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All-American: Fayetteville’s Rukaya Alrubaye is NRECA youth spokesperson
Features
Rukaya Alrubaye received some thrilling news the day before this interview. The 17-year-old recent graduate of Fayetteville’s Haas Hall Academy announces, “I was accepted into the medical school that I applied to!” She explains the selective six-year, high-school-to-med-school program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. For this naturalized U.S. citizen born in Iraq,
Rising from the rubble: Vilonia military museum rebuilds, grows in tornado’s aftermath
Worth the Drive
It’s been nine years since a deadly tornado roared through Vilonia, causing extensive damage to the Faulkner County town. Among the buildings heavily damaged was the Museum of Veterans and Military History, located downtown in old house. “We were able to get about 70% of our stuff, but that doesn’t mean it was usable,” says
State Spelling Bee ends in tiebreaker T-E-S-T
Features
After enduring 22 rounds in a grueling 40-minute, head-to-head battle, finalists Zeeshan Anower and Matt Brodbent ended the 2023 Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas State Spelling Bee in a most unexpected way — a written, tiebreaker test. “I honestly have terrible handwriting,” Zeeshan says. “But then my competitor told me backstage that he has terrible handwriting
Taking the plunge! Students, robots make ‘swimpressive’ showing at SeaPerch
Features
Arkansas 4-H students gathered at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Aquatic Center on March 3 to test their robotics knowledge and teamwork at the 2023 SeaPerch Challenge. At the competition, hosted by Arkansas 4-H and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, junior and high school student teams steered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) through underwater
What’s old is new again: Heirloom gardening blooms in popularity
Gardening with Janet
What goes around comes around. Heirloom, heritage, antique and pass-along — all are words used interchangeably for growing old plants. Whether it is re-creating a historic landscape to match a period home, or simply growing a rose bush or a vegetable variety that your grandmother grew, heirloom gardening has wide appeal. Many gardeners look for
Let’s Eat: Greg & Jim’s in Colt gives a taste of history
Let’s Eat
‼️ IMPORTANT ‼️ We just learned that, due to recent storm damage, Greg & Jim's is closed for remodeling possibly into June. Please check their Facebook page for updates. The restaurant says they can't wait to get back to serving and fellowshipping with their customers. We're sure it will be worth the wait! 😀
Web Exclusive Recipe: Date Bacon Salad with Orange-Kissed Dressing
Web Exclusive
Date Bacon Salad with Orange-Kissed Dressing Makes 4-5 servings. Dressing 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 1 orange, zested and juiced 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove Pinch of salt Salad 6 cups spring mix 3/4 cup dates, sliced 2/3 cup cooked bacon pieces 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped 1
Picnic pasta-bilities: Easy dishes for casual, outdoor gatherings
Recipes - Juliana Goodwin
Mexican Corn Pasta Salad Makes 8 servings. Salad 3 cups rotini pasta, uncooked 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained 1 cup black beans, drained 4 green onions, sliced 1/4 cup cilatro, chopped Dressing 1 cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 cup salsa
The Cooperative Difference: Mother’s Day Challenge
The Cooperative Difference
May is a month with a lot of topics to write about. May is Military Appreciation Month and includes Memorial Day, and as Americans, we all owe those who made the ultimate sacrifice our thanks and respect. Mother’s Day is also in May, and mothers also deserve our thanks and respect for their sacrifices. May
Coming in hot! Mexcellent, spicy dishes for Cinco de Mayo
Reader Recipes
King Ranch Chicken 4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless 12 corn tortillas, cut in halves or quarters 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 1 tablespoon garlic salt 1 large onion, chopped and sautéed 12 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken soup 1 (10-ounce) can
Full Circle: Catching up with a Youth Tour star
Editor's Welcome
In this month's cover story, you’ll meet — and be inspired by — Rukaya Alrubaye of Fayetteville, the second Arkansan selected as national youth spokesperson for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). But first, let’s check in with the initial NRECA youth spokesperson from Arkansas, Samantha Evans. In 2002, Evans, from Toad Suck in
Around Arkansas Events Calendar
Calendar
May 1-7 Arts & The Park Hot Springs, hotspringsarts.org May 4-7 World Famous Armadillo Festival Hamburg, hamburgchamber.com May 5 Cinco de Mayo Arkadelphia, arkadelphia.gov Cinco de Mayo Fest Russellville, balloonsoverrussellville.com/cinco-de-mayo-fest May 5-6 Iris Festival Mountain View, mountainviewirisfest.com The 2023 Steel Horse Rally Fort Smith, fortsmith.org May 5-7 Arkansas Pottery Festival Fayetteville, waltonartscenter.org Balloons Over Russellville
Co-ops recognized at ECA Day at the Capitol
Currents
A few days prior to St. Patrick’s Day, the Arkansas state Capitol corridors were full of people wearing green in the form of Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas (ECA) Delegate stickers. March 14 was ECA Day at the Capitol. Employees from ECA’s Little Rock-based headquarters and the 17 member distribution cooperatives attended to meet with state
March tornadoes damage transmission
Currents
After several tornadoes swept through Arkansas on March 31, crews at electric cooperatives across Arkansas worked tirelessly to restore service to members impacted by the storms. At the peak of the storms, cooperatives collectively had about 10,000 outages among the 17 member systems. First Electric of Jacksonville and Woodruff Electric of Forrest City experienced the