Monthly Archives: May 2021

Businesses continue to require masks after mandate lifts

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Delta Digital News Service

By Maddison Smith | Contributor

JONESBORO, Ark. – COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed across the country and many states have lifted their mask mandates, Arkansas being one of those states. 

Gov. Asa Hutchinson lifted the mask mandate after consulting with Department of Health Secretary Jose Romero according to a press release from the official website of Gov. Asa Hutchinson.   

Tropical Smoothie Café requires both their employees and customers to wear masks inside the building.
Photo by Maddison Smith

Businesses still have the right to require that customers wear masks when entering their stores, but many only require their employees to wear a mask. Hotworx Sales Associate Megan Tremmel said, “After the mask mandate was lifted, we don’t require people to wear masks. If they want to and it helps them feel comfortable, then so be it.” 

Other stores like Palm Beach Tan require masks for their employees, routinely practice social distancing and leave signs on the outside of their building recommending their customers to wear masks. 

According to the Arkansas Department of Health’s website, there are 1,325 active cases of COVID-19. Craighead county had eight new cases, Pulaski county nine new cases and Lonoke county with seven new cases of COVID-19. 

Vaccinations are being distributed and given to people across the country. In Arkansas alone, around 630,000 people are fully vaccinated, with this number increasing daily. 

Tropical Smoothie Café Manager Ryan Denis said the store requires both their employees and customers to wear masks while inside the building. 

“I’ve been surprised to see so many people still wearing masks. The threat is still out there, we don’t want to turn our back to it,” Denis said. 

“I’ve been surprised to see so many people still wearing masks.”
– Tropical Smoothie Café Manager Ryan Denis

Up until two months ago, Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s drive-thru provided the only business the store received. Denis said there is now more traffic in their lobbies since the mask mandate has been lifted. 

Denis said he feels food service workers feel different about wearing masks. Guests do not pose a threat because his employees are able to successfully social distance.  

“I wear my mask mostly for other people. We owe each other that courtesy,” Denis said. “I’m ready for it to be normal. I want to see people’s faces and smiles again.” 

Palm Beach Tan Manager Kaygan Muse said they have more customers coming in without masks. 

Muse said she is not concerned for her well-being or her employees since they are still wearing masks and have extra cleaning procedures for their tanning beds. 

“It’s a start. I think the cases have lowered a lot recently so I think we are going in the right direction to go back to normal,” Muse said.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LOCAL MASK MANDATE.

MASK MANDATEDownload

Maddison Smith is a senior in the multimedia journalism program in The School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. You can follow her on Twitter. She can be contacted at: maddison.smith@smail.astate.edu.

Resolution to build tornado safe room in Jonesboro passes

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By Maddison Smith | Aspiring Journalist
Delta Digital News Service

After last year’s tornado ripped through town, the committee has been offered a chance to apply for a grant to help pay for a multi-purpose safe room in Jonesboro. 

“The grant is a 75% to 25% match and it has to be used for tornado, related mitigation expenses,” Chairman Josh Longmire said. “We are eligible for roughly $800,000 so our grant portion is in the neighborhood of $200,000. We could potentially have a million-dollar project.”

For this project, Longmire will be partnering with the East Arkansas Planning and Developing district.  The multi-purpose safe room would also have community rooms or hold Quorum Court. 

The grant money would not only pay for the multi-purpose safe room, but also the Hazard Mitigation Plan for Craighead County, which has to be updated every five years and was last updated in 2017. 

“We have to update that plan to be eligible for other grants like the one today,” Longmire said. 

The committee expressed concerns about the resolution and whether building just one safe room was adequate. Another committee member mentioned possibly upgrading the tornado sirens in Jonesboro with the grant money. 

Other items on the committee’s agenda include: 

  • Tax collection report from Craighead County Tax Collector Wes Eddington 
  • Finance reports from Treasurer Terry McNatt
  • Resolution to endorse Camfil USA, Inc. participation in Tax Back Program; passed 
  • Approval of Clean Up Ordinance for budget year 2020; passed

Prior to the Finance and Administration committee meeting, Quorum Court held their bi-weekly meeting. During the meeting, the court passed a resolution to amend the 2021 annual budget resulting in the loss of funding for two jobs. 

The funds amended included: 

  • Recorder’s cost fund 
  • Child Support cost fund 
  • Circuit Clerk cost fund 

The old budget for the recorder’s cost fund was roughly $1 million and the new amended budget for the cost fund is now $891,128. 

According to Craighead County Judge Marvin Day, this reduction in the budget means two jobs in the Craighead County Circuit Clerk office will no longer be funded. These two jobs include chief deputy held by John Smith and a criminal clerk position, which is currently vacant.

Justice of the Peace Kevin Williams said “We are not elevating the position, we are elevating the funding for that position. That’ll be something Candace Edwards does in her adult professional manner like she said in here the other day.”

Other items on the court’s agenda include: 

  • Ordinance amending 2021 budget to add fund 3553; passes.
  • The court received a check from the City of Bay to pay off part of a debt to the city. 

Maddison Smith is a senior in the multimedia journalism program in The School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. You can follow her on Twitter. She can be contacted at: maddison.smith@smail.astate.edu.