Our Town

Little Rock notebook

To beat heat, trash pickup starts earlier

Trash collectors will start an earlier pickup schedule beginning Monday.

Crews will now start work at 6:30 a.m. "as a safety precaution for employees to avoid the intense afternoon heat," a news release said.

The new time will continue until at least mid-September, or until the extreme heat moves out of central Arkansas.

The news release noted the recent National Weather Service reports that warned of possible heat index values of 105 to 110 degrees.

The time change effects affects garbage, yard waste, recycling and all other collection services. The city is asking residents to have materials on the curb by 6:30 a.m.

Runoff-management option up for vote

The Board of Directors will vote Tuesday on whether to allow low-impact development techniques as an option for storm-water management when developing commercial, industrial and multifamily projects.

Currently, city code requires applicants to seek a variance from the Planning Commission to implement such techniques, often viewed as more environmentally friendly.

"While traditional stormwater management focuses on moving untreated stormwater runoff off-site as quickly as possible, [low-impact development] focuses on retaining stormwater on-site and maximizing pollutant removal and infiltration of runoff through the use of a number of techniques," a memo to the board said.

Those techniques include pervious pavement, grassy swales, bio-retention areas, wetlands and others to create what is known as a "treatment chain" of storm-water management. The city built a low-impact development project along four blocks of Main Street downtown with grant money.

Under the pair of ordinances up for consideration Tuesday, it would be optional for developers to choose whether to implement low-impact development in their projects.

The memo to the board said the Public Works Department plans to update its Stormwater Management and Drainage Manual soon to incorporate low-impact development principles, but all that is being considered now is a limited ordinance that permits the techniques on a voluntary basis.

Edible South author to speak downtown

An Arkansas native and food-book author will speak Wednesday at the Ron Robinson Theater downtown.

The lecture by Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of The Edible South and a native of Blytheville, will begin at noon at the theater, 100 River Market Ave.

Ferris directs the Southern studies concentration as an associate professor of American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She specializes in teaching the history of the Jewish South and the foods and material culture of the region.

Her book "examines the visceral connection between Southern food and the politics of power from the colonial period to the present," a Central Arkansas Library System news release said.

The event is part of the Butler Center's monthly lunch and lecture series. The Clinton School of Public Service is a co-sponsor this month.

"Ferris will talk about how food helps people understand the South -- from scholars and chefs to casual consumers and hardcore foodies," the news release said.

Her book will be available for purchase, and she will sign copies after the talk. Attendees are invited to take a sack lunch. Drinks and dessert are provided.

Free CPR class set at fire-training site

The Fire Department is teaching a free CPR class Saturday.

The class will be held from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the Fire Training Facility at 7000 Murray St. There will be a demonstration on how to provide primary emergency response during sudden cardiac arrest. Class participants will not be CPR certified through the course.

"When it comes to assisting someone in cardiac arrest, the clock matters," Fire Chief Gregory Summers said in a news release.

The news release said the class is meant to teach civilians that they potentially can save a life when emergency personnel can't respond in time.

Those seeking to register can contact Tabitha Cooke at (501) 918-3704.

Metro on 08/02/2015

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