Lake Wind Advisory Through 7 p.m. Friday in Southwest Arkansas

* WHAT...South winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph
overnight to become northwest around 20 mph this afternoon.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Louisiana,
southeast Oklahoma, south central and southwest Arkansas and
east and northeast Texas.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM CDT this evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... Southerly winds will increase to 10 to 20
mph ahead of a frontal boundary through the predawn hours. Winds
will shift to the northwest later today and approach 20 mph with
higher gusts.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Boaters on area lakes should use extra caution since strong winds
and rough waves can overturn small craft.

Colby Dellinger Receives RAMP Scholarship from UA Cossatot

Colby Dellinger, a senior from Ashdown High School, has been awarded a $500 RAMP scholarship from the University of Arkansas Cossatot. Colby plans to use this money to help him finish his degree at UA Cossatot, which he started working on while he was in high school.
As a high school junior, Colby began taking concurrent classes at UA Cossatot, where he accumulated 15 college credit hours and achieved a GPA of 3.6. These college credits will be applied to his college transcript as he continues to pursue an Associate of Applied Science: General Technology degree at UA Cossatot after high school graduation.
Colby is currently enrolled in an online summer course at UA Cossatot. He plans to pursue a career in industrial maintenance and will become a full-time student at the college this fall. He will be taking classes at the Lockesburg Industrial Maintenance Institute on the Lockesburg Campus.
UA Cossatot’s Lockesburg Campus also offers a welding program. Other Skilled and Technical programs offered at UA Cossatot‘s other campuses are cosmetology, automotive technology, diesel technology, welding, and pipe welding. These programs are available to students who wish to pursue certificates of proficiency, technical certificates, or an Associate of Applied Science degree in General Technology.
High school students, like Colby, can enroll in concurrent courses at UA Cossatot by contacting their high school career coach or UA Cossatot High School Programs Director, Julie Rhodes, at 870-584-1343. They can also enroll in classes through UA Cossatot’s Secondary Career Center.
The Secondary Career Center offers area high school students the opportunity to attend technical classes at one of UA Cossatot’s campuses and explore technical skills training in automotive technology, diesel technology, welding, medical professions, or industrial technology.
The Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (RAMP) Scholarship was established in 2015 by UA Cossatot after receiving a Workforce Education Grant from the state of Arkansas. This grant has allowed UA Cossatot to develop and implement two programs within the fields of skilled and technical trades as well as provide scholarships for students who are pursuing an education in the Skilled and Technical Sciences.
Other RAMP Scholarships are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be used for classes this summer or fall. The deadline to apply is set for July 1, 2020. The RAMP scholarship application can be found on UA Cossatot’s website at www.cccua.edu/scholarships, along with requirements for potential recipients. For more information, please contact Tommi Cobb, RAMP Coordinator at 870-584-1158, or tcobb@cccua.edu.

Cossatot Community College

Scholarships are a type of financial aid award that does not need to be repaid. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor of the award.

Arkansas Department of Agriculture Issues Important Reminder To Arkansans Acquiring Livestock From Out of State

Little Rock, AR -- The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is reminding Arkansans that they must ensure any livestock they purchase or receive from other states meets the State and Federal import requirements. The Department of Agriculture’s Livestock and Poultry Division can offer assistance to ensure the animals have the proper documentation to allow movement into Arkansas.

“We appreciate the efforts of Arkansans to help alleviate challenges that animal agricultural producers have encountered due to temporary closures of processing facilities in other states,” said Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture. “Our staff is available to help answer questions about safety protocols and importation requirements that are in place to protect Arkansans and our state’s agriculture industry,” said Ward.

All animals brought into Arkansas must meet the importation requirements set by USDA and the State’s Health Requirements Governing the Entry of Livestock, Poultry, and Exotic Animals. For swine, USDA interstate commerce regulations call for Premises Identification Number Ear Tags for Slaughter Swine, and the state requires that swine that are not from a qualified-validated herd be tested for Brucellosis and Pseudorabies. A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection is also required to make sure the animal is not showing signs of illness. These rules are in place for public safety and to prevent the spread of disease within the state.

