Museum of Ark. Military History – Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq

Posted on by

MacMus IraqIn partnership with AETN, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will host a screening of the documentary Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq. The screening starts at 6:30pm tonight at the museum in MacArthur Park.

Free admission. Free popcorn and beverages provided.

From executive producer James Gandolfini, this 2007 HBO documentary about wounded soldiers surveys the physical and emotional costs of war through memories of their “alive day,” the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq. In a war that has left more than 27,000 wounded, Alive Day Memories looks at a new generation of veterans.

*Disclaimer: This documentary features adult language and adult content. Parental discretion is advised.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is a program of the City of Little Rock’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Creative Class of 2015: Chris Hancock

Posted on by

ChrisHancock_K0A1139-webSocial media at history museums may seem to be a paradox. But Chris Hancock proves that it can be a successful way to increase outreach and awareness.   As Communications Manager at Historic Arkansas Museum, he uses cutting edge technologies (and old school methods) to spread the word about Arkansas’ earliest days.

A native of Russellville and graduate of UCA, he joined HAM in September 2014.  Prior to that he was Public Information Officer at one of HAM’s sister museums – Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.

In addition to getting ready for HAM’s Candlelight Gala on November 7, he is also co-chair of Pop Up in the Rock’s Pop Up West 9th which takes place on October 24.

Hancock is a member of the City of Little Rock’s City Beautiful Commission and is on the Board of studioMAIN. He is also active in the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Create Little Rock initiative.

Tales of the Crypt tonight at Mount Holly Cemetery

Posted on by

talescryptThe ghosts of Little Rock past will arise tonight at Mt. Holly Cemetery for the 21st Annual Tales of the Crypt.

Held the second Tuesday of October, Tales of the Crypt is an annual Mount Holly event.  Founded by Fred Boosey and Judy Goss, it is now under the direction of Tamara Zinck.  Drama students from Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School are each given a person buried in the cemetery to research. They then prepare short monologues or dialogues, complete with period costumes, to be performed in front of the researched person’s grave.

Award-winning local costumer Debi Manire will once again provide the wonderful historical characters’ costumes.  Audiences are led through the cemetery from grave to grave by guides with candles. Although it takes place around the same time as the American holiday Halloween, the event is meant to be historic rather than spooky.  Many local teachers award extra credit to students who attend.

Student tour guides will escort groups of approximately 15 from grave site to grave site to learn more about those who shaped central Arkansas in to what it is today.

The Mount Holly residents will greet you are:

  • Dr. Isaac Folsom (Peyton Hooks)
  • Mrs. Sallie Folsom (Rahlea Zinck)
  • David O. Dodd (Cameron Minor)
  • Mary Dodge (Delaney Robertson)
  • Dovenia (Dovie) Kirby (Emily Gardner)
  • Samuel B. Kirby (Brock Tittle)
  • Captain Benjamin Shattuck (Micah Patterson)
  • Anne Warren (Isha Horton)
  • Quatie Ross (Michelle Mora Dominguez)
  • Katherine Eller Henderson (Mikala Hicks)
  • Juliet Neill Peay  (Emorie Mansur)
  • Mary E. Gaines Belding (Abigail Mansur)
  • Albert Stocking (Tre’Vaughn Whitley)
  • Mollie Stocking (Taylar Hasberry)
  • George Borland (Harrison Wyrick)
  • Eleanor Counts (Stephanie Schoonmaker)
  • Edward Payson Washburn (Will Frueauff)
  • Lillian Scott (Sidney Kelly)
  • James Robbins (George Patterson)
  • Maria Rebecca Craigen (Angelique Camper)

(The names of the Parkview students portraying the residents are in parentheses.)

The Twenty-first Annual “Tales of the Crypt” is sponsored by Mount Holly Cemetery Association and Parkview Arts-Science Magnet High School.

The event will be held  at Mount Holly Cemetery, 1200 South Broadway, Little Rock, from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm.  Admission is free to the public, however donations to Mount Holly Cemetery are appreciated and aid in the maintenance of the cemetery.

A Whole New Light at the 2015 Boo at the Zoo this month

Posted on by

2015 BooAttendees coming to the Little Rock Zoo’s annual Halloween festival will get to see the park in a whole new light this year with the addition of glowing decorations in theme of Halloween. Boo at the Zoo opens to the public Oct. 17 – 18 and continues Oct. 23 – Oct. 31, with a special Adult Night on Oct. 16, a new Teen Night on Oct. 22, and a Dia de los Muertos event Oct. 30.

The Zoo will come alive at night with thousands of new holiday lights decorated throughout the park, including trees wrapped with Halloween-colored lights, pathways decorated with exciting visual displays, and spooky new attractions for the Haunted Train and Haunted House.

Boo at the Zoo will also feature all the fun that Arkansas families have come to expect, with trick-or-treat stations full of toys and candy to choose from, carnival rides and games, bounce house inflatables, Frankenstein’s Dance Party and the Thriller Dance performance, a nightly costume contest, live music every night, free s’mores with every ticket, free milk from Hiland Dairy, the Haunted Carousel ride, Haunted Train ride, a hay maze, face painting, glitter tattoos, kid’s area games, Haunted Bingo, and food trucks with food available for purchase each night.

