Desha County native to visit ATU
Deena Burnett Bailey, author of “Fighting Back: Living Life Beyond Ourselves,” will share her perspective as the widow of Flight 93 hero Tom Burnett and how she overcame her personal tragedy from Sept. 11, 2001.
The Desha County native will be the guest speaker at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center at Arkansas Tech University at Russellville. She will speak in room 300 of the library, 305 W. Q St.
Admission is free and open to the public. Bailey will be the library’s Second Monday Author Series lecturer, according to a news release.
Bailey was raised on a cotton farm in Halley. She became a flight attendant living in Georgia, where she met Burnett. They were married in 1992 and became parents of daughters Halley, Madison and Anna Clare.
On 9/11, Burnett was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. It was hijacked and later crashed in Shanksville, Pa. There were no survivors.
Bailey wrote “Fighting Back” following the events of 9/11. The book was published by Advantage Inspirational in 2006.
The book “demonstrates how each of us can move forward through the hardships of life and have a positive impact on others through the belief that at some point in our lives, we are all called on to be heroes,” according to a review on the book.
Copies of the book will be available during Bailey’s appearance. Details: www.amazon.com/Fighting-Back-LivingBeyond-Ourselves/dp/159755037X.
Liddell attends Atlanta conference
Mary Liddell of Pine Bluff is attending the 123rd National Black Business Conference this week at Atlanta.
Liddell is a board member of the Black Community Development and Chamber of Commerce of Arkansas and the only delegate from Pine Bluff to attend the conference, according to a news release.
Liddell is also a Pine Bluff educator and event coordinator with the city of Pine Bluff.
The Black Community Development and Chamber of Commerce of Arkansas is a principal advocate and the preeminent leader in fostering economic success for African American and Black owned businesses and the African American and Black business community in Arkansas, according to the release.
More than 1,000 participants registered for the conference presented by Comerica Bank. The conference kicks off with a Welcome to Atlanta Reception, hosted by the Atlanta Business League, Greater Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce, and Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council. This location is the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel Centennial Foyer.
The conference offers a full weekend of activities and impactful sessions, providing a unique opportunity to network, learn, and grow, according to the release.
Area Agency tells menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas is serving lunches from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Here’s next week’s menu:
Aug. 28 — White beans with ham, sliced onion and tomato and spinach, corn bread, spiced peaches, and milk.
Aug. 29 — Black-eyed peas with ham, okra, cornbread, strawberries, and milk.
Aug. 30 — BBQ chicken breast, summer squash, potato salad, cobbler, and milk.
Aug. 31 — Meatballs with gravy mashed potatoes, spinach, lemonade pie, and milk.
Sept. 1 — Grilled chicken salad, melon, crackers, banana nut bread, and milk.
Details: Strachota Senior Citizens Center, (870) 543-6323.
Applications available for wildland fire kits
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division is accepting applications for wildland fire suppression kits through Oct. 20.
The application can be found at cognitoforms.com/ArkansasAgriculture1/Application ForWildlandFireSuppressionKit. The Forestry Division received $293,154 through a United States Forest Service grant to provide 85 kits this year to rural volunteer fire departments across the state.
Since 2014, more than 670 wildland fire suppression kits have been distributed, according to a news release.
Volunteer fire departments are the primary partner to Forestry Division crews in wildfire response and suppression, but they are often in need of specialized equipment and gear necessary for safe wildfire suppression.
These items include lightweight wildfire-resistant coveralls, wildland gloves, rakes, backpack water pumps, and leaf blowers.
Rural volunteer fire departments are encouraged to apply online, but paper applications are available upon request. The selected departments will be notified in November and kits will be delivered in the spring of 2024 or as soon as supplies are received.
Details: Kathryn Mahan-Hooten at [email protected] or (501) 679-3183 or agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry /rural-fire-protection-program/.