“Brucellosis and Pseudorabies are highly communicable diseases that can spread quickly from animal to animal, and in the case of Brucellosis, to humans,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Randy Chick. “We are aware of individuals planning to purchase live animals, particularly swine, directly from out-of-state producers. These rules are in place to help the Department monitor and prevent diseases that can have devastating impacts on the Arkansas agriculture industry,” said Livestock and Poultry Director Patrick Fisk.

More information about animal importation requirements may be obtained from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website at https://www.aad.arkansas.gov/…/59372…/Entry_Requirments_.pdf

null

null

If people are not planning to process the animals themselves, they should know that many meat processors in Arkansas are already booked for several months. Individuals planning to purchase an animal for processing should first check with local processing plants or prepare for other options such as arranging for holding the animal until it can be processed.

A list of Arkansas meat processors may be found on an interactive map at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/…/fsis/t…/inspection/mpi-directory

Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Directory

The Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection (MPI) Directory is a listing of establishments that produce meat, poultry, and/or egg products regulated by FSIS. The Establishment Demographic Data includes additional establishment information about FSIS regulated establishments, including size, species slaughtered and aggregate categorical production information.

UA Cossatot Announces New Basketball Coach and Athletic Director

On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, UA Cossatot hosted a virtual Zoom press conference to introduce Robert Byrd as the college's newly hired men's and women's basketball coach. It was also announced during the conference that Coach Byrd would also be taking on the role of Athletic Director for UA Cossatot.
UA Cossatot Chancellor, Dr. Steve Cole, kicked off the conference by welcoming everyone and then introducing Coach Byrd. Dr. Cole said, "We are very pleased and excited to have Coach Byrd take on the role of Head Basketball Coach and Athletic Director for the college. We were looking for a talented player's coach, and that is what we found in Coach Byrd."
Byrd recently completed his second year as an Assistant Coach for the University of St. Thomas Men's Basketball team in Houston, Texas. For the 2019-2020 season, the Celts finished 24-2 overall and 16-2 in the SCAC to win the conference regular-season championship. The Celts were ineligible for postseason play due to their transition from NAIA to NCAA. Nevertheless, the Celts won their first-round game in the USCAA D1 National Tournament. After their first game, the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. The Celts were the #2 seed and were ranked second in the USCAA D1 National Poll.
During the 2018-2019 season, the Celts finished the season 23-11 overall and 11-7 in RRAC play. This earned them the #4 seed in the RRAC tournament. The Celts ultimately won the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament Championship by first knocking off #2 nationally ranked LSUA in the semifinals and beating #15 ranked LSUS in the championship game. They received a #22 ranking in the final NAIA D1 national poll and a #6 seed in the NAIA D1 National Tournament.
Coach Byrd joined the Celts after serving one year as an assistant and six years as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Lone Star College-CyFair. During his time at LSC-CyFair, Robert accumulated over 20 wins in each of his six seasons as Head Coach and guided over 30 players to 4-year universities on athletic and academic scholarships.
Coach Byrd participated in the NBPA Top 100 camp in 2005 as a camper and also worked with the NBPA Top 100 camp from 2009-2016 as a Camp Counselor and Assistant Equipment Manager. After graduating from the University of Houston with a BA in Psychology, Coach Byrd also pursued a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas.
Coach Byrd stated during the conference, "I want to thank God, my family, and Dr. Cole for this opportunity. I am excited about athletics at UA Cossatot, and I am looking forward to getting started. I am excited about building relationships. It is important to me to help the players at UA Cossatot on and off the court in basketball, in academics, and in life.”
Coach Byrd is set to begin work at UA Cossatot this summer. Colts and Lady Colt's basketball tryouts will be announced at a later date. For more information, Coach Byrd can be contacted at rbyrd@cccua.edu.