Admission to Boo at the Zoo is $20 per person for wristband admission and includes all rides, attractions and six tickets for trick-or-treat stations and s’mores. Wristband admission does not include food or retail purchases or Haunted Bingo. General Admission is $10 and includes six tickets that may be used for trick-or-treat stations, s’mores, or for rides and attractions. Rides and attractions take between two and 10 tickets. Individual tickets for rides, attractions, treat stations and s’mores are also sold inside the Zoo for $.50 each and guests purchasing General Admission tickets also have the option to upgrade to a wristband if they chose. Admission passes can be purchased online starting now at www.LittleRockZoo.com/boo or at the Zoo’s front gate entrance.

Boo at the Zoo is sponsored by the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, Blue and You Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, Acxiom, Ambetter of Arkansas, Coca-Cola, Cumulus Broadcasting with B98.5, Alice 107.7 and KOKY 102.1, Arkansas Federal Credit Union, Aristotle, Discount Trophy, New Age Distributing, The Wonder Place, TruService Credit Union, Kroger, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Premium Refreshment Services.

Adult Night Oct. 16

Boo at the Zoo will also feature an Adult Night for anyone 21 years of age or older on Friday, Oct. 16, where adults can preview the event and enjoy adult beverages at trick-or-treat stations that come complimentary with ticket purchases. All rides, attractions, games and events of Boo at the Zoo will be available for adults during Adult Night. While costumes are not required, visitors are encouraged to do so. Tickets for Adult Night are $25 per person for non-members and $20 per person for Zoo members.

Teen Night Oct. 22

For the first time, Boo at the Zoo will offer a Teen Night for those in grades 7th through 12th. Students are asked to present their student ID’s for entry or to present a document verifying their grade level. Chaperone tickets are also available at a discounted price for this event, and the Zoo has added extra security on this night to ensure that teens have a safe and fun experience. Tickets for Teen Night are $20 per person and chaperone tickets are $10 per person.

Dia de los Muertos Oct. 30

In honor of the traditional Hispanic holiday, Dia de los Muertos, the Little Rock Zoo has partnered with Hola! Arkansas to host a special Boo at the Zoo on Oct. 30. The rich culture of Dia de los Muertos will be showcased by members of Hola! Arkansas, who will set up a special altar in honor of deceased relatives – a tradition of many Hispanic families celebrating this holiday that normally falls on Nov. 1. This special night of Boo at the Zoo will also feature Hispanic dancers and performers. All regular Boo at the Zoo activities and events will also be available, and the event is open to the public.

About Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo is Arkansas’s largest Halloween festival featuring trick-or-treating in a safe environment along with dozens of Halloween themed activities for the entire family. Now is its 24th year, Boo at the Zoo has become a staple for central Arkansas families. Boo at the Zoo is a nighttime event where the Little Rock Zoo reopens after normal operating hours to host ghosts and ghouls and everything that goes “bump” in the night in all corners of the Zoo. Costumes are not required to attend Boo at the Zoo but are encouraged. The event is known for popular attractions such as the Haunted Train where the Zoo’s miniature train is turned into a haunted nighttime attraction as well as the Haunted Carousel that is free to the public. To learn more visit www.LittleRockZoo.com/boo

The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Legacy of Civil War topic of seminar at Old State House today

Posted on by

cw-seminarThe Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission and the Old State House Museum are sponsoring a seminar on the legacy of the Civil War on Saturday, October 10.

ACWSC Chairman Tom Dupree described it thus: “As we near the end of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we wanted to address the lingering influences of the war,” Dupree said. “Each of our speakers will look at different aspects of the war and how they continue to affect us today.”

Speakers at the “Legacy of Arkansas’s Civil War” will be:

•Dr. Elliott West – University of Arkansas at Fayetteville on “Arkansas: Where One War’s Edge Was Another War’s Center”

•Dr. Carl Moneyhon – University of Arkansas at Little Rock on “Conflicting Civil War Memories and Cultural Divides in Arkansas”

•Dr. Jeannie Whayne – University of Arkansas at Fayetteville on “The Civil War and the Burden of Arkansas History”

•Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch – Arkansas State University on “’How Free is Free?’: African Americans in Post-Civil War Arkansas”

•Dr. Kelly Houston Jones – Austin Peay University on “Women After the War: Profiles of Change and Continuity”

•Dr. Tom DeBlack – Arkansas Tech University on “’What Is to Become of Us?’: The Postwar Lives of Major Figures in Civil War Arkansas”

For more information on this and other sesquicentennial events, visit http://www.arkansascivilwar150.com/events/.

CALS announces cancellation of tonight’s Heiskell Lecture with Jonathan Karl

Posted on by
Due to recent developments regarding the election of a new Speaker of the House, ABC News requires Jonathan Karl, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent,to be in Washington, D.C., and he is unable to present the Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS)J.N. Heiskell Distinguished Lecture today.
In an email, Karl said, “The breaking news on the Capitol has forced me to be in Washington — I tried hard to avoid that but I was given no choice. In such a major breaking story, ABC News felt I must be there to report for World News Tonight and our other platforms.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to reschedule Mr. Karl’s presentation,” said CALS director Bobby Roberts. “We are very disappointed the lecture will not happen tonight. Journalists’ jobs are to cover current events, and important things are happening now in Washington, D.C.”