National Nurses Week 2020

Nurses have worked heroically and have put in extra hours over the past few weeks and months on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Thank you nurses for what you do every day! This week is National Nurses Week and May 6th is National Nurses Day. We honor and celebrate those who devote themselves to the care of others.

Nashville Chamber Food Distribution on May 8th

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce and volunteers will be handing out food this Friday May 8th from 10 til 2 p.m. at the Nashville City Park. There will be 50 lbs of food per family. We should have enough prepackaged food for 300 families.

Friday at the park, there will be one station for boxed / canned goods, and then there will be another station for meat items around the baseball pavilion in the lower end of the park. This is designed so that traffic can have an easy flow in and out of the park.

This food distribution is for Howard County residents only. If you know of anyone who may need help with food, tell them about the distribution on Friday at the City Park, and we will help them out as long as the food lasts.

Our thanks to CADC (Central Arkansas Development Council), Tyson Foods, Inc., Regions bank, Sysco, United Healthcare, SMC, Riverside Box Supply, and Everett Buick GMC for making this service available to Howard County. The CADC is helping 19 counties in Arkansas with this program.

From the Nashville Parks and Recreation Department

We have attempted to call every parent who had a child that signed up for baseball twice. I am posting this to allow anyone to contact me that I could not get a hold of. I will be turning the refund list into the accounting department on Monday May 11th. If you have not spoken to the park regarding your baseball refund please call us at 870-845-7405 and let us know you would like a refund if we do not answer leave a message. If I do not speak to you by Friday May 8th then you will automatically receive a credit on your child’s account for the next sport they register for.

Thank you.!

Arkansas Department of Health Directives & Orders

May 11: Directive on Resuming Restaurant Dine-In Operations

May 6: Directive for Barber Shops, Body Art Establishments, Cosmetology Establishments, Massage Therapy Clinics/Spas, and Medical Spas

May 4: Directive for Gym, Fitness Center, Athletic Club and Weight Room Reopening

(Click on above links for information.)

Barbershop and Hair Salon ADH Webinar to Better Understand COVID-19

Food Boxes Provided for Families in Need in Howard County

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Central Arkansas Development Council to provide food boxes for 300 families in need in Howard County. Volunteers are needed to help with packaging on Thursday, May 7th and distribution on Friday, May 8th. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Becky Floyd at 870-845-6362.

UA Cossatot’s OTA Students Give Back during the COVID Pandemic

April is Occupational Therapy Month. To commemorate the month, the OTA students typically have a celebration and complete some type of “give back” activity to the community. This year was challenging due to COVID and distancing limitations, but the OTA students and faculty rose to the task. To celebrate this year, the students created a thank you message to the area Occupational Therapy practitioners which they have shared on social media. Occupational Therapy has been deemed an essential health care service and many practitioners are working on the front lines of the pandemic across the country.
The students also created mask extenders which they donated to the emergency room department at Christus St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, all healthcare workers are now wearing masks and other protective gear to prevent the spread of the virus while they provide care to their patients. The mask extenders allow medical professionals to work more comfortably while taking safety precautions.
UA Cossatot’s OTA Director, Tamla Heminger said, “We feel it is crucial for our students to learn, but also for them to have opportunities to give back and participate in community service and service-learning projects. In honor of Occupational Therapy Month, the students came up with some excellent ideas that they could do to help others while maintaining social distancing requirements. With the current pandemic situation, these were fun, creative ways to help make a small difference.”
The OTA students and instructors completed their OT Month celebration by having a virtual lunch together via Zoom on April 23, 2020.
To learn more about UA Cossatot’s OTA program, please contact UA Cossatot OTA Director, Tamla Heminger, at 870-584-1496 or theminger@cccua.edu.

Damaging Winds and Possible Tornadoes Move through Arkansas Overnight

Damaging winds caused downed trees and several power outages across the state overnight. Electric crews and county crews have worked through the night and continue working this morning with chainsaws to clear the debris and restore power.

Stress Management Seminar in Nashville May 1st

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a stress management seminar this Friday May 1st, starting at 1:00 p.m. Please respond to this email if you are interested in this free Dale Carnegie seminar. I will need your name, business you represent, phone number, and your email address. The seminar is from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m. this Friday. Please send me your information and in return Scott Dutile , Eddie Beene’s son-in-law who is Vice President of Sales of Dale Carnegie, will email you a pass word for the seminar this Friday.

The one-hour seminar is for Chamber members and will show you effective ways to handle stress and worry since we are in uncharted waters of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please help us support this free seminar for the good of us all.

Thanks,

Mike Reese,

Chamber Director

COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing in Nashville Monday, April 27th

COVID-19 drive-thru testing is taking place on the old Brookshires parking lot until 3:00 pm today.

COVID-19 Drive-thru Screenings in Nashville on Monday, April 27th

The Lansdell Family Clinic from DeQueen will be at the old Brookshire’s building parking lot 1405 South 4th St. (now Occasions) this coming Monday April 27, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

This is a drive-thru screening clinic. Patients will be screened and tested if they meet the criteria for symptoms or exposure to Covid-19. A throat swab is all that is needed and you will remain in your car.

The tests takes a minimum of 3 business days to get the results returned. No appointment is necessary. The clinic is asking that you bring an I.D. and an insurance card……..

Don’t forget this Monday the 27th for a drive-thru screening of the Covid-19 virus at the Old Brookshire’s Building parking lot at 1405 S. 4th St. here in Nashville.

Thanks,

Mike Reese

Chamber Director

Severe Thunderstorms Wednesday, but no Tornadoes Reported in Southwest Arkansas

During the afternoon and evening of April 22, 2020, an outbreak of discrete supercell thunderstorms across portions of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana led to widespread severe weather, including multiple tornadoes. Three people each were killed by tornadoes near the communities of Madill, Oklahoma and Onalaska, Texas; dozens of others were injured. The event came to fruition as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with a moist and unstable environment.

Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service in Shreveport

Hazardous Weather Outlook

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
433 AM CDT Wed Apr 22 2020

Sevier-Howard-Little River-Hempstead-Nevada-Miller-McCurtain-
Red River-Bowie-Franklin-Titus-Camp-Morris-Cass-Wood-Upshur-
Marion-Smith-Gregg-
433 AM CDT Wed Apr 22 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest
Arkansas, southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas.

Today and Tonight...

Strong to severe thunderstorms, some of which could produce large
hail, damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes are likely today
before ending later tonight. In addition, heavy downpours will
likely accompany this storm system with one to three inches of
rainfall possible today through tonight.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Activation of emergency management personnel...amateur radio
operators...and storm spotters will be needed today into tonight.
Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the
NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines.

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN SEVIER...
NORTHWESTERN HOWARD AND CENTRAL MCCURTAIN COUNTIES UNTIL 1015 AM
CDT...

At 932 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 12
miles west of Broken Bow, or 30 miles north of Clarksville, moving
northeast at 55 mph.

Nickel size hail and winds in excess of 30 mph will be possible with
this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Broken Bow, Grannis, Wright City, Millerton, Garvin, Glover,
Hochatown, Oak Hill and Golden.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

From the Office of the Chancellor

The COVID-19 outbreak continues to be the dominating presence in our daily lives and at UA Cossatot. From day one of this outbreak, we have been focused on the safety of our students, staff, and stakeholders and as we move forward, we will continue to do just that. According to most models that predict the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak for the United States, the peak in Arkansas is expected to occur around May 2nd. With this information, and input from colleagues around the state, it makes good sense for all of us at UA Cossatot to continue what we are presently doing. This means until at least May 1st, our campuses will continue to be closed to students and visitors and our employees will continue to work on campus, or from home if they are set up to do so. Those that do come to campus to work will be under strict guidance to practice social distancing and when at all possible, wear masks to protect each other.

We will continue to serve and provide all the resources our students need to be successful in their online learning environment. We do have a plan in place to take care of our hands-on, technical course students. That will occur after May 1st, providing it is safe to do so and we have the proper permissions from the UA System.

As for the summer and fall semesters, our registration is open for both semesters. We have made our entire registration process available online for the safety and convenience of our students. Our website contains all the information students need to register: https://www.cccua.edu.

Our summer term will feature ONLY online courses, including some new and innovative courses that our faculty have put together to accommodate our students.

We are planning on a full and normal fall 2020 semester.

These are unprecedented and unexplored times but we will all make it through by working together. You can always find more UA Cossatot information on Facebook (ED88 and UAC) and on our ed88radio.com and CCCUA.EDU website.

Cossatot Community College

UA Cossatot embraces diversity and is committed to improving the lives of those in our region by providing quality education, outstanding service, and relevant industry training. The University of Arkansas - Cossatot Community College offers degrees and certificates in more than two dozen fields.

Thank You,

Dr. Steve Cole

Chancellor, UA Cossatot

UA Cossatot Summer and Fall 2020 Registration Now Open

UA Cossatot’s summer and fall registration is now open to everyone with the summer semester set to begin on Monday, June 1, 2020. Students can sign up for classes by contacting a Student Services Advisor online, over the phone, through text message, or through Facebook messenger.

The complete full class schedule for the summer and fall courses can be viewed at UA Cossatot’s website at www.cccua.edu/enroll.

Cossatot Community College

Click the following links to access the PDF version of the current or upcoming semester's full course schedule. Summer 2020 Schedule (3.26.2020) Fall 2020 Schedule (4.16.2020 Find specific courses through Campus Connect Course Search. There's no need to login.

All classes offered this summer will be available online, and several online options are available this fall. The college if offering courses for specific programs as well as general education.

Incoming students or prospective students can take steps to enroll in any UA Cossatot course by contacting any one of the seven Student Services Advisors at UA Cossatot. Advisors include: Addison Hill, Rachel Barfield, Jocelin Galvez, Lizz Garza, Sheila McCandless, Holly Norman, and Suzanne Ward.

Their individual e-mail addresses and phone numbers can be viewed on UA Cossatot’s website under the employee directory by clicking on their name at www.cccua.edu/directory. On Facebook, students can search the advisor’s name at UA Cossatot to locate them and send them a message.

Cossatot Community College

©2020 Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas

Due to Covid-19, UA Cossatot’s Campuses are currently closed to the public, but Student Services Advisors are still working from home.

For any questions, please contact UA Cossatot at 870-584-4471.

61% of All Courses at UA Cossatot are Textbook-Free

As summer and fall registration takes place, UA Cossatot is proud to announce that 61% of all courses do not require a textbook. Five years ago, UA Cossatot became the first two-year college in Arkansas to abandon its traditional campus bookstore and create an internal textbook rental and open educational resource (OER) program. UA Cossatot quickly became a state leader in the OER movement with faculty using more open resources than any other two-year college in Arkansas. The college also became the first in the state to join the Open Textbook Network, which elevated its use of OER.

Instead of asking students to purchase an expensive textbook, the college chooses to help students financially by offering courses that do not require a textbook at all and instead use open resources that maintain high academic quality. This move has saved UA Cossatot students over 1.6 million dollars.

UA Cossatot Director of Educational Resources and OER Specialist, Relinda Ruth said, “With the current Covid-19 situation changing the way we traditionally function, many more faculty are choosing open resources to ensure students have access to free high-quality academic resources. In the fall, the business department will be 81 % OER, and the English department will be 100 % OER, which is a major accomplishment for our college and a tremendous benefit to UA Cossatot students!”

As UA Cossatot continues to be a leader in online education, students at UA Cossatot can expect more classes to use OER, which makes higher education more affordable. A chancellor-appointed OER Board reviews all open resources to ensure the college’s high standard for academic quality continues.

For more information about UA Cossatot’s textbook rental/OER program, please contact Relinda Ruth at rruth@cccua.edu.